I find it interesting how the theme of going underwater for future survival can create so many diverse story lines & plots. "Dome" and "ARK LIBERTY" are two of my favorites that I reread together every year. ( )

Workers in an undersea mining and research complex watch and react in horror as biological warfare kills everybody living on land.

Dome is an easy and entertaining book to read. It has moments of genuine imagination - the well imagined setting, the tense plot, and the spookily alien artificial intelligences. All are used to good effect to keep the reader engaged.

Other aspects of the book aren't so pleasing. The characterisition is lazy. Their reactions to the crisis are fairly shlocky, right down to the old standby of the power crazy security officer, planning a coup in the middle of disaster, while the ineffective leader crumbled under pressure and wept at his desk. Research was lacking a bit - an attempt to give a character a deeper background misfired, as his memories of cheerleaders at soccer games at Toowoomba high school didn't quite ring true (although I guess it's set in the future - maybe high school cheerleading will catch on in Australia?)

Fun, engaging, but ultimately forgettable. ( )