Ach du heilige Kacke. 1700 Seiten! That's an incredibly large number of pages to get through. And yet, I have actually finally managed to finish it!

Oh man, what a rollercoaster ride this book was. It started out so outstandingly strong, but then there were some rather tough sections in the middle. Before the book ended with a blazing inferno!

'The Stand' is truly epic. It's filled with action, it's creepy, it's strange, it's over-the-top, it's crazy, and it's profound. In short, King makes full use of all 1700 pages right up until the last second to give depth to his characters and create his most comprehensive single work. However, it could also have easily done with 500 fewer pages.

A deadly disease threatens to wipe out the human race and all its domestic animals, decreeing the end of known civilization.

The few survivors will have to fend for themselves in a now-deserted world, surrounded by putrefying corpses and nauseating odors, trying to recreate that normality that now seems a distant memory.

Add to this tragic scenario the creative vein and that touch of the supernatural that the good King is accustomed to inserting in all his works, and you will find yourself reading a novel with a post-apocalyptic and raw survival theme that will capture you.

Naturally, it will be the stories of the involved characters that are the leitmotif of the novel, and if the theme treated is already interesting in itself, expect to share all the emotions that the protagonists will have to experience to survive and see a new dawn.

King brings to life a good novel of despair and terror first, of hope and rebirth with a touch of the supernatural later. The game is on.

This is one of my favourite 'Stephen King' novels.

I've read both the standard and the expanded editions of the book. However, I preferred the expanded edition.

It provided more background on Fran's tumultuous relationship with her mother, which added depth to the story.

Moreover, it had that creepy guy in it, known as The Kid. He was quite possibly more disturbing than Randall Flagg.

Possibly. I think Trashcan thought so, anyway. He should have kept walking.

Talking of Flagg, I don't think he fully understood what Trashcan Man meant when he said: "My life for yours."

Anyway, it's one of those books that I'll revisit from time to time.

The detailed character development and the creepy atmosphere make it a captivating read.

Each time I pick it up, I discover something new and interesting.

It's a classic that never gets old.

Stephen King has a way of creating unforgettable characters and stories that stay with you long after you've finished reading.

This novel is no exception.

I highly recommend it to any fan of horror or mystery.

You won't be disappointed.

When a novel stretches to a whopping 1,439 pages, it's evident that the story is filled with countless ups and downs. This particular novel, however, stands as one of the best illustrations of good triumphing over bad that I've encountered. And I'm not just giving it faint praise; quite the contrary. Having delved into numerous classic narratives, I have to say that, for lack of a better term, this one... let's just say... isn't in the same league.

Stephen King is an outstanding writer, and being a fan of both him and sci-fi, I found this novel truly enjoyable. Nevertheless, it can be a bit long-winded at times. The characters and plot are exciting, and the various crazy situations are memorable. At the top of the list is Mother Abagail, who, at 108, dominates the few scenes she appears in. Is she a prophet or a mad woman? Her unassuming manners will charm, and only the facts resolved at the end can tell the true tale.

Another unique character, or perhaps more of a phantom, is the Dark Man, Randall Flagg (if he had any friends). He chills the nerves of his opponents with his strange powers in the bleak setting. A virus has wiped out 99% of the Earth's population, and the dying evokes a profound sense of pathos. The survivors seek refuge, but where? Of course, Las Vegas for the evil and Boulder, Colorado for the good. It's hard to explain why. With only a few thousand people left, they still feel the need to kill each other! There's not enough carnage for all. It's truly sad.
The backgrounds of the poor inhabitants are the most fascinating aspects of the entire event. From ordinary life and problems to the ultimate disaster in history, the themes of love, hate, bombs, more killings, and the various struggles to live and prevail into the next day never fail to move the reader. As they find themselves in a land of total death, they keep trying and trying to stay alive. You can feel the snows in the Rockies in your bones as the unfortunates suffer. Car wrecks block the streets and highways, with numerous dead and grotesque bodies inside. Tumultuous tunnels trap travelers who can't escape. And yet, readers will turn the page and continue this epic journey. It's a fine voyage through a place that no one would ever want to experience for real.

Traveling Sister Reads Review by NORMA, BRENDA and KACEEY!!

Let’s take a stand against evil!!

