“In America even scummy douchebags like you should be able to catch a cold.”

M-O-O-N, that spells unpopular opinion. I do have oh so many of those. Laws, yes.

2.5 stars rounded up to three. I don’t want to write this review. Really I don’t. I don’t want to say that this is far and away my least favorite King book ever. I don’t want to tell you that the Satan versus God war was total bullshit, or that King does much better when he writes general Good Vs. Evil stories.

I don’t want to tell you that Randall Flagg is totally lame. That Brady Hartsfield would bend Flagg over his knee and give him a fucking spanking and send him off to his room without supper.

“To be polite, she sipped a little more of the dreadful Kool-Aid.”

But I have to say these things you see, because The Stand is 1,400 pages of boredom. I did not drink the dreadful Kool-Aid.

I have been thinking long and hard about this. Pretty much ever since the book started. (That was on April 15. Laws, yes, almost two weeks ago.) And I can’t precisely articulate what exactly it is that I find so boring about it.

“That was the whole world, after all, nothing but thoughts and plots.”

Maybe because so much time was spent on the opening, on the beginning of the flu. Was the flu horrifying? Yeah, in a “Oh God what if this happened for real?” sort of way… Could King have done more with it? Why, Laws yes, I think he could have. I would have liked to see the panic overtake the cities, the mass exodus, the cars crashing, the people stomping each other into the dirt and turning ugly in a fight for survival, the panic power of a single sneeze in a crowded room.

King, your Constant Reader knows you are capable of this. Instead I was given passing references to the military blocking off roads and shooting people down, a code name for a super secret evil government plan that didn’t seem like it ever manifested. It was all hinted at. I don’t like you when you’re subtle Steve. I much prefer when you take all the ugly people are capable of and slap me across the face with it. That’s just the kind of girl I am. Maybe I’ve got a little R.F. on my shoulder.

“But no one knows how long five minutes is in the dark; it might be fair to say that, in the dark, five minutes does not exist.”

But that’s not all. I was more than a little annoyed at the hints of brilliance, being reminded of what was to come. I saw the beginnings of Cujo in there, The Kid trapped in a hot car surrounded by evil wolves. I might have glimpsed pieces of Dreamcatcher. The beginnings of Under the Dome, little ideas sprinkled all around. All these quotes I’ve included? I highlighted 30 others, and will cherish them all. But a 1,400 page book has to be more than a string of good quotes. Maybe it’s a matter of not aging well, I don’t know. Might I have liked this if I had read it 30 years ago, when it was first released? Yeah, maybe. As it stands, I was disappointed, and maybe that isn’t fair, but it is what it is.

All my favorite things about King’s work are there. The characters being real people, average Joes and Janes. The underdogs. The minute details, the Baby, Can You Dig Your Man’s? The pure nostalgia of his work. And somehow they didn’t come together in a way that made me love any of it. Did I love Glen? Sure. Nick? Sure. Tom Cullen? Yes. Kojak? You can bet on it. But Larry, Stu, Ralph, Joe, Lucy, Abagail? I really didn’t care. They were, to quote the book, No Great Loss.

“The flu didn't just leave survivor types, why the hell should it?”

I think my problem, in the end, was the distance between the good and the evil here. There’s something wildly impersonal about this story. Randall Flagg wants to be evil just for the sake of being evil. Brady Hartsfield is the same, but he’s not afraid to do his own dirty work. In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Mind-fucking people into being bad for you just doesn’t carry the same weight as Brady throttling a car into a crowd of people in need, just because he can. Just because he wants the world to suffer with him.

There were some high points. That chapter that glimpses the second wave? The non-survivor types the world left behind? Absolute gold. As far as I’m concerned, it was the best chapter in the book. That, was what I wanted more of. If we’re going to use third person omniscient, we should be using it for exactly this. The Kid? From what I understand, he wasn’t in the original, which baffles me, because he too, was one of the highlights. Like a Junior Rennie with his brain fully intact.

“That was an act of pure human fuckery.”

There were consistency/continuity errors. The ending was hugely unsatisfying. Many character ARCs are never given legitimate conclusions. I now understand why people thought King couldn’t write women. At one point the Stu offers to get Frannie a washing machine. A washing machine, for when the electricity comes back on so she won’t have to break her back doing all the laundry. And what does she do? She throws her arms around him and kisses him. Uh-uh. Not in my house Stu Redman. You better get yourself a goddamn washing machine or you better find a fucking time machine and travel back to 1958.

Beyond all that, it was incredibly messy for a King book. There were the bizarre alternating timelines spliced into the middle, sudden in their appearance and just as sudden in their disappearance.

“After all, the only practical compensation for having a nightmare is waking up and realizing it was all just a dream.”

The foreshadowing and the supernatural didn’t jive with the ending we were given. Minor spoiler: at first it seems like the people who are immune to the flu are the ones who dream, and people who aren’t regular dreamers, die. Kojak, one of the world’s only surviving dogs, is a dreamer. Later, it’s explained that children who are the product of two immune parents are also immune. Well which of these is the determining survivor factor, genetics or dreams? I’ll accept either answer but I won’t accept both. Either the dreams make them safe or they don’t. If it’s not the dreams, those shouldn’t have been happening until after the plague had done its work. If it’s genetics, then in theory wouldn’t any survivors also have to have surviving family members? The whole premise fell apart because the book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be fantasy or science fiction.

I just can’t express it any clearer than to say I was disappointed. When society caves in on itself, and King writes books about it, I expect the worst of his characters. I expect there to be Johnny-do-good types with questionable pasts. I expect there to be charming, cunning, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who mostly win, until they don’t. Instead I got a world full of mostly decent people who do bad things with one oddly levitating demon pulling their strings.

“‘The Lord is my shepherd,” he recited softly. “I shall not want for nothing. He makes me lie down in the green pastures. He greases up my head with oil. He gives me kung-fu in the face of my enemies. Amen.'”

God bless Tom Cullen, Laws yes. That’s all I have to say about that.

