The fourth time reading this novel, it still shines as brightly as ever. The characters are simply fantastic, and there's very little that I don't adore about it.

Sure, perhaps the final confrontation is a touch on the short side, and Stu might be just a smidge too perfect. But these are minor quibbles in an otherwise remarkable work.

This novel easily ranks among my top 10 books of all time. It's a rare gem, especially considering it's over a thousand pages long.

In fact, rather than feeling overly long, I find myself wishing it was even longer. There's just so much depth and detail in this story that I could keep reading and exploring forever.

It's a testament to the author's skill that they've been able to create such a captivating world and characters that draw me in again and again.

I can't wait to see what else this author has in store for us in the future.

A truly haunting read!

This book is not only scary good but also extremely well-written. It has the power to send shivers down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The paperback edition makes it even more accessible, allowing you to carry this thrilling tale with you wherever you go. Whether you're reading it alone in the dark or during a quiet afternoon, it will surely captivate your imagination and leave you craving for more.

Don't miss out on this amazing book. It's a must-read for all horror enthusiasts and anyone who loves a good scare.

I read this book ages ago, but it's fresh in my mind every time I wind up stuck in traffic underneath the Hudson.

It's about almost everyone in the world basically catching a bad case of the Plague and dropping dead. This premise doesn't seem very far-fetched, which could make it either more or less entertaining, depending on your temperament.

Here's my opinion about good old Stevie King: he's got a real problem with endings. He'll spin these long, terrific stories, but way too often they're all based in suspense, and he lures you to page 600 or whatever, and leaves you high and dry. I read the first half of _It_ in sixth grade and had to stop, as the book had completely deprived me of my ability to sleep. Two years later, I'd finally recovered enough to brave It again, and the ending was so stupid that I sorely wished I'd saved myself months of clown-terror wakefulness by finishing it the first time. I mean, don't get me wrong, the guy can write. But he almost invariably writes himself into a corner, and his endings are a let-down.

The great thing about The Stand, to me, is that King a. demonstrates that he's aware of this problem and b. uses his weakness jujitsu style, combined with wish-fulfillment, to great effect. You can just see him crouched at his typewriter, chewing on something and grumbling, "Christ, what's my problem..... These goddamn endings.... I just need a deus ex machina."

I liked The Stand. The Stand's good stuff. It's not one of the scary ones (well, it's scary in a different way than, say, The Shining), and in addition to having an ending I appreciate, it also gets pretty silly, but still: Recommended. Yep.

A-choo!

Continuing my journey of reading SK's books in publication order, and this one is arguably one of the constant readers' favourites.

This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. It is expertly paced, with a perfect blend of character and plot-driven elements. Set in a dystopian and dark world, it leaves no doubt that Stephen King is my favorite author. I might say I wish I had read this sooner, but I'm actually glad I waited this long. I couldn't have imagined reading this during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book centers around an unstoppable virus and its survivors, if you can even call them that. It's an excellent book and might not be the best introduction to Stephen King, but it's a masterpiece nonetheless. Every word in this book is worth it, and the pace never seems to slow. I simply couldn't put this book down, although I had to because it's so BIG.

So many characters in this book stand out: Stu, Nick, Tom, Randel Flagg, and Frannie. It becomes incredibly hard to pick a favorite. The climax of the book is outstanding and so clever that King doesn't miss a trick. Everything is described so vividly that you feel like you're right there surviving with the rest of the characters, and the story progresses flawlessly. It highlights all the rights and wrongs in the human race and what people turn to in catastrophic moments.

“That wasn't any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery.” “He smiles a lot. But I think there might be worms inside him making him smile.” “Love didn't grow very well in a place where there was only fear.” I could add so many quotes here because there were hundreds of outstanding lines.

I don't think I have ever read anything quite like this book. The way it moved me, disgusted me, and shocked me over and over again. There was never a dull moment. I read the extended version of this book, and I think you can tell because the beginning felt a bit disjointed compared to the rest, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you haven't read this book or feel intimidated by it, please don't be. Take your time with it and enjoy the ride.

The first time I read The Stand, I was home sick from school with what I think was the German measles. Maybe it wasn't the best time to be reading a book about a super flu, but I was young and not very wise.

This must have been around 1981, because that's the year MTV debuted. Back then, they played music videos on Music Television and probably had about ten or so that they kept playing over and over. Well, I was on the pull-out couch in the family room with MTV playing (it made me feel better to see the guys from Journey), and reading The Stand, half-listening to MTV when this (very 80's) video I hadn't seen before came on.

