I read the extended version of the book. It seemed to go on forever, yet it was like a captivating TV series that I couldn't help but binge until the last episode, and then still wanted more. Reading it was quite exhausting, though. There were numerous characters to keep track of, especially as their stories ran parallel. And when they finally merged, I constantly had to check who was aligned with whom.

A few observations that don't really give away much of the plot:

1. How did Larry know about zircon and diamond paste? I find it quite amusing that he knew about paste. It's not a common jewelry material or technique in modern jewelry design, at least not in mass-produced jewelry. Maybe Stephen King has a surprisingly vast knowledge of jewelry, and I hope he gifts jewelry regularly!

2. There's a moment when Larry is disgusted by a woman's sagging breasts. This annoyed me because such writing in pop media contributes to impossible beauty standards for women. Gravity affects everyone, and just because it may not be as visible on the outside for some doesn't make it any less significant. Let's stop making judgmental comments about women's bodies.

3. The day before New Year's Eve last year, after finishing reading for 2024, I decided to watch some TV. I caught up on a couple of Taylor Sheridan shows. I was disappointed and shocked when the writing in Tulsa Kings season two got racist towards the Chinese. Similarly, in Stephen King's work, the language used to describe the Chinese as savage and the Native American as scalpers felt inappropriate.

4. Apparently, patriarchy doesn't die even in a global pandemic that wiped out 99% of the population. Harold could have been more likable and grown in character if not for this. Men, take note: women are not objects to be owned!

5. Another thing that persists in the patriarchy is the weak sexual will of men and the ease with which women are painted as Jezebels.

6. I found it quite funny that the story takes place in Las Vegas, also known as Sin City.

7. Dogs truly are a human's best friend.

8. We are clearly doomed as we can't seem to learn from a global, apocalyptic pandemic. The dark and power-hungry natures of people who love to put others down are like cockroaches that survive anything. If the story had ended differently, we might have had a community of eugenicists again.

9. I'm not sure I would have wanted to migrate to Abigail if I were in the book. All the Biblical citations would have made me roll my eyes, and I wouldn't have wanted her to pick me to go to Vegas! Also, King seems to kill off characters too easily after I've invested in them.

These were most of my gripes, but the book was so expansive and the rest of it was so good that it was more than readable, and these discomforts were easy to overlook. I originally rated this a 4, but since I can't stop thinking about it, I'm going to give it a 5.

At least three of my friends recommended this book to me.

However, after reading it, I don't think I'm going to hang out with those dudes anymore.

Stephen King is known for his ability to spin a good yarn, and works like "Misery" and "Thinner" are indeed quite good.

But this particular story, it was spread a little too thin. In fact, it was way too thin.

I guess King was aiming for some kind of "Lord of the Rings" epic, but what it came across as was just an overlong dweeb-a-thon.

The plot seemed to drag on and on, without really going anywhere significant.

The characters, too, lacked depth and failed to engage me on an emotional level.

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone.

I’ve truly despised the last 1200 pages of this 1200-page book. Some might argue, “But Susana, it’s an apocalypse, and you love apocalypses.” Well, this here is the exception that proves the rule.

It lacks all the details I cherish in this kind of fiction. The logistics of feeding, cleaning, and safeguarding millions of survivors are not even touched upon. All they seem to care about is looting guns and bikes. All these characters carry more guns than Jayne from Firefly. Well, almost all. The girls don’t get more than a derringer. I find it really strange how, just 20 minutes after the Fall of Civilisation, normal men turn into walking tanks, while the girls’ more peaceful option, which I think is the clever one, is dismissed. Their male friends are all like, “Don’t go there, you’ll totally get raped.” And then they go there, and it happens. Therefore, in my opinion, girls really should get the bigger guns.

Since we’re on the topic of men and guns, our military friends from this book mess up in the most uninteresting way possible. I can’t fathom why Stephen King wishes to waste so many perfectly good pages on reactionary, useless fossils. I already know that’s what they are. They’re military, for crying out loud. Perhaps Americans find this revelation more striking.

I kept waiting for something that would be of any interest or relevance to me through the following sections: Character building and the beginning of the flu; They get their act together and hit the road; The road movie; Settling in Boulder; Everybody who matters leaves for Vegas (or Heaven). Another road movie; The ending, better known as Deux Ex Machina The Size Of Canada. During the fourth section, I thought I would finally – finally – get to see an organization for survival. But no such luck! Stephen King’s only interest lies in the social and political aspect of the apocalypse; he doesn’t really care about the technical one. After all, techies are people who like order and are thus considered Lucifer’s spawn. And this is the second time this month I’ve been called the Enemy. The first time was in a hippie village. They don't seem to like engineers much.