This review originally posted at Hamlets & Hyperspace

They dubbed it Captain Trips on the West Coast, and Captain Trips is a bitch - but that was many days in. When it first comes, it comes by car traveling thru a gas station. Of course, we'd say, that's just where a car would go. Ah, notice I said “thru”, and not so quietly. From there, Trips is all stealth, like a pinball wizard bouncing around the States. Picking and choosing. Mostly picking. Cause that's what it was made for. To the few who remain, the dreams will come. Red eyes watching from the darkness, or the sound of a rocking chair and the calming voice of the sweet, old lady.

Can you like a book more the second time around? For this book, the answer is yes. Not that I remembered all that much from before. “Funny how a memory works”, I mentioned to a friend while reading, or doesn't work. But I could not forget how quickly the story had grabbed me back then. A summer of reading King. And another summer now, separated by many years, but a feeling that's much the same. There I found Stu again, flipping the switch, just as the car smashed into those gas pumps. And Larry taking the long, dark walk through the Lincoln Tunnel. Nick, fatefully meeting Tom Cullen while walking north to Nebraska. “M-O-O-N”, that spells Tom, laws yes. And then Nick coming to see Tom much later in the story, fatefully once again. The Trash Can Man did not forget his date with those giant oil tanks standing outside Gary, Indiana, nor his own trip westward. How many times was he burned? On the outskirts of Ogunquit Maine, Fran fell asleep once more as Harold hung “ass to the wind” to paint that sign along the roof of a barn. The trip for each of these people, West towards those calling dreams.

The cast of characters is large, and yet it is personal to only a couple of handful, making it just right. For such a big book, in ways this story feels short - another reason why this is an exceptional read. Somehow, its pace rarely slows, excepting a time or two for what seem like a short heartbeat. I read the original '78 Doubleday version this time around, cut down by order of the publishers. In these pages, that trip west flew by, so time and again I wondered what I'd just missed. I knew there was more there, just out of memory's reach. And so I already know I'll return to read the uncut version again. Someday.

Un morbo micidiale rischia di far estinguere la razza umana e tutti i suoi animali domestici decretando la fine della civiltà conosciuta. I pochi sopravvissuti dovranno cavarsela in un mondo ormai deserto, circondati da corpi in putrefazione e odori nauseabondi tentando di ricreare quella normalità che sembra ormai un lontano ricordo.

Aggiungete a questo tragico scenario la vena creativa e quel pizzico di soprannaturale che il buon King è solito inserire in tutti i suoi lavori e vi troverete a leggere un romanzo con la tematica post apocalittica e di sopravvivenza cruda che vi catturerà.

Naturalmente saranno le storie dei personaggi coinvolti il leitmotiv del romanzo e se il tema trattato è già di per se interessante, aspettate di condividere tutte le emozioni che i protagonisti dovranno provare per sopravvivere e vedere una nuova alba.

King da vita ad un buon romanzo di disperazione e terrore prima, di speranza e rinascita con un tocco di soprannaturale poi. Il gioco è fatto.

4.5 stars Whew! 1,200 pages in this complete and uncut edition of THE STAND, but a great story that had me hooked from the beginning to the point of feeling like I was catching the Super Flu myself. :)

A must-read for all Stephen King fans!

“The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there... and still on your feet.” One of King's greatest works - a battle between good and evil on a grand scale, with a seemingly endless cast of characters. Mankind's final folly and how both darkness and light fight over what remains. If you've never read it, you need to do so, right now!

Despite the 1,325 pages the story never stops. I love the understated start and how King pilots numerous character journeys in this rapidly changing world. We also get a full-on take of the Dark Man. Almost every character has a real story of growth (or descent), it's like King's great work to show that no matter how far you fall, how much you limit yourself, we all have potential to be more, to give more.

Captain Trips which is the scourge of humanity itself, could be a bestselling novel by itself! Never more comprehensively and with such creativity has mankind been routed! Remember the names that will stay with you forever - Stuart Redman, Franny Goldsmith, Nick Andros, M O O N that spells Tom Cullen, Larry Underwood, Mother Abagail, Harold Lauder, Nadine Cross, Glen Bateman & Kojak, Ralph Brentner, Susan Stern, Dayna Jurgens, Lucy Swann, Judge Farris, Randall Flagg AKA The Dark Man, Lloyd Henreid, Trashcan, 'The Kid'. M O O N that spells 9.5 out of 12 (a strong Four Star read).

2003 read; 2006 read; 2018 read

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, though, and a lot of time's 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 work under the assumption that 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 than that, and 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, the center cannot hold, 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 do 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. Not entirely true, I think, 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, in 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....

لماذا تقرأ رواية 1440 صفحة؟

لأنها رواية ستيفين كينج الأطول، لم يلجأ هنا لديستوبيا معلبة مجهزة مسبقا، وحده قادر ببناء واحدة من البداية

!لكنها 1440 صفحة

لأنها ملحمة ليست خيالية بل معاصرة عن عالمنا..ماذا لو أصابه وباء بيولوجي قضي علي 99% من سكانه

!في 1440 صفحة؟

لأنها تصور لآخر الأيام، القيامة، عن المواجهة، الخير ضد الشر .. قل لي هل أنت مستعد لمواجهة المسيخ الدجال حقا؟

!لكنها رواية..وفي 1440 صفحة

لأنها 3 روايات بواحدة، تبدأ بمواجهة للنفس البشرية..صراعات نفسية لشخصيات مختلفة تواجه أصعب أيام حياتها
تخيل الناجين في أرض موتي، جثث بكل مكان..الجميع فقد احباءه ومعارفه..فقد أيمانه... الشدائد كتلك هي ما تظهر معدن البشر
نحن من صنعنا الأوبئة الجديدة والأسلحة البيولوجية والجرثومية في المختبرات العسكرية لنستخدمها كسلاح
فماذا لو انقلبت ضدنا؟
لقد سبق كينج ساراماجو بسنوات في رسم الفوضي التي تنتج عن وباء مكتسح وتغيرات التي تحدث بنفوس البشر

كما أنها عن علم الاجتماع ..وكيف سيكون الناجين مجتمعا من جديد
وكيف أننا دائما نكرر أخطائنا

ربما يكون الإنسان قد خلق علي صورة الله، لكن المجتمع البشري خلق علي صورة الشيطان، لكنه دوما يحاول العودة لاصله

