I'm surprised by this accusation. When I first heard of King's novel, the first reference it brought to mind was John Wyndham's 1957 novel The Midwich Cuckoos. The novel begins with the fictional British village of Midwich covered by an invisible dome with a radius of two miles - and every human and animal within the dome has fallen unconscious. The military observe that anyone crossing the threshold of the dome - even a bird in mid-flight - falls instantly asleep.
In Wyndham's book, the dome is only temporary: when the dome disappears, the residents awake to find all their womenfolk impregnated with strange blonde children. But I can't be the only reader that found the dome the most intriguing idea of the novel.
In Wyndham's book, the dome is only temporary: when the dome disappears, the residents awake to find all their womenfolk impregnated with strange blonde children. But I can't be the only reader that found the dome the most intriguing idea of the novel.