Mercifully, it’s not just techies who are affected: there is a disturbing mistrust of knowledge, any knowledge. Among the heroes, Glen Bateman represents the university professor, and his analysis is supposed to explain the situation to the reader, but he’s actually a far more unreliable narrator than Stuart and Nick, the down-to-earth mid-western types. They do the explaining of the really important stuff. Glen, on the other hand, is crafty, devious, and all the synonyms of clever that rhyme with dishonest. He doesn’t get to be a leader, and he’s the most susceptible to be tempted by the dark man – just like Harold, who’s also the more knowledgeable and curious one. Harold famously gives in to temptation.

This happens for a reason - the thesis of the book seems to be that “rationalism” defined as “the idea we can ever understand anything about the state of being” is the source of all evils. In any case, it’s said to be the guiding principle of the dark man’s world. He himself is called “the last magician of rational thought, gathering the tools of technology against us”. What the hell? Why? The urge to explain things, to organize and catalogue, rational thought in short, is GOOD, damn it. I’m not afraid of technology. There isn’t a deep fear in me that Stephen King can tap into with this. There just isn’t.

Let’s move on to the social aspect. The apocalypse in The Stand results in an insufferable perpetuation of the traditional roles of the sexes. By part 2, I had understood that women were mainly seen as baby-making machines. “Babies are our most important product,” says the doctor. Subtle, huh? Not to mention that both female characters whose names are worth remembering are mother figures. Mother Abagail couldn’t be more explicit in her motherliness, and Fran is pregnant. Let’s put a quote on that: “All right. Only next washday it’s my turn, you hear?” “Sure.” She smiled a little slyly. “And how long does that last? Until I deliver?” “Until we get the power back on,” Stu said. “Then I’m going to bring you the biggest, shiniest washer you ever saw, and hook it up myself.” “Offer accepted.” She kissed him firmly… And I can only guess that then she gets all: It could be worse; at least they’re intelligent and brave. Of course, they utterly lack initiative in all non-womanly matters, are mainly seen as potential sex, their moral status is defined by how much they love their families, and they’re not techies so they’re not Satan’s spawn (so there's that).

As exceptions to the rule, there is the Mata Hari and the French Virgin Bride/Black Widow, and boy, do I hate Nadine’s character. They’re both seen as dysfunctional. But really, in general, the role of women is taken for granted. An illustration: Fran goes to the library to read up on gardening and finds a bespectacled young man poring over a book called “Seven Independent Power Sources for Your Home”... and a pretty blond girl with “600 Simple recipes”. The whole world has fallen apart, the political committee is meeting up, and what do women do for them? Bake brownies. Brownies are the answer.

Not to mention that the pattern for introducing characters is troubling: girls get physical descriptions and boys moral ones. Every single time. Stuart: “who was perhaps the quietest man in Arnette”. Fran: “She was a tall girl with chestnut hair that fell halfway down the back of the buff-colored shift she was wearing. Good figure. Long legs that got appreciative glances. Prime stuff was the correct frathouse term, she believed”.

And let’s talk about small town values. I was pretty sure that the term applied to The Stand, but I looked up a definition anyway. I’ve copied it because it’s hilarious: Yahoo Answers: “Small town values mean people stick together through hard times and prosperity. When someone needs help, the whole town pitches in. We actually have doctors that donate healthcare to the uninsured, because they are human and care about each other. We look after each other, and stand up for what we believe in. We mow each others lawns and keep each other safe.” From Conservapedia (That apparently is a thing): “Small town values do not require the help of an overbearing government and are often tied into family values. They reflect the selfless values of hard-working, independent conservatives who prefer to help each other out than ask for a handout from the government. Those who do not agree with these small town values sometimes mock those who hold them.” The characters from The Stand supposedly come from all over the States, but the model supported is the apple pie, family, girls-make-babies, free will thing. The last people on earth in the ultimate melting pot have the morals of a small town, of Hicksville. They could have chosen any philosopher who ever said anything about an ideal society as a leading figure, from Plato to Engels, but Stephen King sticks to a future Sarah Palin.