بل وبعد النجاة من الموت عليهم مواجهة كبري ...مواجهة الشيطان ، في اختبار اصعب

وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ

ذلك لأنها أيضا عن فلسفة الإيمان بالله...أو الشيطان

!!تبدو لي كرواية تبشيرية دينية..وفي 1440 صفحة

لكنها رواية إنسانية، عالمية، كلنا يواجه شياطين نفسه، والاغراءات بالسلطة، الاستحواذ، عدم تحمل المسئولية، حتي فكرة المسيخ الدجال واتباع الشيطان هي أمر ذكر بالأسلام كما المسيحية وله تشابه بكل الاديان
وحتي إن لم تكن مؤمنا، فصدقني حتي أبطال الرواية لم يكونوا كذلك

الجمال في جنون التدين هو قوته علي تفسير أي شئ. بمجرد قبول أن الله (أو الشيطان) هو المسبب اﻷول في حدوث كل شئ في العالم الفاني، لا شئ يبقي للصدفة..المنطق يمكن ألقاءه من الشباك بسعادة

قد يكون فكرة الشيطان والمسيخ الدجال غير منطقية لملحد..لكن الشيطان هنا قد يكون مجرد زعيم، طاغية..محب للسلطة يجمع أتباعه كالأنعام
من يهدر المليارات في صناعة الاسلحة النووية ، الجرثومية..وباء ليقتل به غيره

لقد كتبها ستيفين كينج بالسبعينات، بعد نهاية حقبة الستينات بمخاوفها وذعرها من حدوث حرب نووية اخري مخيفة بلا معني يضيع بسببها ملايين البشر، وسط اتهامات بتجارب الأسلحة البيلوجية
وما أشبه البارحة باليوم

!في 1440 صفحة؟

نعم ستيفين كينج ثرثارا بحق..يكثر من وصف الطرق والاشارات للمنتجات الأمريكية والعلامات التجارية من سيارات وحتي الأطعمة المعلبة
نعم كثير من السطور كانت حشوا، لم تؤثر في الأحداث بشكل مباشر ولكنه بنفس الوقت يجعلك تعيش وسط الأحداث
فهذا التطويل جعلني أجوب الولايات المتحدةالأمريكية من شرقها لغربها أكثر من مرة، كطريق الحج، في ديستوبيا مرعبة مقبضة..عشت بها شهرا في تجربة لن أنسها

!بالطبع، أنها 1440 صفحة بحق الله

لأن ضخامتها هي سبب جعلها رحلة تعايشها لا تنسي
هي أهم أعمال الكينج، ولو انها ليست الأقرب لقلبه ومع ذلك وافق في إعادة نشرها بنسخة أكبر بها كل ما حذفه في وقت نشرها الأول في 1978
وعندما عرفت تلك الأجزاء وجدت أنها ما جعلني من ربع الرواية اﻷول أشعر بقرب أكبر من الشخصيات بالأخص، لاري أندروود وفراني جولدسميث وعمق لشخصياتهما وتطور ملحوظ لهما لاحقا

أتعجب من هذا الذي يقرأ نسخة مختصرة من رواية ضخمة ثم يقول لك أن لا تطور بشخصياتها ويكتب عنها مراجعة يهاجمها

لكن ما جذبك لتتخلي عن كل الكتب لتستكمل قراءة رواية في 1440 صفحة؟
أعلم أنني لن أقنعك عزيزي القارئ بما يكفي، بل ربما لا أرشح الرواية بقوة كبعض أعمال ستيفين كينج اﻷخري
ﻻنها رحلة قد تجد نفسك مجبرا لأستكمالها...أو تتوقف في ربعها الأول وتفضل الرحيل عنها كما من رحل عن الاحداث بسبب "كابتن الترحال"، "الرحالة"، "الإنفلونزا اﻷعظم"، بل وطوال قراءتها ستجد عقبات أشد قد تجعلك ترحل عنها

لكنك إن صمدت، حتي المواجهة
الوقفة
ستجد نفسك شهدت مواجهة عميقة، قوية لها أكثر من بعد

ولنر لاستطيع تقييم رحلتي تلك بتقسييم المراجعة للثلاث كتب التي أحتوتها الرواية

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الكتاب اﻻول : كابتن الترحال
من 16 يونيو الي 4 يوليو -480 صفحة فقط

هنا كما قلت، ستيفين كينج يبني ديستوبيا من الأساس
بعكس كل الروايات الشهيرة الحالية التي تبدأ مثلا في مجتمع تم تدميره من قبل بسبب حرب، كارثة طبيعية، أو بشرية، ربما نووية ، وباء، أو حتي حاكم طاغية مستبد .. كل تلك الروايات التي تبدأ بجو دوستوبيا معلبة، مجهزة مسبقا

لكن في هذه الحالة...الوباء المسبب للديستوبيا هو المعبأ والمجهز ��سبقا...في مختبرات الاستخبارات العسكرية الأمريكية

هنا الرواية تبدأ في أمريكا..التسعينات، تعاني كما الكثير من الدول وقتها ، تعاني كما ستعاني دوما ؛ الازمة الاقتصادية ، التضخم...زيادة السكان وقلة الموارد فأرتفاع الاسعار كالعادة..حزب الديموقراطيين..ألخ

ولكن في مختبر عسكري تابع للحكومة الأمريكية يفلت منه فرد أمن بسيط شهد وفاة مفاجأة لكل من بالمعمل علي كاميرات المراقبة بالخارج...ليهرب قبل أن يغلق باب مباني المختبر اوتوماتيكيا بالكامل للاحتواء، و يأخذ عائلته ويرحل عن الولاية بأسرع وقت

تصدم سيارته صباح اليوم التالي بمحطة بنزين في الولاية التالية، ولحسن الحظ- أو سوءه- يلحظ ستو ريدمان السيارة المسرعة فيغلق مضخات البنزين بسرعة كي لا تنفجر بالسيارة بالمحطة كلها
(ياليتها انفجرت) ، (حقا؟)
ومن تلك البلدة الصغيرة، بمقابلة عابرة تلو الاخري يبدأ كابتن الرحلات، الرحالة، الإنفلونزا العظيمة

وصف السيد كينج كان كابوسيا هنا لكيف أنتشر المرض، هناك فصول كأنها تروي من منظور الوباء نفسه ولكن بشكل غير مباشر، كيف يقابل شخصا مصاب شخصا اخر سليما، ليذهب لشخص اخر يرتحل لولاية أخري حاملا مرض ينتشر بسهولة في الهواء..بشكل تفصيلي غريب كابوسي

