The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition

This review comes just over two years after I've read it, but damn, it's still pretty fresh in my mind! I just have one word for this book... "M-O-O-N", that spells "This was such an incredible book!!!" If you read the book, you'll get the humor in that!
Through my life, I have never been a Stephen King fan, mainly because when I watched the original tv miniseries of "IT" back in the early 90's, I thought of how horrible it was, and I dim-wittedly assumed that this was what all his books were like. Fast forward 30 plus years, I decided to give him a chance. I was so blown away with his incredible writing style, and pondered over how I have spent so many years with the false notion that he was a mediocre writer. This was the first proper show more book I read of his, and I was hooked! Technically, the first actually story I read of his was "Gwendy's Box" and "The Mist", but those were both very short, so I don't consider them as being a first proper reading. I have since read "The Shining", and "IT". I was not disappointed with any of these fine stories, and I will definitely read more of his works.
The characters in "The Stand" are so incredibly well written, and the reader can completely relate to and sympathize with each one of them! Each character here feels so real. Some of them are pretty heavily flawed, and that's what makes them so identifiable and relatable. There is no such thing as the perfect character in his stories, this one included. He does go into painstaking detail with character development and the surroundings, but he really makes it work well. I've read other large novels that seem to drag on with ultra-slow burn development, and it becomes too tedious. That is not the case here. How he does it, I don't exactly know, but he really manages to keep you glued to these pages.
"The Stand" was considered by many, so I've heard, to be his Magnum Opus. As it stands now, I haven't read too many of his other books, so I can't make that call yet. However, reading this, "IT", and "The Shining", three of his most popular books ever, I can definitely say that I would agree that this is absolutely one of his best works ever. Look out "Carrie" and "Cujo", I've got you in my sights next!!!
Do yourselves a favor, pick this book up, read it, and love it! I owe a huge apology to Mr. King for not giving him a chance earlier on in my life. I'm making up for it now. show less

There's too much to say, too many things already said about this one, especially because it's one of my favorites. This is a re-read, but it's been quite some time in between readings, and a real pandemic. What struck me this time were the early references that Uncle Stevie eventually returns to with [The Dark Tower] series - keys and doors and centenarian spiritual leaders and epic treks and good vs. evil. It's terribly interesting how much of this was already swirling in his mind. He wrote [The Gunslinger] early in his writing career but it wasn't published, and this book seems to have helped germinate a lot of what ended up in the series. It stands the test of time in re-reading (pun intended). M-O-O-N, that spells read this. {This show more review is from my second reading in 2021}

By the way, the cover and famous art here is a reimagining of Goya's Fight with Cudgels. Also, Uncle Stevie initially started with an idea about Patty Hearst and the SLA, but it morphed into this epic. And, by all accounts, Flagg (with all his attendant aliases) is based on Charles Starkweather.

This reading in 2025 was in honor of my retirement, as I began my career as I was reading the book for the first time and thought I'd wrap it up by reading it as I sailed into the sunset.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended for reading and re-reading!
An all-time favorite. show less

Amazing. Just amazing.

I know that there is a debate about what the best work of Stephen King is, but there shouldn't be. This is a masterpiece of storytelling in every way. It is a gem of horror, suspense, and the grotesque. It is a beautiful examination of government, the human condition, and good vs evil.

This story is scary in a way that is hard to describe. It is not a traditional horror scary, but a dreadful scary. At every new chapter, I know that something horrifying is going to happen, and it is going to one-up the last horrifying thing. It happens so often, that the death of billions of people becomes normalized by the end of the book. And this I believe is intentional. King knows that his characters will eventually get used to show more seeing corpses every new place they go. The reader gets used to it along with the cast of characters, which makes the immersion real. And the suspense that comes from the actions of the large cast of people works very well alongside the disease death.

I love characters that are easy to hate. They seem more real than the stoic badass archetype characters. There are a couple in this. Harold Lauder is my favorite. While he is childish, arrogant, and painfully impulsive at times, he feels refreshing in a dystopia genre that is full of Katniss Everdeens who have no brain and are designed to entertain those with even less of a brain. Harold Lauder might be the best written character I've ever read outside of the namesake character of Anna Karenina.