And then it turns out The Stand is about politics: a confrontation between Good and Evil, in an extremely American-flavored way. Good’s first act is to ratify the Declaration of Independence, but not before singing the National Anthem. I would have preferred baking brownies; at least they’re practical. Then again, I’m a woman (with short chestnut hair and a reasonable figure. If you must know). Evil’s first act goes unmentioned, but I’m guessing it is to crucify some folks for good measure. It’s just as true as bad guys being bad in bed and all girls pissing themselves when they’re afraid. Guys can be afraid too, but they learnt to control their bladder when they were 4 years old.

In short, the allegory falls flat for me. I can’t see why The Boulder Free Zone would represent irrationalism, why that would be better than rationalism, why rationalism equals nazism, why rational thought sucks so much. All that said, and said at length, I hated The Stand because of these reasons, not because it’s a truly bad book. The writing is alright, the characters are well defined and most relationships reasonably deep. Even the plot is okay if you’re into political and supernatural mumbo jumbo.

You know what’s truly terrifying? Falling ill while delving into the first part of The Stand. Just picture yourself running a fever, going through an entire box of tissues, and gulping down a significant portion of a bottle of NyQuil as Stephen King vividly describes the grisly deaths of nearly everyone on Earth due to a superflu. Not only will you feel miserable, but you’ll also be filled with terror. Bonus!

After a bio-engineered virus that behaves like an intensified cold escapes from a U.S. government lab, it takes only weeks for almost all of humanity to fall victim to the disease. A small number of survivors are mysteriously immune and start having strange dreams. Some of these dreams involve a very old woman named Mother Abigail asking them to come and see her. Even more disturbing are the nightmares about a mysterious figure named Randall Flagg, also known as the Dark Man or the Walkin’ Dude.

As they make their way through an America that is almost completely devoid of people, the survivors begin to unite and realize that the flu was just the beginning of their troubles. While some are drawn to the saintly Mother Abigail in Boulder, Colorado, who tells them that they have been chosen by God, others have flocked to Flagg in Las Vegas, who is determined to annihilate all those who refuse to pledge their allegiance to him.

If King had simply written a book about a world decimated by a plague and a small number of people struggling in the aftermath, it likely would have been a captivating story. What sets this one apart is the supernatural element. Flagg is the embodiment of evil and chaos. He is a mysterious figure who has been pushing the wrong people in the wrong direction, making things worse for everyone, and he views the plague as his opportunity to fulfill his destiny as a destroyer of humanity.

And on the other side, we have God. Yes, that God. The Big Cheese himself. But this isn’t some kindly figure in a white robe with a white beard or George Burns or Morgan Freeman. This is the Old Testament God who demands obedience and worship while often rewarding his most faithful servants with gruesome deaths.

King refers to this as a tale of dark Christianity in his forward, and one of the things I love about this book is that it确实 feels like a Biblical story, complete with contradictions and a moves-in-mysterious-ways factor. Stories don’t get much more epic than this, and King does an excellent job of depicting the breakdown of the world through the stories of a variety of relatable characters. (Larry Underwood remains among my favorite King creations.)

One of my few gripes is that this book features a lot of King’s anti-technology themes that he would use in several other books like Cell or The Dark Tower series. We are repeatedly told that the ‘old ways’ like trying to restore power in Boulder are a ‘death trip’. The good guys gather in the Rocky Mountains, but if they attempt to get the electricity working so they won’t freeze to death in the winter, they are somehow acting in defiance of God’s will and reverting to bad habits? Not all technology is bad technology, Mr. King. Nature can be a cruel mistress and will kill you faster than the superflu.

Here’s another aspect that I’m not overly fond of. When this book was published in the late ‘70s, the bean counters at King’s publishers decided that the book as written would be too expensive in hardback and no one would pay a whopping $13 for a Stephen King hardback. So King cut approximately three hundred pages.

Around 1990, after it became clear that King could publish his shopping list and it would be a bestseller, he put those pages back in and released the uncut version. Which I’m okay with. The original material was cut for financial reasons, not editorial ones, and there are some very nice additional story elements. If King had stopped there, we would have had a great definitive final version as originally created by the author.