وقد يكون بدأ قويا، يقتل في لحظتها، لكن بأنتشاره طالت فترة حضانته...وصار كشفه أصعب
فأعراضه أعراض مجرد برد عادي ، برد أول الصيف العتيد، لكنه يتحول لكل مضاعفات البرد والإنفلونزا البشعة حتي يودي بحياة المريض

ثم تتطور الامور بسرعة
قمع عسكري أعلامي ، مستشفيات تعج بالمرضي والموتي ، فوضي في الأعلام ورعب في الشوارع والجيش يضع حواجز بالطرق بين الولايات التي لا يعرف سكانها إلي أين يفرون من الأساس

وقبل أن ينتهي هذا الكتاب الكابوسي (الجزء اﻷول)، يكون قد تم القضاء بنجاح علي 99% من سكان أمريكا وبالتبعية العالم كله -بسبب ذكر عابر أنه أيضا وصل الصين وروسيا-..كابتن الترحال قام برحلات ناجحة بحق
ولكن هناك ناجين لم يصبهم الوباء...ولكنهم 1%فحسب

وبالطبع لم ينس السيد كينج أضافة فصل قبل نهاية هذا الكتاب عن كيف أن ال1% من السكان الناجين لمناعتهم من الوباء ،قد يلقي ربعهم نحبه بسبب أسباب أخري طبيعية
تخيل كل جيرانك وشارعك والحي الذي تقتنه ميتون ببيوتهم أو سياراتهم العالقة في أزدحام مروري لن يفك أبدا، هل سيتحمل عقلك واعصابك؟
طفل رضيع لديه مناعة لن يستفاد بها من ذلك الوباء، سيموت في غضون ساعات وحيدا

ذلك الفصل بالاخص كان قاسي ببشاعة ، أسلوب السيد كينج به كان عبقريا ، أضافة عبارة "ليست بالخسارة الكبري" بعد أغلب الوفيات التي نتجت بأسباب غير الوباء أصابتني بالرعشة ، حتي إن كانت عن مدمن هيروين مات بجرعة زائدة لم يجد من يساعده

لكن تلك الشخصيات التسع بهذا الفصل والتي تراوحت قصتهم بين صفحة ونصف الي سطر ونصف ليسوا الوحيدين الذين عانوا قسوة السيد كينج
بل الشخصيات الرئيسية نفسها التي نجت الوباء أيضا ستشهد قسوة أشد وطرا
والتي سنتعرف عنها لاحقا
ولكي لا احرق لك مصائر الشخصيات لنر الكتاب الثاني

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الكتاب الثاني : علي الحدود
من 5 يوليو الي 6 سبتمبر - 660 صفحة فقط

الأن كل الشخصيات الرئيسية -من مختلف الولايات- بدأت تتحرك من المدن الخاوية الا من جثث الالاف الموتي بكل مدينة لتتجه الي مصيرها
ولكن الي اين؟
هذه هي النقطة
لا يوجد مجتمع الان ، بل سيتم بناء مجتمع من الاساس من جديد

أرني رجلا او امرأة وحدها أريك قديسا. أعطني اﻻثنين وسيقعا في الحب. أعطني ثلاثة وسيخترعوا أمرا ساحرا نسميه ‘مجتمع’. أعطني أربعة وسيبنوا هرما. أعطني خمسة وسيجعلوا أحدهم منبوذا. أعطني ستة وسيعيدوا أختراع العنصرية أعطني سبعة وفي سبع سنين سيعيدوا أختراع الحروب.

وهنا يلعب ستيفين كينج لعبة المواجهة النفسية
هناك البعض يحلم برجل مظلم ، يمشي في الظلام يسبب برودة وقشعريرة لمن يراه ويحاول ان يجند اتباع له
واحيانا تتنتقل الاحلام الي سيدة سوداء عجوز معمرة في مزرعتها تغني طيلة النهار اغاني وابتهالات تبارك الله
والغريب ان الجميع يحلم بكلا الشخصيتين ، وكل نفس لها أن تفضل طريقا عن الاخر

تفسير جزء الأحلام الجماعية رغم ان بها شئ من الميتافيزيقا "ماوراء الطبيعة" هو أن الأحلام عاما تتأثر بشكل كبير بالوعي الجمعي ، وعندما وصل سكان الارض ل1% فقط فقد كان سهلا التأثر بالاحلام ويتكون ما يشبه حلم جماعي

قد يكون الرجل المظلم "راندل فلاج" لأنه تابع للشيطان له بعض القدرات الخارقة للطبيعة لينادي علي اتباع له بالاحلام، ولكن كهبة من الله يحلم البعض ايضا بتلك السيدة العادية، "اﻻم أباجايل" ، المؤمنة فحسب..والتي تشعر أن الله أختارها لتعمر لسبب جاء وقته

فتتخذ الأم أباجايل دور أرشاد الناجين الذين سيتوجهوا لها ، حسب رؤياها من الله، للذهاب للغرب للاستقرار بمدينة سيسمونها "المنطقة الحرة" عند شرق جبال روكي

بينما يختار الجانب الاخر الذهاب لغرب جبال روكي ، للاس فيجاس نيفادا...لدي رجل الظلام..رجل الشيطان

وهنا سيتكون المجتمع، من جديد
أو باﻻصح، المجتمعان

ونتابع بشكل مرهق وقوي كيف يتقابل شخصيات الكتاب الاول مع شخصيات جديدة علي الطريق ، التحالفات التي تحدث بين الشخصيات ، وتشهد معهم اهوال ما حدث بالولايات الاخري برحلة طريق شاقة عبر الولايات الامريكية
وكل شخصية او جماعة حسب وجهتها

هنا يقدم ستيفين كينج نقاش مستمر طوال الاحداث هنا عن المجتمعات وتكونها.. كيف قد يكون مجتمع يديره شيطان طاغية يحكم رعاياه بالخوف..ويخطط كل مجهوداته كيف يقضي علي غيره
وكيف يمكن ان يظل مجتمعا متشتتا متخبطا برغم من ان نواياه صالحة، ديموقراطي، ولكنه يحاول تنظيم فقط بشكل بيروقراطي تنظيمي عقيم وبأجتماعات لا تنتهي مما قد يؤدي لضعفه

