Under the Dome

An invisible, impermeable dome suddenly descends over Chester's Mill, Maine, cutting the town off from the outside world. As resources run out and authority collapses, a ruthless local politician uses the crisis to consolidate power. The novel follows the struggle between those who exploit the catastrophe and those who resist.

King has acknowledged that the dome functions as a contained laboratory for social and political dynamics—he was interested in what happens to a community when its usual structures of accountability (law, press, outside intervention) are removed. He has cited Lord of the Flies as an influence and confirmed the political dimension is intentional.

King wrote an early draft of the novel in the 1970s under the title The Cannibals and abandoned it. He returned to the premise in 2007 and completed the published version, released in 2009 at over 1,000 pages. The concept had stayed with him for thirty years before he found the approach that worked.

Yes. A CBS series ran for three seasons from 2013 to 2015, with King serving as executive producer. The series diverged significantly from the novel in its explanation for the dome's origin and its resolution, which King has acknowledged publicly. The show was a major ratings success in its first season.