Unfortunately, he似乎 caught a case of Lucasitis and decided to update the story a bit and change its original time frame from 1980 to 1990. I’m not sure why that seemed necessary to him. Yes, the book was a bit dated by then, but it was of its time. He didn’t rewrite the text (for which I’m grateful), but just inserted some references to Madonna and Ronald Reagan and Spuds McKenzie.

This led to a whole host of anachronisms. Would students in 1990 refer to soldiers as ’war pigs’? Would someone in New York pick up a phone book to look up the number to call an ambulance instead of dialing 911? Is a song called Baby, Can You Dig Your Man a huge hit? None of it quite fits together. There’s also a layer of male chauvinism and lack of diversity that you can overlook in a book written in the late '70s, but seems out of place for a book set and updated for 1990.

Despite the things that irritate me, they are still far outweighed by one of my favorite stories of an apocalyptic battle between good and evil.

I’m also glad to have finally received an audio edition of this book. The great narration and 40+ hours of end-of-the-world horror make for an excellent listening experience.

How am I supposed to write a review for this humongous masterpiece of a book?

I am truly at a loss for words. It was simply perfect - no exaggeration.

The book was extremely entertaining and interesting, keeping me engaged every single second. And considering it has over 1,700 pages, that's no small feat.

I fell in love with all the characters, both the heroes and the villains, and their unique traits. I know for a fact that I will never forget some of them.

However, this book definitely isn't for everyone. It is incredibly long and delves into an abundance of detail.

Yes, the story could have potentially been told in fewer pages. But let's face it, this is Stephen King we're discussing.

If you're a die-hard fan of his and his writing style, then this book is a must-read for you.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a quick and exciting read, you might be better off choosing something else.

For me personally, this is precisely the kind of book that I cherish and adore. So, I really have absolutely zero complaints.

It's a literary gem that I will surely revisit time and time again.

FULL REVIEW UP!
Laws yes, I finally finished this huge ass book!

I've been longing to read The Stand for numerous years. However, I kept postponing it due to the enormous size of the book. But finally, I mustered up the courage and got myself into gear to read this captivating post-apocalyptic tale of good versus evil.
I have a deep love for post-apocalyptic and dystopian plots, and I was well aware that I simply had to read this book. And I'm extremely glad that I did!

I embarked on this reading journey with very little knowledge about the plot or the characters. I didn't watch the TV mini-series of The Stand that was produced back in 1994. I'm truly glad that I didn't watch it or know what kind of plot and characters Stephen King was going to introduce me to. I firmly believe that it's better this way, as it allows for a more genuine and immersive reading experience.

The Stand commences with a deadly plague that decimates a significant portion of the world's population. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the arduous trials and tribulations that the survivors had to endure as they attempted to navigate through this new and desolate world. This part of the book was truly engaging and kept me hooked from start to finish!

And as a result of the widespread death and destruction that occurs, Randall Flagg, the menacing Dark Man, returns to haunt the remaining survivors. Dun dun dun!


I ultimately chose to read the unabridged version of this dystopian masterpiece. While I do think that some of the "extra" content in the unabridged version could potentially have been trimmed down, I still adored the overall story. I have to award this book 5 stars because of the remarkable amount of world building and the detailed characterization that King manages to achieve.
One aspect that I had a slight issue with in the unabridged version was the chapters dedicated to the Trashcan Man. These chapters seemed to slow down the pace for me and made me yearn for the return of the other characters. However, now that I've completed the book, I understand the significance and purpose behind King's decision to include those chapters.

I absolutely adored the ending of this book! I've come across some reviews that had reservations about it, but for me, it was a perfect conclusion. I'm refraining from saying more to avoid spoiling it for others.

Finally, some of the characters in this book will stay with me for a long time to come. That's the skill and brilliance of King when he crafts a character-driven plot. Nick Andros, Tom Cullen, and Glenn Bateman will always hold a special place in my heart as my favorite characters. And I will always despise Harold Lauder with a fierce passion. What a sneaky weasel! Speaking of weasels…


And now, thanks to King, I have a newfound desire for an Irish Setter just like Kojak. Fetch Kojak, fetch!

3.5 stars. This book is both an entertaining read and a wonderful thought experiment. However, it is far longer than necessary, with a rather disappointing conclusion. I was extremely excited to read this book, having heard countless times that it's one of Stephen King's best. With little exposure to his work, I didn't know what to expect when I began this massive tome.