بل والاهم كيف يمكن للمجتمع الصالح التجهيز ضد الشيطان؟ العدو الخارجي؟
هل يبدأ ايضا في ارسال جواسيس؟ التحضير ﻻسلحة اخري؟ ربما بيولوحية؟ وباء اخر؟

بل لماذا بعد كل هذه الصعاب (وباء قاتل)..(تذكر ان صنعه البشر بنفسهم)، يظل عليهم مواجهة الشيطان؟؟
هنا نعود للآية التي ذكرتها بأول المراجعة

{وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ * أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ}

n
أعترف انني لثاني او ثالث مرة أقوم بأدخال الدين في رواية لستيفين كينج
لكن هذا بالظبط شبيه لرد الأم اباجيل علي احد الشخصيات التي أتهمت الذات الإلهية بالظلم لوضع البشر دوما في لعبة شطرنج بين الانسان والشيطان
لان الانسان نفسه بداخله نفس الصراع دائما. . ودائما ما يحتاج لمواجهة

فكرت الام ان قد يكون هذا حدث ايضا في المجتمع بعد طوفان سيدنا نوح، بالتأكيد كان هناك انقسام اخر بين البشر الناجين
وقفة أخري
مواجهة
مواجهة النفس...مواجهة الشيطان

فحتي في مجتمع "المنطقة الحرة" كان به نفوس مضطربة مخفية بينهم..يميلون للظلام أكثر في الخفاء
المواجهة هي التي ستظهر المؤمنين وتقويهم
وكلما كانت اسرع، كانت نتيجتها حاسمة اكثر

في هذا الجزء أيضا يناقش الرموز الدينية واهميتها للبشر..ماذا اذا توفت الأم اباجايل؟ هل سيتزعزع ايمان الناجين الذين كونوا هذا المجتمع الصغير بسبب الارتياح النفسي لهالتها الدينية؟
الامر بالظبط كالمرتدين بعد وفاة الرسل.. ولكن بشكل رمزي من خلال الاحداث مقدمة بشكل ملائم وعصري ويدعو للتفكير

لذا كان لابد من المواجهة
الوقفة الاخيرة

والكتاب الثالث والاخير

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الكتاب الثالث : المواجهة
من 7 سبتمبر الي 10 يناير - 300 صفحة فقط

{إِنَّ كَيْدَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا}

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والان، هذا هو الجزء الاسوأ بالنسبة لي...والاجمل بنفس الوقت
الجزء الاضعف... والاكثر حماسة بنفس الوقت

تخيل انت تقرأ اكثر من 1100 صفحة لعلك تتوقع ملحمة ومواجهة تستمر لصفحات طويلة مليئة بالحرب والدماء والجمل الرنانة والاقتباسات الدينية القوية

لكن الامر تم بشكل ابسط بكثير، واقسي بكثير مما توقعت بنفس الوقت
لن احرق لك الامر
لكن المواجهات التي تمت بين الشخصيات والشيطان، المسيخ الدجال ، وضعف حيلته أمام قوة الايمان وتزعزع صورته امام اتباعه هو امر يستحق القراءة
الاسلوب هنا كان ساحرا وحماسيا
طوال الوقت كنت اكتم انفاسي، اشهق ، او اتحمس كأني اريد ان اصيح
Yesssss
فقط كل شيء تم بسرعة اكبر مما توقعت

اسمعك تقول ، كيف 300 صفحة ام تكفيك، هناك روايات تتحدث عن ما هو اكثر من ذلك في 300 صفحة فقط؟!!؟

حسنا، لن احرق لك الامر
ولكن جزء كبير يصل للنصف من الكتاب الثالث والاخير يدور في الطريق الي المواجهة ، وطريق العودة
في طريق الذهاب يناقش السيد كينج ببراعة اهمية رحلات تطهير النفس، كرحلات الحج في كل الاديان ، كخروج -مع الفارق- الانبياء والرسل للعراء في صوم للوحي الإلهي

اما في الجزء الذي يدور في مدينة لاس فيجاس ، المجتمع الذي يتزعمه الرجل المظلم، فيقدم فيه السيد كينج عن طريق الجواسيس المرسلين من المنطقة الحرة للاس فيجاس، مقارنة مثيرة للتفكير بين المجتمعين
كيف ان الحكم النازي، حكم الطاغية، يؤدي الي جعل البشر يحافظون علي مواعيد عملهم ويسارعون في انجازه، بعكس الحال تماما في "المنطقة الحرة" حيث هناك شئ من التراخي رغم أهمية العمل
لكن بنفس الوقت الحكم النازي ، حكم الشيطان الطاغية، يجعل المحكومين كأشباه بشر...يعيشون في خوف دائم، لان الطاغية لا يملك غيره يعطيه لهم ليحكم به

فلصالح من تنتهي المواجهة؟
.
.
.
ثم ماذا بعد؟

كيف سيكون المجتمع بعد ذلك
هل سينجح النسبة التي تقل قليلا عن 1% من البشر العيش بسلام

ام ان الدائرة ستنغلق
وسنكرر أخطائنا
ويعيد التاريخ نفسه؟
.
.
.

