The Dome - DPChallenge Forums

11/08/2010 10:11:38 AM · #1

Anyone read this new one from Stephen King?

I just finished it over the weekend. I couldn't put it down.

I ranks right up there with The Stand and It (not counting DT...) with character development, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed with how the story was resolved.

Its right up there with the Stand as far as a big letdown at the end.

thoughts?

Simms

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/08/2010 10:26:43 AM · #2

The Stand is a perfect novel in my opinion and I think the slow come down on the ending (the journey back to boulder) is great. We needed to know that Stu Redmond & Tom Cullen returned and how they did it.

"Under the Dome" on the other hand - it is a great novel, but only up until the end when King drops in a great big Deus ex Machina to tie it all up.

Check out Duma Key if you want to see a flash of 1970s/1980s King - thats a good read, but he will never hit the highs of The Stand, The Shining & IT.

Then we could start a conversation about "The Dark Tower" and the big dissapointment at the end of that!!

*SPOILER ALERT*

Randall Flagg getting killed in such a piss poor way was tragic, he deserved a bigger set piece than that! And the character King introduced at pretty much the last moment to kill the Crimson King by drawing him and then erasing himm... jeez.

*SPOILER OVER*

Moving on - I am a huge fan of IT, and if you remember, the murders are on (roughly) 25/26 year cycles, which means that 2011/12 would be when the next murders should happen.. and if you have read "Dreamcatcher", there is a small part in there that alludes to the fact that Pennywise is actually still alive (the graffiti on the memorial to the Great Storm of `86, paid for by the Losers Club. What are the chances of King throwing us a sucker punch and releasing a follow up to that epic!!

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

11/08/2010 11:26:20 AM · #3

Originally posted by Simms:

... but he will never hit the highs of The Stand, The Shining & IT....

I read The Shining while working night security (all alone) at on old hotel, (called the Swastika Inn before WWI, it had a large swastika painted on one end). It had the proper atmosphere!!! Near the end of the book, there was a raccoon (I assume) fight under the floor of one of the pubs just off the lobby where I was sitting. I just about crapped my pants as I slowly walked in with a billy-club.

Anyway, that's all beside the point. My point was going to be that I think King prefers shmarmy, made-for-TV crap.

When I emailed one of my challenge entries (below) out to some relatives, a cousin wrote back and asked if I'd ever seen the remake of The Shining by King. According to her, King wasn't happy with the job Kubrik did!?!? I haven't verified it...

11/08/2010 11:42:56 AM · #4

I guess when i say letdown (in the Stand) is there is this big lead up, sides are taken, the four guys travel to Vegas to make their "stand" and its resolved by

SPOILER

the trashcan man blowing up a nuke.

END SPOILER

Other than that, the entire story was fantastic. I wasn't too disappointed becuase that book was a great journey.

In Under the Dome, King went had this great character in Big Jm Rennie, a brilliant character if you ask me, you hated the guy becuase everything always worked to his plan.

SPOILER

but his character never truly gets his comeuppance along with the rest of the scab police force. Rennie has a heart attack and the police suffer the same fate as the rest of the town.

And the whole dome being a game by some pre adolescent ETs.

END SPOILER.

I expected a tad more.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

11/08/2010 11:50:57 AM · #5

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

When I emailed one of my challenge entries (below) out to some relatives, a cousin wrote back and asked if I'd ever seen the remake of The Shining by King. According to her, King wasn't happy with the job Kubrik did!?!? I haven't verified it...

i heard that too, the made for TV was more true to Kings book.

also, the darktower is supposedly coming to the tv and screen

The plan is to have a movie and tv series intertwined. The gunslinger will be a feature film and the drawing of three will follow as a tv season.

its a great way to go about it, since its too long and complex for movies (however harry potter did it...) yet too violent for tv.

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

11/08/2010 11:53:32 AM · #6

Originally posted by mike_311:

... i heard that too, the made for TV was more true to Kings book...

Supposedly, it's pretty bad.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

11/08/2010 11:58:15 AM · #7

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

Originally posted by mike_311:
... i heard that too, the made for TV was more true to Kings book...

Supposedly, it's pretty bad.

it was too long and drug out.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

11/08/2010 12:05:00 PM · #8

I liked the Regulators/Desperation mirror stories, and The Tommyknockers.....

I was pretty unimpressed with what happened to The Dark Tower, too.....