I've heard that many people consider The Dark Tower Series to be Kings "Magnum Opus." While I have not read the fantasy series, I cannot imagine it overcoming this.

King should only be considered alongside Americas greats. With McCarthy and Faulkner. This is his masterpiece. show less

This is how the world ends: with a human-engineered superflu which escapes containment in the form of a terrified guard who unwittingly spreads death over a wide swath of southwestern America in his bid to escape infection. Captain Trips, they call it - until they die, and people die in droves within a matter of days. In almost no time at all, well over 99% of the American population have suffered an agonizing death. Those that are left all alone begin to dream: comforting visions of an ancient black lady called Mother Abigail in Nebraska rising up alongside nightmares of a faceless man out west. Many find their way to Las Vegas to serve under Randall Flag, the Walking Dude of their night visions, but many others flock to Mother Abigail show more in Nebraska and eventually Boulder, Colorado. As the citizens of the Boulder Free Zone attempt to reform society and make a new life for themselves, they are forced to come to terms with the fact that they are caught up in a struggle defined by their spiritual leader in religious terms. They must destroy Flagg or be destroyed by him - in a word, they must make their stand. I

I could not begin to describe the dozens of richly drawn characters King gives life to in these pages. They are ordinary people called to do extraordinary things in a world reeking of death and fear. Some are not up to the challenge, and betrayal has awful consequences in this new reality - to the betrayer as well as the betrayed. These are real human beings, flaws and all; there is good to be found even among those serving the greatest of evils, and at the same time, the good guys don't always behave in ways you think they should. There are so many points to touch on, I could write indefinitely, but what it all comes down to is this: if you're looking for a novel that will entertain you even as it makes you think, "The Stand" is for you. Oh...don't drop it on your foot. show less

One of my favourite books ever, and read more times than I can count.

For me, I think it works on three counts. Firstly, his characterisation is fantastic. The characters aren't particularly deep or notable, they are just very strong representations of very average, common people dealing with their own small troubles in the context of a much bigger and more confusing situation. They're relatable, and in the context of this kind of book that's important and desired. Stu is arguably a little too much of your 'everyday hero', but it works. Flagg is so brilliantly crafted; at one a ageless pantomime villain, at once an ambiguous contemporary American.

Similarly, King uses the USA itself as a character, and manages the strange thing of show more crafting an engaging fantasy landscape from something so familiar and mundane. The chapter devoted to the spread of the plague is relentless and insidious and the true horror comes in its inevitability. After this, America re-imagined in silent post apocalyptic state is fantastic.

Finally, as a thesis on social dynamics in a post-apocalyptic word and a prompt for getting you wondering just how you do go about getting civilization set-up again, it's the best. show less

Next to The Shining, the Stand is probably Stephen King's most-read novel, and let me tell you, this one is a doozy. At 1100+ pages for the uncut version, it's next to impossible to provide a comprehensive plot summary, but the basic story involves a flu virus that wipes out 99% of the American population. Only a few survivors are left in the deserted country, and slowly, they begin to band together. But at the heart of the apocalypse are two opposing forces: Mother Abagail, a 108-year-old black woman from Nebraska, and Randall Flagg, the "dark man" who haunts the dreams of the plague survivors. As the survivors are drawn towards either Mother Abagail or Randall Flagg, a great confrontation between good and evil begins to coalesce, show more bringing a small group of men into the desert to face the growing forces of Randall Flagg.

This is a really hard book to classify - on the one hand, it's full of apocalyptic horror, and Randall Flagg is one of the best-developed villains in any of Stephen King's works. On the other hand, the ultimate confrontation between good and evil, as well as the epic journey the characters must take, suggests elements of fantasy. And on the OTHER hand (yes, that's three hands now...), this is just a really well-told story that goes beyond known genres.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints - so many, in fact, that it's impossible to keep track of them all - but Stephen King does a fantastic job of developing the characters so that each one seems three-dimensional and unique. And because of these multiple points of view, the reader gets a nearly omniscient view of the entire story.