الي هنا تنتهي مراجعة الأحداث
اتمني ان تكون عرفت الان صديقي القارئ لم قرأت رواية 1440 صفحة..وماذا خرجت منها

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الشخصيات
من ستصطحبهم أغلب ال1440 صفحة
دون حرق مصائر

ستو ريدمان
هو مفهوم ستيفين كينج عن "رجل الشارع البسيط" ، الرجل الجدع العادي
الغريب أنه رغم وجوده في دور رئيسي إلا أنه لم يكن شخصيتي المفضلة..كان رجلا عاديا في ظروف غير عادية ، هذا كل شئ
ولأن الشدة تظهر معادن البشر..حسنا ، لهذا قلت عنه انه الرجل "الجدع" ، رحلته بعد الوباء هي الأصعب بحق..ربما لم تتطور الشخصية كثيرا لاحقا لكن التجربة هي ما ستخلف به أثارا واضحة

فراني جولدمان
شابة جميلة ، عفوية جدا..ايضا قد تعد شخصية عادية رغم كل شئ لكن ما ستمر به من مصاعب يجعلها يظهر معدنها القوي ، بالأخص في الربع الأول عند معرفتها بحملها ومواجهتها لوالديها

ولكن تقريبا مشهد تحملها المسئولية بوفاة والدها كان من أصعب المشاهد..وأصرارها علي أن تدفنه بنفسها رغم صعوبة الامر، رسمها كينج ببراعة، وظهرت بلوحة من لوحات الرواية


وإن كنت عرفت أن فراني يمكنها تحمل المسئولية بهذا الشكل بالربع الأول ، فهي بهذا عكس الشخصية المناقضة لها

لاري أندروود
مطرب الروك ، شخصيتي المفضلة...ربما بالاخص بسبب فصوله مع أمه أليس أندروود
أمه تواجهه بحقيقته ، بصراحة ووضوح؟ نعم، لكن بقسوة؟...لا أعتقد.. قالتها له مباشرة أنه من النوع الذي يأخذ ويأخذ ولا يعطي، لا يتحمل مسئولية … ظنت ان السنون قد تجعله ينضج لكنه مازال لاري القديم، يقع في مشكلة فيلجأ للحل الأسهل
لكن توافق أمه علي أن يمكث معها في بيته القديم في ضيقته ، بل وتحضر له كل المأكولات التي يحبها من الصغر حتي دون أن يطلب

لاري شخصية مثيرة جدا لان هناك مثله الكثيرين، بل للاسف شعرت بشئ ما مألوفا عندي
لا يقصد ان يكون سيئا..يندم بعد فوات الاوان..لكنه يظل دوما مطاردا بذلك الندم..كما ظل مطاردا بكلمات أمه، وشبح اتهامه أنه "ليس بالشخص الجيد"..ربما هو كذلك؟

الفصول التي جمعته وأمه أغلبها من النسخة الممتدة -كانت محذوفة في النسخةالقديمة- ، وهنا أعتقد أنك ستدرك سر جمال الرواية الطويلة إن كانت مكتوبة جيدا
التفاصيل هنا ستجعلك تتفاعل مع لاري، تحبه، تكرهه، تشفق عليه كأمه...وبالاخص شخصية أمه والتي اراها من اجمل ما كتب كينج من الامهات

ستيفين كينج مشهور بالامهات القاسية المستبدة -أم فراني، الشخصية السابقة، خير دليل- لكن أليس رغم انها واجهت لاري بعيوبه لكن تصرفاتها الصامتة معه كانت اقوي تأثيرا
وربما لهذا كان سبب ثراء تحولات شخصية لاري من البداية للنهاية

أعتقد ان كل مشاهده مع امه لاتنسي، ملوها الثلاجة لما يحبه ، مصروفه ليدخل السينما برغم من سنه الكبير، وعده لها لاصطحابها للعبة البيسبول في يوليو ، صراعه النفسي الشديد وقت احتضارها ووفاتها والذي اعتقد انه هنا كان نقيضا نوعا ما ممتازا لدور فراني


نيك أندروز
شاب صغير ابكم وأصم ، يتيم، عصامي، ظروف معيشته الصعبة جعلت تحمله للمسئولية أهم خصاله
شاب صاخب رغم مظهره الهادئ وحالته
يتحمل المسئولية من بداية ظهوره مع مأموربلدة صغيرة، بل وحتي يرعي زوجته بعد رحيله.. ولم يعلم وقتها مقدار المسئولية التي ستلقي عليه لاحقا

من المشاهد التي لاتنسي له هو عندما اعترف للأم أباجايل أنه غير مؤمنا، ردها كان جميلا وواقعيا...ودوره في المجتمع الوليد عاما كان مكتوبا بشكل جيد جدا

جلين باتيمان
هو خبير علم الاجتماع العجوز، رجل ذكي فطن...يقرأ بسهولة كيف سيكون المجتمع الذي قد يتكون من الناجين رغم انه اول ظهوره لم يتقابل سوي ستو ريدمان وكلب اسماه كوجاك

منذ بداية ظهوره أخر الكتاب الاول وهو "رمانة الميزان"، ذلك الذي لا ينطق عن هوي، بل ينطق عن اقتباسات، اغلب اقتباسات الكتاب ستجدها منه
ينطق عن علم نفس بشرية وعلم اجتماع وفلسفة...كيف ان التاريخ يعيد نفسه . كيف ان بناء المجتمعات لم يتغير، الوعي الجمعي والاحلام...العلاقات بين المجتمعات...بل وحتي الاجزاء الدينية ايضا رغم انه غير مؤمن

هارولد لويدر
شاب مراهق وحيد، بدين، لا يملك سوي الكتب والكتابة كرفقة دائمة...واعجاب قديم من طرف واحد بصديقة اخته التي تكبره ببضعة اعوام...فراني
هارولد شخصية مهتزة غير واثقة بنفسها...ولكنه عبقريا، ذكيا
ولذكاءه وسعة حيلته وافقت فراني ان ترافقه في رحلة البحث عن ناجين، غير أن ذلك بسبب أن ببلدتهم هما اخر ناجين من الوباء

تطورات الشخصية كتبها ستيفين كينج بشكل عبقري طوال الاحداث مع كل الشخصيات التي ستنضم معه وفراني ، ليكون من الشخصيات القليلة التي تطورت شخصيتهم بشكل كبير علي مدار الرواية
-ستيفين كينج ممتاز في رسم مثل تلك الشخصيات-

ريتا
سيدة اربعينية مرفهة، لكن رغم انها قد تبدو قوية وصلبة بعد نجاتها من الوباء إلا أن نيويورك بعد الوباء كانت قادرة علي تحطيم اعصابها
الشخصية مرسومة بشكل جيد ومؤثر بالاخص بالنسبة للاري اندروود
أقتباسها من رحلة عصبة الخاتم في رواية تولكين الملحمية الاشهر "ملك الخواتم" في بداية رحلة 'الخروج' من نيويورك مع لاري كان موفقا. خاصا ان رحلة تولكن، والتي تعتبر ملهمة ستيفين كينج الرئيسية لكتابة تلك الرواية الملحمية علي غرارها.. ولكن في عالمنا، بامريكا بدلا من الأرض الوسطي الفانتازيا