The premise is wonderful and something I've never read about before but have thought about often. The problem is its excessive length. It's not because it takes too long to read; I've given 5 stars to longer books. But this one goes on and on about character development to a ridiculous extent. At some point, you need to get to the plot, but perhaps this is just King's style.

I know there's a condensed version, but I don't think it would be enough to make the book appealing to me. While I loved the characters, there were too many random stories that didn't enhance my appreciation of the story. It felt like King was writing stream of consciousness and trying to fill as many pages as possible.

However, once the plot really gets going in the second half, my enjoyment skyrocketed. I loved the conflict so much that I couldn't put the book down. Even with my dislike of the first half, I was planning to give it a 4 or 4.5 rating.

Unfortunately, the conclusion is anti-climactic. After so much build-up, I expected an epic showdown, but instead, I got a whimper. It's a shame, but overall, I still enjoyed the experience. However, I can confidently say that I will never re-read this book.

\\n  Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books.\\n

The Stand Abridged: 5 Stars
The Stand Unabridged: 3.5 to 4 Stars

I hope that Goodreads allows both of my star ratings for this book to go through. I rated The Stand Abridged years ago, but just in case it doesn't, I'm combining my review of the two versions into one.

The original Stand is one of my all-time favorite books. It's a great story of good vs evil that showcases Stephen King's writing skills. However, the Unabridged version has a problem - there's too much extra content. The editors were right to cut down some of the extended scenes in the abridged version as they slow down the pace. The best-paced part was the final 200 pages or so, which was almost the same in both versions. The extended parts also made it harder to stay in touch with the characters. I found myself losing connection with some of the minor characters. In conclusion, if I didn't have the abridged version to compare it to, the Unabridged might have been a 4.5 or 5 star book. But with the 5 star abridged version available, it's no competition. While it's interesting to learn more about the characters, the pacing is off and it makes the book more of a chore to read.

2020 Review:

I'm upgrading this from 4 stars to 5 because this book had an impact on me at every level and provided a flawless reading experience. Maybe it's because I read it against the backdrop of COVID-19, or perhaps it's due to my own maturation, but The Stand is now officially my favorite Stephen King novel. :)

2015 Review:

How does one even start discussing The Stand, Stephen King's masterpiece? Ever since its initial publication in 1978 and its re-release in 1990 (with over 400 pages of originally deleted material added back in), countless reviews and articles have been written about King's self-proclaimed "long, dark tale of Christianity." There isn't much new to say about it, but I'll share some of my own thoughts and opinions on this massive book anyway. Seriously, this one took me over three weeks to read! Granted, I've been busy and could usually finish it in a week or so, but still, it's long. Almost 1200 pages long. Oh boy.

In many ways, The Stand was a landmark book for King. It was his last novel with Doubleday. It pushed the limit of what his readers could handle in terms of page numbers (again, there was over 400 pages worth of stuff that was cut from the original to keep book production costs down). King combined the excellent character work from The Shining and the ability to write a large cast of characters, like in 'Salem's Lot, to create The Stand - a novel that spans several states across America and includes many, many people. King has often described the writing of this book as his own personal Vietnam - a struggle that he sometimes hated but could never seem to finish. It's perhaps King's most intricate work with his largest cast of characters to date, all written before he even turned 30.

In short, it's a long novel about a government-created super-flu that gets leaked and wipes out 99.4% of the world's population. The survivors are left to pick up the pieces and recreate society. In more detail, this is a story about psychology, science, and Christianity, and how these three sometimes come together and sometimes oppose one another. The highlight of the book is, of course, the characters. There's Stu Redman, a macho yet kind-hearted Texan; Frannie, a young, expecting mother from Maine; Harold Lauder, the only other survivor from Frannie's hometown; Larry Underwood, a famous rock and roll singer; Randall Flagg, a demon, or perhaps a legion; Mother Abagail, Flagg's "opposite number"; Glen Bateman, a college professor; and so on. The list goes on, and each character is as memorable and well-drawn as the last. Perhaps King's greatest achievement here is that these characters feel so alive, and they only become more real with each scene they're in. The reader feels as if he or she is inside each one's head, and because they are so human-like, they are often multifaceted - I see some characters differently with each reread, which is a sign of a great author. Sometimes I support Frannie blaming her pregnancy on her boyfriend Jess Rider, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I feel sympathy for Harold in the end, and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I think Larry really "ain't no nice guy," and sometimes I think he's completely justified in his actions. That's why I come back to this story again and again without hesitation - it's a different plague-ridden world every time I enter, and that's a wonderful thing.

