Under The Dome Stephen King Hodder & Stoughton Ltd ISBN: 9780340992562

A mysterious, invisible barrier has cut off Chester's Mill from the outside world. Car salesman and second selectman Big Jim Rennie sees this imprisonment as an opportunity - especially when his one restraint, town sheriff Howard Perkins dies shortly after the barrier comes down. And so he sets to work, doing what he believes necessary for the good of "his" town. And if that involves a few killings, well dirty work's got to be done.

Against him are a ragtag bunch led by a former soldier and short-order cook Dale "Barbie" Barbara, an outsider Rennie sees an easy scapegoat. But, with the whole of the town's establishment behind Rennie, what chance do they have?

A brief glance at this book might not give much reason to read it. Nine hundred pages of what seems a rehash of the Simpsons Movie - daunting. And when you consider that in recent years picking up a Stephen King means you're statistically more likely to find a Tommyknockers or Dreamcatcher than an It or The Stand, seeing this page count could fill you with dread.

It shouldn't though. For this tale of small town rivalries and power struggles in overdrive is some of King's best work in three decades.

The nine hundred pages fly by, leaving you wishing it were twice this length. His characters are superb. King makes you dislike his bad guys immensely and you can't help but root for Barbie and his allies - even when everything is stacked against them. And the plot is paced beautifully, with incredible tension.

Stephen King is back to his best.

Page updated 28 May, 2010