لويد
مجرم محبوس في قضية قتل ارتكبت لانه كان تابعا لمجرما اخر مختلا
لكن الوباء بدلا من ان يتسبب القضاء عليه، تسبب في انه كان علي وشك الموت من الجوع والعطش وحيدا في الزنزانة

حتي يأتي من معه المفتاح لاخراج مجرم كهذا
ومن سيكون سوي رجل الظلام نفسه
ليكون لويد..كما في قبل الوباء كما في بعده.. مجرد تابع لقاتل
مع الاختلاف

رجل صناديق القمامة
مختل بسبب ماض قاس وظروف عائلية سيئة يحكيها لنا السيد كينج بالتفصيل
يهوي اشعال الحرائق بهوس شديد
خمن الي اي جانب سينضم

نادين
شخصية مثيرة، شابة في اواخر سنوات الشباب لكن شعرها المختلط اسوده بالبياض سببه حادث قديم غامض
نادين شخصية متحفظة، تخفي امرا ما يقتلها بصراع نفسي رهيب بين قبول ورفض
يقابلها لاري أندروود خلال الرحلة مع فتي صغير عجيب به شيئا من الشفافية، او كما يفضل السيد كينج اطلاق عليها "اللمعان" كما في اسم روايته التي سبقت تلك
The Shining
كلا الشخصيتين كان ممتعا في قراءة مشاهدهما بالاخص عند لقاء الأم اباجايل

وهناك الكثير من الشخصيات الاخري التي تظهر بعد ذلك، مهمة ولها روح ، واخري عادية او مجرد فرد اخر في المجتمعات التي ستتكون، وشخصيات اخري غير ما سبق لها دور مهم ومحرك في الاحداث حتي لو صغر
لكن لضيق المساحة لنر اهم شخصيتين

راندل فلاج/رجل الظلام/ظفر الشيطان
عند ظهوره بالربع الاخير من الكتابالاول استنكرت الماورائية والجزء الفانتازي الذي قام ستيفين كينج تقديمه به
لكنه بمرور الأحداث ستفهم ان كينج يقصد به انه أداة الشيطان، مخلبه او اصبعه او ظفره
كالشيطان ينمو ويقوي في الفوضي، في زعزعة الايمان، في مثل تلك الاحداث الكابوسية

لكن في هذا العدد القليل من البشر، وبعد قيامة صغري قام بها البشر بايديهم، قدمه ستيفين كينج كرمز للمسيخ الدجال
ليختبر به البشر، ليجمع اتباع، ويكيد للجانب الاخر..المؤمن

اعجبني بشدة رموز الظلام المحيطة بتلك الشخصية، مواجهته الضعيفة بالبداية للأم اباجايل كحيوانات ابن عرس
ولكن اعجبني اكثر انه لم يلجأ لتهويل وتعظيم شخصيته الخيالية لجعلها الشيطان نفسه مثلا، فقط رمزا

كالجانب الاخر

الام اباجايل
سيدة عجوز مؤمنة ،تكلمت عنها في جزء الاحداث
تحولت لرمز ديني لسبب إلهي يحلم بها الناس
الجميل هنا ان كينج قدم حياتها بشكل تفصيلي قبل ذلك
لكن الاجمل أنه حاول ان يقسو عليها فقط لينفي خطيئة قد يقع فيها امثالها
من يجد تجمع الناس حوله
خطيئة الشيطان
الفخر

لا يتبق سوي حروف قليلة، واعتقد ان الي هنا ينتهي المراجعة "المختصرة" للنسخة "الكاملة" لملحمة ستيفين كينج الاضخم
في 1440 صفحة
المواجهة


محمد العربي
من 1 مارس 2017
الي 31 مارس 2017

-يمكنك متابعة مراجعات الكوميكس لمزيد من التفصيل-

2020 Review:

Upgrading this from 4 stars to 5 because this book hit me on every level—and was a flawless reading experience. Perhaps it’s my reading it against the backdrop of COVID-19, or maybe it’s my maturation, but The Stand is officially my favorite Stephen King novel. :)

2015 Review:

How does one even begin talking about The Stand, Stephen King's masterpiece? Since its publication in 1978 and re-release (with over 400 pages of originally deleted material added back in) in 1990, countless reviews and articles have been written about King's self-proclaimed "long, dark tale of Christianity." There isn't much that's new to say about it, but I'll give you guys some of my own thoughts and opinions on this mammoth of a book, anyway. Seriously -- this sucker took me over three weeks to read! Granted, I've been busy and can usually finish this one up 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 stretched the limit of what his readers could handle, page number wise (again, there was over 400 pages worth of stuff that was cut from the original to keep book production costs down). King took the excellent character work from The Shining and the ability to write a large cast of characters, a'la 'Salem's Lot and put them together to help create The Stand -- a novel that covers several states across America as well as many, many people therein. Often King has described the writing of this book to be his own personal Vietnam -- a struggle that he sometimes hated, but could never sem to finish. It's perhaps King's most intricate work with his largest cast of characters to date, all written before the man 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 and must pick up the pieces. They must recreate society. In long, this is a story about psychology, science, and Christianity, and how the three sometimes come together as well as oppose one another. The highlight of the book is, of course, the characters. There is Stu Redman, a macho but kind-hearted Texan; Frannie, a young, expecting mother from Maine; Harold Lauder, the only other survivor from Frannie's hometown; Larry Underwood, famous rock and roll singer; Randall Flagg, a demon, or perhaps legion; Mother Abagail, Flagg's "opposite number"; Glen Bateman, college professor; etc. etc. etc. The list goes on, and each character is as memorable and well-drawn as the last. Perhaps that is King's greatest feat here -- these characters feel so alive, and only become more real with each scene they're in. The readers feels as though he or she is inside each one's head, and because they are so human-like, they are often prismatic -- 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 feel like Larry really "ain't no nice guy," and sometimes, I think he's completely justified in his actions. That is why i come to this story again and again, without hesitation -- it's a different plague-ridden world every time I enter, and that is 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 wants to truly take his reader on this journey into the darkness, into the mad psychology of the human condition, and for that I am thankful. This isn't a book for the impatient or those who like to pigeonhole King. There is a lot of horror here, but he, at least, shakes hands with every other genre, too. 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 powerful, powerful stuff. Or heck, the entire first third is gold. Obviously, the book is simply filled with great scenes!