We give 5 epic stars to THE STAND by STEPHEN KING as we all thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience of reading this masterpiece of a novel together.

Not having read too many of Stephen King’s novels and not being really familiar with his work, when we thought of King, horror, disturbing, and very frightening came to our minds. However, THE STAND is much more than that and not what we expected at all as we all went into this one pretty much blind. It's a whole different kind of disturbing and an unforgettably frightening story, yet hopeful, with such a complex and believable story of human behavior. It's now clear to us why this is considered a masterpiece.

How can we not mention the length of this very long book? We all felt a great sense of achievement after getting through it. Yay us! We spent two weeks with this complex plot and intense and complicated characters, and enjoyed the discussions it sparked among us.

STEPHEN KING created a believable world here after a devastating destruction of the human race, and it left us wondering how it would play out with our generation of technology. Could we survive or rebuild? Hmm, Stephen King, maybe you could add another 400 pages.

This is an excellent book to choose for a group read and makes for great discussions. We would highly recommend it!

1,348 pages.

514,827 words.

Not one of them superfluous.

I've just spent two weeks completely immersed in a world that has been decimated by the flu. It was an experience like no other. Every page turned, every word read, pulled me deeper into this fictional yet all-too-real scenario.

And you know what? I loved every single minute of it.

Stephen King, you are truly my idol! Your ability to create such a vivid and engaging world is simply remarkable. The way you describe the chaos and the fear that spreads throughout the population is both terrifying and captivating. It's as if I was right there in the midst of it all, experiencing every emotion along with the characters.

I can't wait to see what other masterpieces you have in store for us.

And so the Apocalypse Trifecta is complete, with my one, true favorite End of the World book. I have no idea how many times I've read it now. I know the first time was in junior high school, and a lot of time has gone by since then. I also think I have about three different copies floating around.

It's hard to know where to begin when writing about this book, probably because I assume everyone has read it. But I guess that's what everyone thinks about their favorite books, so I'll fill in those of you who haven't.

It's the end of the world. Not in the horrible confluence of blindness and carnivorous plants, or in the fiery desolation of nuclear war. The world dies in a more unpleasant way. It all begins in Project Blue - a US military lab in the southwest. There, they've built the greatest plague mankind has ever known, a shapeshifting flu virus that is 99.4% communicable and 100% lethal. Its intended use was probably against the Soviets or some other enemy state, but things fall apart, as Yeats said. And on June 13th, 1990, the superflu got out.

It was carried by Charles Campion and his family, spread throughout the southwest until Campion died in a gas station in Arnette, Texas. From there, it hopped into the men gathered at the station, who passed it on to nearly everyone they met.

By June 27th, most of America was dead. And thanks to the final command of the man in charge of Project Blue, the virus was spread around the world as well. By Independence Day, the population of the world was reduced to less than the pre-plague population of California.

Of course, not everyone who was immune escaped unscathed. There were accidents, mishaps, and murders that probably brought the number down, but not by much. Scattered survivors struggled to understand why they lived when so many had died and started to seek out others like them.

And then came the dreams. An ancient woman, living in a cornfield. She radiates goodness and compassion (and still makes her own biscuits). Mother Abagail is the beacon of hope for those who see her in their dreams. And then there's the other, the Dark Man, the Walkin' Dude, whose shadow brings madness and whose gaze brings death. He is Randall Flagg, a man whose time has come 'round at last. Just as Mother Abagail attracts the good and strong, so does Flagg attract the weak and frightened. Around these two, the remains of America come together. And neither one can let the other exist without a fight.

What keeps bringing me back to this book? Well, a lot of things. For one, the writing. King has said that he's a little disturbed about The Stand being the fans' favorite - it means he did his best work thirty years ago. I don't entirely agree, although I am hard pressed to say which of his other books exceeds it. King's sense of scale as a writer is outstanding. We get into our characters' dreams, their innermost secret thoughts, and then a few pages later are presented with an overview of what's happening around the nation. It's like being able to go, in Google Maps, from someone's bedroom all the way out into space. He dances between characters smoothly, so just when you get to the point where you're thinking, 'Yeah, but what's Flagg doing?' he brings you there.