This was very surreal. I was feverish and the words I was reading like “The walkin’ dude” and “Trashcan Man” were coming out of the TV. It was very strange, as strange as The Alarms hair. Did you notice the painting of the flower he did looks just like the hair? Amazing. I kind of like the painting.

I loved the book and it has been on my favorites list ever since. I always wanted to re-read it, but it was so long, and there are so many books out there to read. Thirty years later, they released the audio version and I was excited, not only to revisit the book but to hear it on audio. And I was not disappointed. The Stand still remains on my favorites list. But since it had been so long since I first read it, I forgot most of it. It was like a whole new book.

The government develops a biological weapon, a super flu (project Blue), nicknamed Captain Tripps, that is accidentally released and kills 99% of the human population along with most of the dogs and horses. The cats survive (they always do). Here I have to ask the question, why would a government develop such a weapon when it kills most everybody, even the guys on your side, and you?

The people who survive start to have crazy dreams. One is about a very old African American woman, Mother Abigail, in Nebraska who calls on the people to come see her and then to travel to Boulder Colorado. The other is a nightmare about a mysterious fella named Randell Flagg, aka The Walkin’ Dude or the Dark Man who draws them to Los Vegas. Randell is not just bad; he is pure evil, while Mother Abigail is the instrument of God. The survivors pick their side, and there is a good old-fashioned showdown between good and evil. What could go wrong?

King develops strong, memorable characters in this book. He also writes horrifyingly memorable scenes like a trip through the Lincoln Tunnel in New York, dark and stuffed to the brim with rotting corpses. That is not one of the things I forgot.

A few minor things bugged me in this version. Stephen went back later on and added pages to the book that were cut by the publishers, which I am happy with. But, in an attempt to update the book, he moved the time period up from 1980 to 1990. This made a few things awkward, such as a scene about the shootings at Kent State University. The reasons for the shooting were changed from being about war protest to protesting the detainment they were under because of the flu. This worked in the original version because it was closer in time period to the shootings at KSU. Being set in the 90’s it made no sense.

Also, King was in love with the word “pillion”, it means to ride behind the driver of a motorcycle. He used it as much as he could. He also described people’s knee joints popping when squatting, or getting up from a squat, many times. One time would have been just fine.

Love the book. Now I’m off to buy hand sanitizer.

Wow!!

So I have had this awesome paperback door stopper for quite some time. It was a gift from a friend.

I decided to get the audio version through the library and, of course, now I have added it to my Audible wishlist. The narration is freaking awesome! The whole damn book is freaking awesome!

The thing is, initially, I didn't think I would like it. I barely remember the movie and wasn't sure if I had liked it. That was a long time ago and who the hell knows!

But I'm just extremely happy that I finally read it.

Yeah! It's long, but most of the books I read or listen to are long, so that's neither here nor there. I just loved reading about all of the people and events. And I did laugh at times. YES, scary stories do have some comedy at times. Lol.

Anyhoo, enjoy peeps!!

Happy Reading!

Mel

I spent nearly 48 hours listening to an epic tale of the struggle of good against evil.

It was a journey that took me through a world filled with danger, excitement, and heartbreak.

There were moments when I felt completely helpless, as if there was nothing I could do to stop the forces of evil from winning.

Other times, I was scared to the core, my heart pounding in my chest as I listened to the heroes face seemingly insurmountable odds.

But perhaps the most powerful emotion I felt was envy.

Envy of the courage that some of the characters had, the willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

It made me realize how much we all have to learn from these fictional heroes, and how important it is to have the courage to stand up for what we believe in, even in the face of great adversity.

This epic tale will stay with me for a long time, a reminder of the power of good and the importance of never giving up in the fight against evil.

Well, I vividly remember first coming across this in the early 1980s. By then, Stephen King was beginning to make a name for himself as a horror writer. In the late 70s, I had delved into some James Herbert horror novels, most notably "The Fog". Although I wasn't a die-hard horror fan (pun intended), I decided to branch out a little.

I ended up exploring the works of this American author who had penned several horror books and even had a few adapted into films. Somehow, I accidentally gravitated more towards his sci-fi oriented books rather than his horror ones. So, I first read "The Gunslinger" and then this particular book.

It stands as one of my all-time favorites, simply due to the captivating story and the remarkable "world building" it contains. The characters are relatable as everyday people, including friends and acquaintances (in some cases, unfortunately), ranging from helpful older guys to precocious greedy kids. I believe that's part of its unique "charm".

Some of the events in the book are inevitable and obvious, while others take you completely by surprise. Isn't that precisely what you seek in a book, to recognize the familiar yet also experience the extraordinary?

