Under the Dome - Let's Discuss! *Spoilers*

[smithnb42]

Hello,

I have read the book and I noticed what may be a connection to a certain other Stephen King novel. I was wondering if anyone else caught this? It is mentioned in Bev Vincent's review of the novel. Do you think this was intentional?


I dont want to say what it is so as to not spoil anything for anyone but am looking for feedback from those who may have already finished reading the book.

Thanks

[Randall Flagg]

Welcome to the site. Since this thread is about actual plot of the novel, I'm going to move it to Cara Laughs where non Dark Tower King books are discussed.

[hobo bob]

Well I still havent finished the Dome yet but I remember reading somewhere that a farmer has 3 sons, two of which are named Roland and Randall. I kinda thought that was funny but as for now I dont think there is any significance, it's just a reference to the DT.

A little off topic but this is my favorite quote from the Dome right now
"Let me be perfectly clear: unless you do whatever it is Rusty wants you to do, I have no intention of letting go your Eggos." -Barbie

[Sam]

By simple fact of it's location we know that Under the Dome is connected to ALL the Castle Rock stories as well as Cell, Cycle of the Werewolf, The Body, and any book that has connections to those tales. Granted the connection is tenuous, but it is a connection. There may be a greater connection, but I haven't finished the story yet so I don't know.

[Míchéal]

IT


[quote=Míchéal;460716]

Spoiler:

This is from Under the Dome:


This is from IT(Sorry about the bad quality):

[Brice]

By simple fact of it's location we know that Under the Dome is connected to ALL the Castle Rock stories as well as Cell, Cycle of the Werewolf, The Body, and any book that has connections to those tales. Granted the connection is tenuous, but it is a connection. There may be a greater connection, but I haven't finished the story yet so I don't know.

Unless there is more than one world with a Castle Rock, Tarker Mills, etc.... Still in a sometimes round about way I think ALL King books are connected.

[Jean]

Dear friends,

I have added spoiler icon to the title of this thread, which means that Under the Dome spoilers don't have to be marked, while all others still do, as Míchéal very wisely guessed!

[AIMB]

Where is the Under the Dome book discussion? Am I just blind? I can't find it!!!

[JRSly]

I don't know if you can say that ALL the books are truly connected. At least, specifically, I don't think the universe of "Cell" really lends itself to have happened a few years ago in this book.

[Sam]

I would say the events in Cell happened on another level of the Tower.

[JRSly]

Also, something else that might suggest Under the Dome isn't quite connected to other books, at one point early on, Joe McClatchey is looking online at reaction to the Dome and comes across a theory that says, "It's a secret government experiment, like in that movie The Mist!" So UtD seems to take place in a universe where Stephen King is an author.

EDIT: Unless we interpret that in this universe, "The Mist" was a documentary.

[smithnb42]

The symbol on the box in Under the Dome is almost the same as the symbol on the door to IT's Lair in "IT"

[hobo bob]

Uh hate to say it but it looks like Wikipedia has alot of good info on this subject

"References to other King works
-The character Junior inwardly expresses his desire not to go to Shawshank Prison, location of Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, after committing murder.
-Chester's Mill is frequently mentioned as being between Tarker's Mills, Castle Rock, and TR-90 (or Kashwakamak, a major location in Cell.)
-The character Dale Barbara reflects on how much he dislikes the sound of the phrase "dead zone."
Barbara also references his desire to get out of town as attempting to "light out for the territories", a phrase borrowed from Mark Twain, which was used frequently in both The Talisman and the sequel Black House.
-Joseph McClatchy reads a discussion online in which the dome is referred to as a scientific experiment, like in that movie The Mist. The Mist was based on King's short story of the same name from Skeleton Crew.
-While not a part of the Dark Tower mythology a character named 2 of his kids Roland and Randall. Roland and Randall are the names of the hero and villian, respectively, of Stephen King's 7 volume series The Dark Tower.
-Derry and Castle Rock are briefly talked about
-Two Police Officers (Jackie and Linda) find a scrap of paper (while investigating Coggin's church) that has 1693 written on it. 1 + 6 + 9 + 3 = 19 , a number of great importance in King's mythology, especially the Dark Tower. The number occurs on page 316. 3 + 16 = 19. Later in the story, a young boy named Aiden is wearing a used Shawshank State Prison shirt as a nightshirt. the Prison I.D. number on the shirt is 9091. 9 + 0 + 9 + 1 = 19. This occurs on page 658. 6 + 5 + 8 = 19.
-The Alien artifact found in the story, with help from the Geiger Counter, gives off irregular flashes of purple light, just as the car does in "From a Buick 8", one of King's more recent novels. It also contains a symbol in it that had previously appeared in IT.
-Tarker's Mills is mentioned a few times, being a neighouring city of Chester's Mills. It is known from the short novel Cycle of the Werewolf."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Dome

[Brice]

A nod to our old friend RF? (even if it's not him):

Spoiler:

p. 550 of the US edition-

"A crow, not in the least suicidal, landed on a telephone wire and gazed at them with bright, intelligent eyes. It cawed once, then flapped away through the strange afternoon air."

[Matt]

I know we have a thread about UtD in the collectors forum and one in here that is about connections.

There is also one about the signing tour and tour signing experiences

So if we feel like a merge is needed for this I am fine with it but I have finished the book and was looking for some open discussion on what people thought.

My first inclination is a classic scene from Toy Story.

"You are a child's plaything!!"