And speaking of the characters, they're people who will stay with you long after you finish the book. The quiet confidence of Stu Redman, the single-minded madness of the Trashcan Man, Larry Underwood's late maturity, Lloyd Henreid's devotion, Fran Goldsmith's determination.... Each character rings true. Even the ones who really shouldn't have ended up the way they did - and I'm thinking of Harold and Nadine here - you can't help but find bits of them to love. Had they been strong enough, Harold and Nadine never would have gone as bad as they did, and I think even King kind of had a hard time making them do what he wanted.

Underlying all this, of course, is a kind of Old Testament religiosity. The God of Mother Abigail is not the kind and friendly God of the New Testament. He is the angry one of the Old. He is the God who will gladly wipe out nearly all of mankind to prove a point and will make a 108-year-old woman walk into the desert by herself because she's getting a little too uppity. In this world, at least, God is most definitely real, even though His purpose is hard to understand.

I could go on. Thesis papers could probably be written about this book, and I reckon they already have been. But that's not why I do these reviews. I do them because I want y'all to know what's worth reading.

This book is worth reading.

Oh, and one more thing - if anyone wants to send me the DVDs of the TV movie that was made back in the 90s, I'd be your friend for life. One of my favorite college memories was getting a whole bunch of friends together in my dorm room to watch it when it was broadcast....

I've finally read the whole thing!

(Yeah, I talk big, but notice I had to make sure to safely catch the book... I couldn't bring myself to really throw it!)

I'll write up a full review later, but overall I really enjoyed the book. I loved the way it was structured. Instead of starting after the world-changing event (as many dystopian novels do), the story progression actually showed us the world before, during, and after the Captain Trips plague impacted it. This made the whole experience much more immersive and engaging. I was also really impressed by the character growth. As the survivors found themselves having to adapt to a whole new and scary world where the old rules didn't apply anymore, their characters developed and changed in really interesting ways. Stephen King is mostly known for horror, but while there are certainly some horror elements in the story (particularly with the main antagonist Randall Flagg), there are many other genres sprinkled in as well. This novel is as much science fiction and fantasy as it is horror, and some parts are even beautifully written. For example, there's a particularly poignant passage where Frannie Goldsmith describes exploring her father's toolshed like being transported to a magical realm. King's writing strengths are really on display here!

However, I did have some issues with the book. Much like I felt disappointed with the climax of Stephen King's It, I did have a \\n  \\"That's it?!\\"\\n reaction to the climax of this book. After so much build up, it felt anti-climactic to say the very least. Also, some parts did feel a little bloated. I can see why King originally trimmed this version down by at least 200 pages. And there were times where the writing really left a bad taste in my mouth. For example, while I do applaud King for giving us a mentally handicapped protagonist in Tom Cullen, there were times when the writing made me really uncomfortable, almost as if his disability was being played for laughs (like the running theme where Tom spells everything M-O-O-N). Also, one scene in particular which involves soldiers being executed on TV is so racially insensitive, it almost makes me wonder if King inserted it as a test just to see if his editors were paying attention, only to find out that they really weren't... not at all!

Many people consider this King's masterpiece. I don't quite regard it that highly, but it certainly is a compelling read... except for the smattering of parts that made me cringe for all the wrong reasons.

3.5/5 stars

M-O-O-N. That spells I am done with this MOONstrosity of a tome. The Stand is an absolute behemoth of a book. It's the biggest single book I've ever read in my life so far. With a whopping 470k words, it even surpasses Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson in size. Although it doesn't make it into my personal favorite list, I did enjoy a significant portion of the book.

The Stand is not at all what I expected. Given the premise of a plague outbreak, I really thought it would be a super thrilling, plot-driven book with plenty of action. However, it turned out to be a highly character-driven book with a rather slow-paced plot. While it was great in many ways, at times it did become a bit excruciatingly slow.

One of the aspects that stands out the most in this book, aside from its gigantic size, is its theological nature and the classic battle between good and evil. There are numerous symbols of light versus darkness. For example, with the country being devastated by the outbreak, the survivors end up joining either Mother Abagail's group (the good) or Randal Flagg's group (the evil). Mother Abagail is located in the East (where the sun rises daily), and Randal Flagg is in the West (where the sun sets).