As I've said a couple of times already, this is a long book. King fills the reader in on everything - relevant to the story or otherwise. He truly wants to take his reader on this journey into the darkness, into the crazy psychology of the human condition, and for that I'm grateful. This isn't a book for the impatient or those who like to pigeonhole King. There's a lot of horror here, but he also reaches out to every other genre. It's a world-crossing, world-building adventure, and the ninth time was just as good - heck, it was even better - than the first.

King connections:
- This book has obvious ties to the Dark Tower series, such as the gang finding a newspaper with a story about the superflu in Wizard and Glass and Randall Flagg being the Man in Black.

- At one point Frannie reads a novel by the "Western writer up in Haven," i.e. Roberta Anderson from The Tommyknockers.

- The Shop - of Firestarter and "The Mist" fame - is mentioned at one point as being the possible cause of the superflu.

Favorite quote:
“Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home.”

- Glen Bateman

Favorite scene:
There are so many, but I think I'll go with Larry Underwood traveling through the Lincoln Tunnel. Or maybe the feeling of everything "going bad" in Las Vegas - those passages are really powerful. Or heck, the entire first third is gold. Obviously, the book is just filled with great scenes!

Up next:
We're going the distance - it's The Long Walk!

It is customary for Stephen King to pen rather hefty romans-fleuves. The Shining, It, Under the Dome - all are novels of Tolstoyan proportions. But The Stand is undoubtedly one of the earliest and one of the longest in his prolific career. I have been perusing the 1990s’ 1200-pages “writer’s cut” of the 1978 shorter version initially published.

At first glance, The Stand is a novel about a pandemic. However, the epidemic King imagines doesn't compare to the Spanish Flu or AIDS, or even the more recent H1N1, Ebola, or COVID outbreaks. King’s Captain Trip’s pandemic is of apocalyptic proportions: it wipes out more than 99% of the human population from the face of the Earth in a matter of days. A massive thermonuclear attack might have been more to the point - and, in fact, the novel ends up somewhere along those lines. Nevertheless, this unfortunate and utterly unrealistic event gives rise to extremely thrilling situations in the story. Case in point, the massive traffic jams instantly congealed into cemetery vaults inside the Lincoln Tunnel (NYC) or the Eisenhower Tunnel (Denver): thousands of vehicles trapped underground, all passengers soon rotting away inside their cars.

Although Stephen King made a big name for himself as a horror writer, The Stand is not strictly a horror novel. There are, of course, some explicit and sometimes gruesome descriptions of sex, violence, and death, but the main topic lies elsewhere. Even the theme of the pandemic, prominent at the start of the narrative, is, by the first quarter of the book, pushed aside as a mere backdrop. As if King had grown a bit bored with his initial “superflu” idea and had purposefully strayed off-topic.

What soon comes to the fore is King’s fascination with the paranormal, the occult, and weird religious or demonic eccentricities. This isn't surprising, considering he's the author of Carrie (telekinesis) or The Shining (telepathy). But they become increasingly significant as the novel progresses. While it started as a post-apocalyptic survival story, the main focus soon becomes a dualist battle between the followers of Mother Abigail and the minions of Randall Flag, the woman of the good Lord and the man of the Devil. In other words, The Stand ends up being a sort of epic speculation about Good and Evil in the manner of The Lord of the Rings, a rewrite of the biblical myths of the Fall and Redemption of humankind.

One of the most exciting aspects of this novel is that it focuses on a rather large group of survivors (Stu Redman, Frannie, Larry Underwood, Harold Lauder, Nadine Cross...) who gather together in Colorado. In this sense, The Stand can be read as a polyphonic novel embracing very diverse people from all corners of the USA. King takes a particular interest in portraying impaired or disabled characters, such as Nick Andros (deaf person), Tom Cullen, Joe/Leo, the “Trashcan Man” or the “Kid” (mentally disabled). These are among the most fascinating, vivid, sometimes disturbing, sometimes endearing characters, primarily through their peculiar regionalisms and speech habits: “Laws”, “M-O-O-N”, “Happy crappy” and so on. And although the pace of the novel gets particularly slow towards the middle of the book, these characters take shape and flesh under King’s pen and continue to fuel the reader’s interest almost effortlessly for hundreds of pages. I guess this is what defines a page-turner.