-Woody

[Míchéal]

Exactly...scary though!!!

[ICry4Oy]

It makes me think twice about all the spectracide I put out on the fireants this past summer.

[Tito_Villa]

Just loved the book, epic and i really cared for the characters in the end.

[Sam]

It doesn't make me think any more about my treating the yard for fire ants, but that's because I am very allergic to them. The story did make me think, though, about the fragility of the human mind. Of how much it needs the normalcy of our daily lives. Of what it is capable of when that normalcy is shattered. And of what lurkes in the hearts of humanity. This is something I used to think of at 2am when I was sitting in a prison dorm listening to 150+ adult male criminals sleep. Of how "normal" the abnormal becomes when you live in it week in and week out. Of how the mind and personality changes to fit the situation, and of how the predators come out to take advantage of the herd.

Under the Dome is really another prison tale, if you think about it, only there is no warden inside to take control of the inmates.

[Matt]

I totally agree Sam and I have always thought it would take about that long for civilization to collapse if something bad happened. It is just really easy to take advantage in a situation like that for a lot of people.

A scene I was thinking about today that I really loved was Jr shooting at Barbie in the cell. It was so well done and believable. We have recent experience with a gun and being on your toes can totally be the difference between life and death in that situation. For about three shots anyway.

[JRSly]

I really liked it, I think it will stand amongst King's best works in years to come. It was a really solid book from start to finish, compared to some of King's books which can fizzle out at the end and sorta stumble over the finish line. Under the Dome felt very well planned out. The decades it spent percolating in Steve's brain seemed to do nothing but good for the final story.

I loved it, but did have a few quibbles...ultimately I was able to shrug them off since the story was so good and compelling, but my few criticisms: I thought the breakdown of society and Rennie's rise to power was a bit too quick. Everything was lined up a bit too perfectly, and Rennie had all the exact right people in his pocket to allow his takeover. For the first third or so I kept thinking, "In a town of 2000 people this seems all just a bit too easy." Of course...you never know how those 1900 townspeople we never heard from viewed the selectman and his 'officers', the characters we followed might truly have been the only ones to detect any possible trouble. But again, that seems awfully convenient for the sake of story. Like I said though, the book had its hooks in me deep early on and I accepted everything and just let the horror unfold.

I was hoping to see a showdown of some sort between Rennie and the survivors. I can still appreciate the poetic justice of Rennie's breakdown and death as a result of his stingy politics, of course...but I guess I'm still a sucker for good ol' fashioned justice between the hero and the villain. Big Jim was one of the slimiest, most despicable villains King's created in some time and I was really looking forward to Barbie or Julia getting their revenge. Maybe it woulda been cliche or a stretch to make it happen, but after all the terrible things he'd done, him dying alone by simply asphyxiating didn't completely thrill me. And I guess this is just part of it being a horror story, but I was sickened by 99% of the townspeople dying believing everything Rennie said and believing that Barbie was the murderer. At another forum, one reader wished Rennie would've survived to the end and been completely wrecked and disgraced in the public eye...that could've been a satisfying end as well/

Finally, I would've loved to see just one more chapter in the book. I would've loved to see some of the reaction from the world after what happened. I was curious what the survivors might've told the press or their families. What they chose to do after getting out. How they began to pick up the pieces of their lives..etc. I thought the book ended jarringly abruptly.

And that's saying something when you're talking about an 1100 page book! Was anyone else shocked at how short it felt? I can't believe The Stand isn't even a hundred pages longer. Under the Dome moved at a breakneck pace and didn't seem to ever get bogged down with superfluous, needless passages...which is pretty incredible when the sole subject is a very small town over the course of a week. Compared to The Stand, which covered a country over several months, and yet I still thought it often felt slow and sometimes tedious. It makes no sense!

[Merlin1958]

Finally, I would've loved to see just one more chapter in the book. I would've loved to see some of the reaction from the world after what happened. I was curious what the survivors might've told the press or their families. What they chose to do after getting out. How they began to pick up the pieces of their lives..etc. I thought the book ended jarringly abruptly.

I agree. Maybe something like the interviews at the end of "Boondock Saints" would have fit perfect with the overall "feel" of the book. Though I didn't feel the book ended abruptly. I actually thought he dragged the ending just a bit at the very end and would have done better to end it as you suggested. But, that's just my humble opinion.

And that's saying something when you're talking about an 1100 page book! Was anyone else shocked at how short it felt? I can't believe The Stand isn't even a hundred pages longer. Under the Dome moved at a breakneck pace and didn't seem to ever get bogged down with superfluous, needless passages...which is pretty incredible when the sole subject is a very small town over the course of a week. Compared to The Stand, which covered a country over several months, and yet I still thought it often felt slow and sometimes tedious. It makes no sense!

Probably felt short because it was such a "Page-Turner". I generally object to books that jump story lines chapter to chapter, but not with King. He handles it so well it just flows so smoothly.

[Beambounder]

Wasn't that pictograph,on the dome emitter marking pennywise's interstellar spider lair? or was it in TDT??

[Beambounder]

I bet Mr Sai King was influenced by our shared obsession with Breaking Bad. That town broke bad in many of the worst ways. Amazing juggling all those characters and interwoven relationships,Kudos to The King . He never ceases to read like pure individual,visual thoughts. Thanks again Oh Great One.

[Sam]

The pictograph WAS from IT. And yet, I still haven't seen the connection of the two. And yes I finished the book.