I thoroughly enjoyed reading almost all the characters' perspectives and survivor's tales. If you love a deep theological discussion in your fiction, this book is a must-read. The characters in The Stand are almost entirely delightful. The character developments are truly astounding. It's amazing to see how much these characters have changed from their starting points. Stephen King creates very unconventional and memorable characters, such as Nick, Tom Cullen, Randal Flagg, Harold, Larry, and Mother Abagail, to name just a few.

Now, onto the parts that didn't work for me. Firstly, Stephen King's prose took me quite some time to get used to. Secondly, and perhaps my major issue with the book, the chapters about The Trashcan Man were atrocious. I didn't enjoy a single moment of reading his POV. It was messy, felt juvenile, and I knew right away that his meeting with the Kid was going to be the part that was cut from the first published edition of the book, and I was correct. It was a painful 70-page chapter that, in my opinion, added very little to the story. Finally, with a book this huge, I really expected the ending to be mind-blowing, but it ended up being anti-climactic.

Overall, though, I still think The Stand is a great book. Even though it's not a genre I typically delve into frequently, I was amazed by the characterizations and compelled to read about what happened to most of the characters. It's a shame there were a few hiccups with the pacing and the ending, but I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a heavy theological discussion and memorable characters in their reading. Thank you also to my good friend, Celeste, for giving me this book as a late birthday present!

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

I haven't read this since I graduated from high school. So, it was truly a pleasant experience to revisit it and finally get to experience the uncut edition with all those additional details.

I must confess that during the initial 500 pages, I had my doubts and wondered if I regretted having all those extra details. However, as I continued reading, I found myself completely immersed once again and actually welcomed them.

I'm extremely excited to know that this will soon be reimagined into another miniseries, which has really helped me to revisit this amazing series.

As always, this is an epic novel by King. But I'm always left pondering about what happened in the rest of the world. It's an exemplary exploration of a fairly basic speculative question regarding good and evil.

Without a doubt, this novel deserves a 5-star rating from me. It's a captivating read that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

The Stand is truly the definitive apocalypse masterpiece, perhaps until reality manages to pen a more captivating tale.

It presents a plethora of diverse characters, each navigating through situations of despair and tragedy that gradually escalate.

With the added flavor of terror, torture, and horror that King is renowned for, it offers one of the, if not the best, descriptions of armageddon. What sets it apart is not just worldbuilding or über cool enemies, but the combination of crazy, not always virtuous protagonists, antiheroes, and downright lunatics. This makes the entire experience an unbelievable rollercoaster, the best end time scenario ever. Truly, the apocalypse rocks when King is at the helm.

Don't trust the government. Seriously, while it may seem that no one would do such stupid things anymore, the way it all unfolds in the story is completely realistic. How politicians and the military react, their willingness to mass murder their own citizens to avoid panic, censor the media, and go full Gestapo mode, all while causing the mess with secret biological warfare programs, is a chilling portrayal. They would have to do it, as sacrificing some for the sake of the country might seem like the only ethical decision, not just for patriots but based on simple logic. After all, it's better to lose some cities and dozens of millions of people than the entire nation. Although, if a Resident Evil style biological warfare project were to go horribly wrong or be used by an enemy, nothing would likely help.

When comparing The Stand and It, The Stand is one of King's most complex, interwoven works, filled with a multitude of often one-time-use characters. This is in stark contrast to It, which has a smaller crew and stays focused on them, with few disposable sidekicks and no big picture, meta, worldbuilding level. Perhaps this is why some prefer The Stand, and King himself admits that his fans often tell him it's their favorite, even though he doesn't quite understand why. It simply can't reach the epic, big scale, world-ending level that The Stand does, as King's intention with It was to write one of the best novels about childhood, wrecked American dreams, small town terrors, and the Lovecraftian, lurking evil within us all. And in that, he accomplished his mission.

The Stand, on the other hand, is a battle of good versus evil, a dark fantasy horror milestone that is intense, dense, and completely absorbing. It combines King's unbelievable characterization skills with a good story that has a satisfying, credible end. All the details, the world, the extremely slow beginning that escalates towards overkill, all the crazy characters entering and leaving the stage, and the inclusion of many average people's problems, make it a truly immersive experience. No matter how dead the world is, we still have our everyday issues and relationship problems.