The Stand is also a panoramic book about the American landscape, from Maine to Nevada, and from Louisiana to Arkansas. It is a book about the foundation or re-foundation of a nation, and about a civilisation trying to establish itself against all odds. In this sense, The Stand harks back to the genre of the Western even more than it elaborates on the horror or post-apocalyptic fantasies. King’s book has had an evident influence on this genre nonetheless, from World War Z to The Road and Station Eleven, and from Mad Max to The Walking Dead.

**The Stand by Stephen King**

Publication date: October 3, 1978.

The Stand is a captivating post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel penned by the renowned American author Stephen King. It builds upon the premise of his earlier short story "Night Surf". The story unfolds after the accidental release of a modified strain of influenza intended for biological warfare. This leads to an apocalyptic pandemic that decimates the majority of the world's human population, causing a total breakdown of society. King dedicated this book to his wife, Tabitha, with the words: "For Tabby: This dark chest of wonders."

In the story, on June 23rd, a deadly plague spreads across America. The survivors, scattered around the world, are in a constant struggle for survival and are lost in a never-ending nightmare. They either gravitate towards the elderly, who symbolize goodness and kindness, or towards the dark man, who represents evil.
The Stand is a thrilling tale that explores the aftermath of a global catastrophe. It delves into the人性 of the survivors as they grapple with fear, confusion, and the desperate need for leadership. Two individuals emerge as contenders for leading and guiding the small society that remains. One is the kind-hearted 108-year-old woman named Mother Abagail, who wishes to build a community in Colorado. The other is the evil Randall Flagg, who takes pleasure in chaos and violence.
This novel is a must-read for fans of Stephen King and those who enjoy post-apocalyptic and fantasy literature. It offers a thought-provoking look at the fragility of society and the strength of the human spirit in the face of disaster.

Another flashback Saturday and I’m holding the unabridged author’s cut version which weighs in at a hefty 1141 pages.

Yes, I know. Just holding a book that you started is equivalent to about a 5-hour training exercise, and it's a challenging thing. And of course, reading a book about a highly contagious superflu that escaped from a US Army biological weapons facility in the middle of a pandemic makes you think I'm out of my mind. (Of course I am! If you check a few reviews of mine, you already found out my true mental state!)

I know I'm doing the wrong thing at the worst time, but I honestly say: this is my favorite King book. At least rereading the first 250 pages (in my opinion, those are the best parts of the book) made me remember why Mr. King earned his throne in the literature kingdom.

The first edition of the book was published in 1978, and in the new editions, the cultural references have been changed to connect with the new generation of readers. (I also read most of the editions.) This is my routine on 8 to 12-hour international flights: I cannot sleep during the flight, so I carry another edition with me to enjoy my vacation accompanied by lots of Bloody Mary.

When I dive into the chapters and read about Texan Stu, very pregnant Frannie, chubby Harold, rising star Larry, I start to feel at home. (I don't know why a biblical story makes me feel like that, but this layered, multi-character-driven story-telling always helps me get lost in the extremely creative taste of literature.)

This is a story of a group of survivors who are immune to the virus and suffer from strange dreams. At those times, either disturbing Mother Abigail summons them or a very dangerous dark figure, Randall Flagg, wants them to join him on the dark side.

Eventually, as some of the dreamers join Mother Abigail in Boulder, Colorado, who tells them they're the chosen people, the others go to Sin City to join Mr. Flagg for his big annihilation plan.

I think the biggest challenge is not reading this book. The filmmakers who are brave enough to adapt this into a series accepted the biggest challenge. After the 1994 series adaptation with Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, the producers have been working on a better version to properly adapt this masterpiece into a 10-episode streaming series.

From Ben Affleck, David Yates to Scott Cooper, too many directors wanted to be on board but later dropped out because of creative differences and schedule conflicts. And finally, Josh Boone became the director and started to work on a dreamy cast: Christian Bale as Stu and McConaughey as Randall Flagg. Yeap, unfortunately, it didn't happen, but don't worry, we still have a satisfying cast: James Marsden as Stu and Pennywise's real life brother as Randall Flagg.

I am curious about the series, even though I have questions about the challenges of adapting something so good and struggling to reflect those layered characters we read on the pages into scripts (at least King's young son Owen is one of the screenwriters). But before finding out, I guess I'm getting one more long ride with this apocalyptic, outstanding novel one more time!

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