Under the Dome (Stephen King)

Title: Under the Dome

Author: Stephen King

Released: 2009

Rating: 6/5

Basic Plot: A mysterious dome drops around the town of Chester's Mill. A man decides to try and take control of the town while others, lead by a drifter, attempt to stop him. All the while time runs out for Chester's Mill.
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Big Jim
This character is unlikable from the first page he appears on. His whole thing is that he must always be right and will kill those who speak out against him. From his first appearance you don't want him in charge of the town. Jim says that he cares about Chester's Mill, he even thinks that in various parts of the novel, but he never really does. He thinks people need to be controlled because they are stupid and he has never tried to actually give the town the help it needs even before Dome came. As he's the big bad of the book, you know he'll survive close to the end and you merely hope his death scene will be glorious.

Children Are Wicked
I am not saying all children are of the devil, but multiple times in this novel it's shown that some children are violent and that when you get older certain violent behavior goes away. Well...for some people. Violent behavior being things like burning ants with a magnifying glass and burning barbies in a microwave. Anytime those violent behaviors carry over to the time the person is an adult or are kept as is, it's not shown as good. All children aren't shown as violent as three teens are crucial to the town's survival.

Rape
In this book there is a rape scene...well, technically more than one. But only one major rape scene (those of you triggered by rape: I only remember two...and one person having sex with corpses is only implied/talked about and never shown). This rape scene serves to show how brutal the police force has gotten as well as how certain professions are looked down upon. It is these two reasons, as well as the rape itself, that makes the scene so terrifying. I must say that when the victim/survivor gets her vengeance, it is a good payoff (I would've been more horrified if all the rapists survived until the end).

Final Thoughts
This book is long (over a thousand pages), but well worth it. The length of the book allows things to develop well. As it's really a study of how quickly a society (in this case a small town) breaks down when put under pressure. How sometimes the reason for it all isn't something grandiose merely because sometimes horrible things happen because of ignorance and a lack of empathy. I love how it's shown how political positions can make a person feel they have a reason to act. There are parts of this book that will make you long for the conclusion of a subplot and it won't be answered for many pages. As for the tv show...I have only seen the first six episodes and I suggest finishing the current season(s) of the tv or finishing the book before going to the other medium. Both are set in two different universes where characters either have different backstories or are living.

Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)

Title: Catching Fire

Series: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Author: Suzanne Collins

Released: 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

Basic Plot: Katniss Everdeen is brought into the arena again after she inadvertently started a rebellion after the previous hunger games.

The Clock Arena
I absolutely love the arena in this book. Besides providing physical challenges it provides psychological challenges. The physical challenges are interesting and you can really feel the danger that the characters face. There is technically only one psychological challenge but I am going to also count the relationships between the characters. In the first book there is not really any relationships between the characters except viewing each other as contestants.

Buildup to a Revolution
Most of the book is building up to a revolution. It shows every day people and how they react. The government is shown to be even more cruel. Well, President Snow mostly. In fact, it seems to be President Snow who is the only real cruel one. As District 12 changes and there's a rebellion in District 8 you can tell the Capitol is afraid. Oh, and the Peacekeepers shooting an old man in the head!

Rumors of District 13
Two refugees from District 8 inform Katniss that District 13 is still 'alive'. Katniss assumes it's just a dumb hope. Ever since the first book talked about District 13 I thought it might still exist. But one point against it existing is the fact that it hasn't fought against the Capitol. By the end you find out that it exists but not why it hasn't fought against the Capitol.

Final Thoughts
The reason I gave this book a 4.5/5 instead of a 5/5 is the fact that some important plot points you can understand long before Katniss does. Such as the mockingjay watch that someone shows Katniss in the Capitol. All in all, though, this is a good sequel. It expands on the previous book and raises the stakes. Plus, Collins isn't afraid to kill off great characters to help the story.