The difference between big cities and one-horse towns is also explored. It's good to live in the countryside, sorry if that sounds insensitive, but the big cities are always the ones that are brutally hit. Not only because the slums and hellhole districts are already a nightmare, but because the collapse and chaos will be worse there. These megastructures, these ape hive mind super colonies, function in an incredible way, yet they are much more fragile than one might expect. Take away food and the possibility to escape, and one doesn't even need Captain Trips to make the population go crazy. King uses this difference to construct completely opposite kinds of fear, the seemingly infinite solitude of the wild with the grains of small towns and the disturbing remnants of a megacity now populated by corpses, cannibals, and crazy people.

The story is filled with many cool secondary and one-time-use characters, extra plotlines, and groups that consolidate and escalate together. The reason for the extremely dense atmosphere is the combination of different sets of characters, weirdo antagonists, and the perfect mixture with the stellar characterization and atmosphere that King is famous for. I can also understand why he had writer's block while creating this ingenious masterpiece. He is not a plotter and nearly scribbled his way into an abyss because he had too much of everything for someone who didn't know how it should end. Luckily, he found his way back, and it's amazing how he managed to get to the point of hitting the wall without confusing the reader or himself, especially considering, ahem, you know, the influence of booze and drugs and such.

There's not really a lot of high fantasy or complex witching around system in The Stand. One could say it focuses more on the people than the plot, and that's why it's so absorbing. Having terrible, frightening, wonderful nightmare adventures with the crew feels so damn good. There are some psi powers, mind control, precognition, animal magic, and elemental powers, but the real driving force here is the madness, the battle between evilness and goodness, and especially the shade of grey in between, with protagonists switching sides, developing new disgusting goals, or refraining from doing necrophilic cannibalism and such. If there were more of today's (2021) standard epic fantasy with real überhuman god power magic, it couldn't have had such a unique, dense, and not really action-focused atmosphere, without any unnecessary words on endless pages of pure ecstasy.

The real philosophies and ideologies behind the good and evil fractions are manifold. One could waste a great deal of time overanalyzing it, but I'll let everyone find their own interpretation and add mine to the mix.

The Lovecraftian big bad new government represents the darkness of confused, evil souls who unite under a new leader. This leader combines elements of many of King's most beloved big cosmic horror and barbarian human traits to create the perfect, bloody cocktail. It could be seen as a homage to the inherent bad in all of us and the systems constructed by mentally unstable apes, philosophically dissected until regurgitation, or just appreciated for what it most likely is. One of the most realistic descriptions of how a collapse of civilization would most likely end in new dictatorships, without the demonic superpower elements except for the fact that secret military research has already reached new levels.

The better, progressive, eco and human friendly alternative, the good ones, seem helpless at first. They only have their will, community, and some dream controlling power and soft psi magic to fight the armed to the teeth demonic hordes. But similar to many other deus ex machina solutions, the mind is stronger than tons of steel. What makes it especially satisfying is the multifaceted evolution of the characters towards good or bad and how extremely stylish and cool the real and mental confrontations between the big bad and the old as dirt good and their team members play out. Of course, in reality, our good team of friends would probably be immediately raped, tortured, and eaten, in what some like to call the "rape torture eat repeat" style (and not necessarily in that order), but hey, even King has to integrate some optimistic moments to help his readers better handle the horror. And to get a story too, of course.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

Were the 1427 pages worth it? Laws yes!

I made the decision to embark on reading The Stand when I initiated my new course at university – a course that was significantly more challenging than the previous one. The past two months have been filled with late nights, copious amounts of coffee, and even naps during physiology class. However, The Stand has remained my constant and loyal companion. In fact, I have even used it as a pillow during the aforementioned physiology class. Completing the book felt like bidding farewell to a friend who had never once let me down. I would like to offer my salute to Stephen King for presenting me with remarkable characters such as Mother Abagail, Nick Andros, Glen Bateman, Kojak, Stu Redman, Fran Goldsmith, and for taking me on one of the most beautiful journeys I have ever experienced.

The detailed and immersive world that King has created in The Stand has truly been a source of escape and entertainment for me during these demanding times at university. It has provided a welcome distraction from the stress and fatigue of my studies. I am grateful to have had this wonderful book to accompany me on this academic journey.