I now understand that Mr King removed around 300 pages when I read this in the 80s on the advice of his publisher, and has since added those pages back. Well, when it comes to a re-read, and it has been 10 years, I think I'll continue with my smaller version. I don't believe an additional 40% would necessarily enhance or improve the reading experience.

This review was written in 2019 as part of my ongoing mission to boldly go (oops, wrong reference!), to write reviews for all the books that I have logged as read on GR but haven't yet written a review for.

The most interesting part of this book is that when you are reading it, you think

Yes! This is exactly how the human race will become extinct

It's not a meteorite falling to the ground, not the inner pages of the earth turning upside down, not the mountains changing places, and not the divine punishment of the righteous nations of Moses and Noah being sent down

According to King himself, what humans are doing to themselves and their environment has nothing to do with God and is a pure human act

Besides this, the book is about the struggle between good and evil, and in this regard, it is considered one of the masterpieces

I think King has also incorporated his own religious beliefs into the book, of course, if his beliefs have not changed since the time of writing this book

In some places, one feels that he deliberately wrote some things to make the book longer, but this does not detract from the greatness of the book

King is excellent in character portrayal and storytelling

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Regarding the Persian translation by Khalili, I should say that thanks to the Satanic platform, the book is full of censorship and sentence changes

Of course, the translator has managed to convey the meaning to some extent

If you intend to read the Persian version, keep the English version beside it because as far as I understood, nearly two important pages have been completely deleted

A heartfelt thank-you to Norma and Brenda for including me in this 1,300-page marathon journey of a novel.

I was kindly offered the opportunity to become part of the “traveling sister read” earlier this month. It's such a great concept and what an incredible experience it has been. I truly enjoyed every single minute of it. All of our discussions, opinions, and back-and-forth chats were so engaging. It was really interesting to share each other’s thoughts as we made our way through the book together. With such an incredibly long book, we managed to keep one another on track. It was great fun trying to figure out where the story would take us. I can't even begin to imagine tackling this book without them!

This has been not only a 5-star book but also a 5-star reading experience! Thank-you to my 2 new Canadian sisters!

In the end, the book left me with just one question: is mankind doomed to continually repeat his past mistakes?

To see the full traveling sister review, please visit Norma and Brenda's blog at: Http://twogirlslostinacouleereading.w...

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ubiquitous suggestions for books or movies dealing with dystopian situations similar to the one we are experiencing (perhaps less so for us and more for other peoples), reading the post-apocalyptic epic that King wrote and published about forty years ago seemed like a logical choice. There was time for nine hundred and fifty pages (gibberish or not), and there was nothing else available - how much worse can a book make you feel? A better timing could not be found again, so for the massive black book that had been gathering dust in my library for quite some time, the hour of its reading had now come.

A few days later, unable to agree or disagree with the readers of Rolling Stone who in 2014 voted it as the best of King's books, if someone asked me what single word could convincingly convey everything I had read, I would use the adjective "monumental". Both in terms of its imposing dimensions and in terms of its memorable (for its kind) content.

In "The Stand", all our nightmares take on flesh and blood: an extremely deadly virus ("Captain Trips") takes on pandemic proportions and decimates the human race, and a dark man ("...a shadow passed through the grass at noon, a cold wind, a crow that glared at her with its eyes from the wires on the telephone poles. Its voice called to her, a voice that sounded silent, like the tick-tock of the death watch beetle under the stairs that promised that some dear person would soon leave this world• a voice loud, like the afternoon thunder that rumbled in the clouds that came from the west like an Armageddon...") takes it upon himself to represent what is left, investing in fear, submission and the most base human instincts.

A unique delight in the darkness of fantasy and terror that was once unimagined.

"Tonight all is silence in the world/As we take our stand/Down in the Jungleland."

Want to catch the flu? Read The Stand.

I caught it twice in the month it took me to read this book. Twice! I'm rarely sick, so it's clearly a thing. The Stand is a post-apocalyptic book where most people die from a super flu. That part was my favorite. It was really interesting to read about how society would collapse in such a situation.

After that, it then becomes a battle between Good and Evil. Some fantasy elements were included, which added an extra layer of excitement. This part was still solid. I liked how we got to follow the characters and get to know them. We got to see their personalities, their strengths, and their weaknesses. It made me really care about what happened to them.

I felt some similarities to Station Eleven, so if you like The Stand, I would give this one a shot too! Both books deal with the end of the world and how people cope with it. They both have interesting characters and great storylines. If you're a fan of post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction, you won't be disappointed.