Because Stephen King uses such vivid and specific details, he is able to create an image of post-apocalyptic America that seems almost like a photograph. Setting is not usually particularly important to me, but in this case, he takes what could have been a slow, plodding story and injects it with a dazzling sense of realism. And since the story takes place in Maine, New York City, Nebraska, Colorado, Las Vegas, and everywhere in between, this attention to detail is particularly striking, and even more important.

If this story has any drawbacks, it would have to be the story's length. Even in paperback, this is a hefty, hefty book that requires a great deal of energy and stamina that some readers just aren't willing to invest. But even at 1100+ pages, the story never feels slow, plodding, or boring. In fact, I'd even go so far as to call this a FAST read...it certainly kept me turning the pages late at night.

Language & sex - present, and at levels that might be offensive to some readers. Violence is high, but not overpowering - the focus is on the characters and the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Recommended for someone looking for apocalyptic horror, dark fantasy, or a well-told story with some supernatural/fantastical elements.

Readalikes: Any of Stephen King's other books would be worth looking into if you enjoyed the writing style of The Stand, but especially his Dark Tower series, beginning with The Gunslinger, which follows the Gunslinger on a lonely and epic journey through the desert. The series makes reference to The Stand as well, so it's an interesting tie-in for readers who want to know more about that universe.

Other Stephen King recommendations: It, which has the same large scope and similarly well-developed characters, and 11/22/63, which goes beyond genre classifications and is, instead, an extraordinarily well-told story.

The Passage by Justin Cronin describes a post-apocalyptic America, and how a group of survivors band together in an ultimate fight of good vs. evil. show less

Just finished this behemoth. Read it first 30 years ago when I was a teenager and I loved it. Second read, still love it. Parts of it were especially chilling, reading it during the throes of COVID-19. Parts of it haven't aged well, namely his multiple uses of the N-word (even if only the "bad guys" are using it, still, I just don't like reading it) and the numerous pop-culture references from the 70's and 80's. Also, if I can get a little nit-picky here, he way over uses the word "trundle" and the phrase "as [some group] says" whenever he throws in something he feels is a colloquialism. (“Well, the years rolled by, as they say in the books...") It got to the point that whenever I heard either of those, I was thrown out of my reverie show more and my reading rhythm stumbled. I feel a good editor should have pointed that out.

Also, knowing now (not sure if I knew this 30 years ago) that the book was originally published in 1978 after the publisher forced him to remove 400 of his original 1200 pages for financial reasons, and then reprinted in full in 1991 due to fan enthusiasm for the uncut version, but with numerous edits including updating the story's timeframe to 1990 instead of the early 80's, I noticed a lot of those pop-culture references from the 80's and marveled that he decided to include them, I guess to appeal to a "modern" audience. When one of the (aforementioned) bad guys picks up a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comic book later in the book, I got a laugh out of that. He does that a lot. I swear at some point he was quoting a commercial from back in the day that I only have a twinge of recognition for, and I wonder how a younger audience even responds to something like that. Probably keeps reading and just figures he's using one of those made up colloquialisms.

What more can I say? Probably my favorite King book. Up there with It in my opinion. Maybe because they both have a surprisingly happy ending. Not that everything works out great for everyone involved, but the ending is overall positive. And if I'm going to read 1200 pages, I don't want everybody I cared about lying dead in the end. I say "positive" but I mean "positive for a King novel." Of course he has to take what could be a happy ending and in the last couple of pages introduce a trigger-happy sheriff who could take the new world down a dark path and, oh by the way, look how Randall Flagg resurrected himself and starts over again, something I read that he added to the 1991 edition, but this was probably because, by then, he had larger plans for Flagg and couldn't have him disintegrated by a nuclear bomb.

I'm also on my way through the entirely of The Dark Tower series and trying to read all of the connected books and stories as well, so revisiting the beginnings of Randall Flagg is important. show less