Under the Dome
by Stephen King
★ Top 25 book of 2009 · #11 on Best Books of 2009
An invisible, glass-like barrier drops from the sky and seals a small Maine town off from everyone else. The story follows many residents, shifting between their viewpoints, as they cope with being trapped inside.
Best for: Readers who like large casts and small towns pushed to their limits
Under the Dome is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar.
What Under the Dome is about
At 11:44 on the morning of October 21, an invisible barrier drops over the small Maine town of Chester's Mill, cutting it off from the world. Nobody knows where it came from. Dale "Barbie" Barbara, a former Army captain who was trying to leave town, finds himself stuck inside, and the outside world, including Colonel James Cox, wants him to find out what powers the Dome.
With the police chief dead, second selectman Big Jim Rennie sees a chance to take control of the town, and the people around him must decide whether to resist or go along. Told through many voices over eight days, the novel is a sprawling look at power, corruption and a community under pressure. It is tense and bleak, and suits readers who enjoy a big cast and a slow tightening of the screws.
Under the Dome on the Best Books of 2009
Under the Dome came out in 2009. Of the 42 books first published in 2009 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #11 on our Best Books of 2009 list.
Why it made the list: 833 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (59 ratings); 42 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2009 list
- Wintergirls Laurie Halse Anderson, #9
- The Lost Symbol Dan Brown, #10
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Travis Bradberry, #12
- The Forty Rules of Love Elif Şafak, #13
See all Best Books of 2009 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2008 Best Books of 2010.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 673 want to read it, 42 are reading it now and 118 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.8 out of 5 from 59 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 81 | 55% |
| Reader love | 29 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 81 | 20% |
Questions about Under the Dome
When was Under the Dome published?
Under the Dome by Stephen King was first published in 2009.
Was Under the Dome one of the best books of 2009?
Under the Dome is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 2009, out of 42 2009 books that cleared our data bar. 833 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (59 ratings); 42 are reading it right now.
Why is Under the Dome on the Best Books of 2009 list?
833 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (59 ratings); 42 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2009
- The Last Olympian Rick Riordan, #1
- Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, #2
- The Maze Runner James Dashner, #3
- The Help Kathryn Stockett, #4
- Dork Diaries Rachel Renée Russell, #5
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich Ramit Sethi, #6
See the full Best Books of 2009, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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