THE STAND by Stephen King.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?
The story begins with a virus killing 99% of the population. We meet several survivors in separate towns. They stay in town a while, then begin traveling on motorcycles, bicycles, or walking. The travelers start out alone or with one other person. Along the way they join with others. A man called Randall Flagg is creating his own empire, dictator style, with evil intentions. His headquarters are in Las Vegas, Nevada. Survivors with criminal tendencies are drawn toward Flagg. Good folks are drawn to Boulder, Colorado, where they form a community called the Free Zone.
REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Before I read any Stephen King, I thought most of his books would be about monsters, horror, screaming, slashing - things in horror movies. I was wrong. I'm finding a lot of depth and interesting character development. His bad guys are not all that different from some of the serial killers in mainstream crime fiction and thrillers.
The Stand has some paranormal, not a lot. Several characters have psychic dreams or a psychic sense at times. The Stand is one of Stephen's longest books. The paperback is 1439 pages. I was never bored. I became attached to the characters. In the preface Stephen says "When I speak (which is as rarely as possible), people always speak to me about The Stand. They discuss the characters as though they were living people, and ask frequently, "What happened to so-and-so?"... as if I got letters from them every now and again." Personally I feel that way. I'd like to think about the characters in the future.
Stephen makes everyday conversations interesting. There are many characters in this book, but it didn't feel like too many. We are with a guy in Arkansas for 25 pages, then a guy in New York for 12 pages, then a woman in Maine for 11 pages. I like a linear time line and I like scenes with natural endings. And most of the time the scenes met these requirements. My biggest problem with Stephen's book "It" was stopping scenes in the middle of action and jumping around in time. I'm pleased to see the author used "better methods" in this book.
This is a post apocalyptic world. By the end of the book some of the good guys die, but others have happy endings. Normally I would avoid books with this setup because I don't want to be depressed. Other authors might tell this story with deep digging into grief and loss. This book was not done that way. I was pleased that I was not depressed.
I was pleased to see a romance. A couple meets, they eventually get together, and have a happy ending. For those whose don't like abusive husbands, you'll like this. This is the way guys should be. He cares for her happiness.
There is a homosexual rape scene in detail. Also there is a telling (after the fact) of women held against their will and repeatedly raped.
This is the expanded edition published in 1990. Much was cut for the 1978 edition. Stephen added back cut parts and a lot of new writing for the 1990 edition. I would not want to read the cut version.
IS IT PERFECT? NO.
I had a few questions that were not answered, such as why Flagg was losing his powers, and what was the purpose of the pregnancy. Also I did not like Flagg's ending. I wanted something worse to happen to him.
The narrator Grover Gardner did an excellent job.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook reading time: 47 hrs and 52 mins. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words and racial slurs. Sexual language: moderate to strong. Number of sex scenes: about 14, most briefly described. Setting 1990 - 1991 various U.S. locations. Book copyright 1978 and 1990. Genre: apocalyptic paranormal fiction. Ending: happy for many of the good guys, bad for most of the bad guys.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Stephen King books, see my 5 star review of Carrie posted 5-11-12.
The Stand
4.6 | 52,887 ratings
Price: 35.44
Last update: 01-11-2025
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I will keep the synopsis of The Stand by Stephen King brief, because I am sure everyone at least knows the basic premise. I read the Complete and Uncut Edition, the only edition I can find without shelling out a lot of dough, and if Mr. King felt that it was of value to reprint issues of the original 1978 edition I most certainly think he would do so. I also believe that if King didn’t believe the Complete and Uncut Edition was not superior there would be the choice between both editions at book stores. It makes sense. A lot of people would buy both just to see differences. I know I would. Which would mean more money for the publisher, and Stephen as well. So I feel that the Complete and Uncut edition is worth reading the extra pages considering it is King’s full vision of The Stand.
The Stand is an epic story of massive proportions! The amount of characters throughout are immense, diverse, some you love, and some you hate. The year is 1990, and the world is about to be nearly obliterated by a pandemic, plague, or virus. Take your pick. When something goes awry at a military base in California death soon follows the path of a family into Arnette, Texas. From here the telephone game of deadly infectious disease is set into motion.
There are some that are unaffected by the Captain Trips virus, and their stories are who we follow. Stu Redman, Frannie Goldsmith, Harold Lauder, Nick Andros, Tom Cullen, Lucy Swann, Nadine Cross, Lloyd Henreid, Trashcan Man, Mother Abigail, the mysterious dark man Randall Flagg, and my personal favorite Larry Underwood. Now that is not to say there aren’t others, Glen, Ralph, Sue, Dayna, Judge Farris, and I could go on. The characters in this epic novel are expansive!
Following the lives of survivors King weaves a story that at the core is about survival, and good versus evil. As all of the survivors begin having strange dreams they casually may mention it to others, and they believe it is pure coincidence. However, as more and more join together their dreams are too much alike to be coincidental. They all set out on a journey across the United States to answer their dreams, to see what happens next, and to make their stand.
I honestly do not believe any review of this epic masterpiece that has enthralled readers for many years can be praised properly in a simple book review. I was attached to The Stand from the start of chapter one! I had a difficult time putting it down, and now I understand the hype of this novel, why it has impacted so many readers lives, and inspired others to go on to adapt this work into mini series. I plan to watch the newest mini series, and rewatch the 1994 mini series as well. However, I believe I will revisit this blog, and add my comparisons at a later time. It is quite a lot of information to digest! Nevertheless, a fantastic piece of literature to have linger on the mind for a long time to come.
Overall, I give The Stand Complete and Uncut by Stephen King five perfect stars out of five! I cannot find any fault in the novel, I loved so many characters, and even though Larry is my favorite Nick and Tom come in close behind. I also absolutely enjoyed picturing these characters as my own, and if I had control of casting actors who I thought would play the character the best. The Stand is absolutely an epic journey that I am happy to say has become one of my top five Stephen King novels I have read to date! Until next time, my friends.
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