"Under the Dome" is one of Stephen Kings longest books, and it manages to showcase both his biggest strengths and clear weaknesses, often simultaneously.
To start with the positive: "Under the Dome" is ambitious. In it, King sets out to document the decay and downfall of society when faced with the unearthly challenge of being stuck under an impenetrable dome. And he absolutely succeeds. Yet, at the same time, this "documentation" is often too meticulous, providing more detail than anyone really needs or cares about.
"Under the Dome" has some of King's most fleshed-out characters in any of his novels. They feel almost real. (OK, maybe Big Jim is a bit over-the-top at points - but what car dealer isn't?) But too much attention is given to characters whose purpose is minimal and have no real affect on the story. At one point, we meet a character, and over the course of five pages we learn all about their family and personal history. A chapter or two later, that character is killed off. It's almost as if King never learned the difference between major and minor characters, and so everybody gets the "major character" treatment, regardless of their significance.
I'm not sure how else to characterize "Under the Dome" except that it represents Stephen King at both his best and his worst. If you're the type of person who likes Stephen King, you'll likely find what you like in droves. If you're the type of person who looks down on King's work, you'll find plenty to gripe about too. For me: I enjoyed it. I just wish it had been about 400 pages shorter.
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