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

I loved this book. I read the uncut version years back when I lived in the States, maybe in 2002. I loved everything about it except the ending. I'm a big fan of Stephen King and have 23 of his books on my shelf. Stephen King can only write a good ending to a book by chance. That said, the first 95% of his books is generally so good that I can forgive the ending.

One of the things I like best about King's writing is the way he breathes life into characters and every day settings. For a horror writer this is crucial. You have to make everything utterly believable so that when the monster comes and the stakes are raised the reader feels it's all real and cares about what's at stake. The short story, The Body, on which the film Stand By Me is based is a great example of King's genius at making complicated, flawed, awkward, real characters.

Anyway, The Stand, is not typical King as the main core of it is an apocalypse, and the super natural horror element is rather secondary and low key for most of the story. The apocalypse is a believable one, a flu pandemic with a mortality rate so high that only a tiny fraction of the population survives. King tears the world down in terrifying slow motion and playing on our fears of pandemics it is at once horrifying, touching, and fascinating. King is great at slowly pulling everyday reality apart.

The cast of characters who survive this catastrophe is sizeable, diverse, and interesting. A pyromaniac with an array of mental issues, a man with learning disabilities, a singer who was in the act of breaking big, others more ordinary but no less fascinating under pressure.

The literary institutions of this world sniff at horror writers as much as they do fantasy writers but I find King's prose and insights into the human condition to be as powerful as those in many of the more plodding works of literary fiction I've read. Readers often don't notice it because it's not what they came for. But King is interested in people and how pressure acts on them.

“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side. Or you don't.”

King shows us the inception of the disaster, plots its course through his scattered and varied cast, and slowly brings those actors together into two communities in the aftermath.

The two communities we focus on centre on the supernatural aspect of the book, one of them is home to the 'good' folk, and the other to the 'bad'. The bad camp is ruled over by Randal Flagg who roams through the pages of quite a few of King's books, The Dark Tower in particular.

The book concludes with the fight between these two camps and ultimately the ending was a touch unsatisfying for me, though not awful by any means. The journey to that ending however was a fascinating thrill ride and well worth the price of entry!

If you've not tried Stephen King before then this is a fine place to jump in - be warned though, it is perhaps the longest of his books with a page count to rival GRRM at his most long winded.



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Meh. I get the impression that Stephen King was trying to create nothing less than an updated, all-American version of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic here, but the results feel shallow, overlong, self-important, cheesy, and a little smug in places. The sentences of The Stand appear to be quite pleased with themselves, which can get a bit annoying considering they don’t really have all that much to say.

Then again, The Stand by now has more than 200,000 five-star reviews here at GR (many by good, respected friends), so there must be something to the book that I just don't get. Even I can see that it isn't all bad: King is a solid writer, and here and there the story gets downright interesting for a few pages (usually when either Larry Underwood or Randall Flagg is around). For the most part, though: yawn...

“The Stand” by Stephen King is a novel I regret not reading sooner. I knew going into this that greatness was awaiting since many readers consider this one of King’s best books ever written and let me tell you, it delivered and then some. In case you didn’t know, I have officially decided to start my journey to The Dark Tower and wanted to do a ton of pre-reading to ensure I get the complete experience the best I can.

I am conquering The Dark Tower by reading all these books leading up to it. In case you want to know what I think the best reading route to go is, here’s how I’m reading everything after weeks of research and asking several Constant Readers for their feedback...

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

I know, I know. 17 books. I have thousands of hours of reading ahead of me but if “The Stand” is any indication, this will easily be one of the best reading experiences of my life. I’m super excited to finally read all these books (some I have already read) and my goal is to be finished before King’s next new anthology “You Like It Darker” comes out on May 21, 2024.

Before I jump into my review, I found a ton of trigger warnings while reading as many of these are very graphic. They were…

- Cancer
- Suicide
- Abortion
- Domestic abuse (physical)
- Racism
- Pandemic
- Quarantine
- Dead animals (cars, dogs, kittens, rabbits, and rats)
- Drugs
- Drinking and driving
- Parental abuse (mental and physical)
- Vaccination
- Rape
- Bullying
- Dead children
- Burning churches
- Homophobia
- Death of a child
- Self-harm
- Cannibalism
- Violence against women
- Religion
- Politics
- Violence against animals (hens and chickens)

If any of these triggers you, please do not read this novel. “The Stand” is hands down a horror masterpiece and at this point in my life, the longest book I have ever read. This tome is 1,348 pages deep and I know is an intimidating number to many but it’s worth it.

There are two versions of “The Stand” which is the original one that was released and truncated in 1975 due to how much of a behemoth this novel was at the time and a newly re-released “complete and uncut” one in 1990. I went with the latter since King re-added over 400 pages of text that were removed and revised everything to unleash the true vision of this novel he wanted. I love how King wrote about that to start this novel off to keep it real with his Constant Readers. It is officially King’s longest stand-alone novel in his catalog and will go down in history as one of the greatest horror novels ever written.

King held nothing back in “The Stand” as the intense opening set the groundwork for one hell of a ride. I loved the tension and suspense right off the bat and instantly loved all the unique characters I met along the way.

Speaking of which, there are a ton of characters in this novel to the point where I had to take quick notes on who is who due to a lengthy list of people. I didn’t want to get confused but thanks to my notes, it was pretty easy to remember everyone and enjoy everything in stride. I also loved all the references King had in here from my hometown of Queens here in New York, Freddy Krueger, The Lord of the Rings, Shirley Jackson, Norman Bates, and many more.

This novel was divided into three books all of which contained a bunch of mini-stories in addition to the main story. It was just a brilliant way of formatting everything so you are still kept in the loop of what was going on with the main characters and also all these side characters. I loved how you never knew who could end up being one to keep an eye on as their story progressed.

There weren’t any boring parts as all the dialogue, situations, and horror were top-notch. King is the master of subtle horror that hits you and continues bringing that terrifying dread of what was ultimately going on. Needless to say, this novel hit home with me and probably many other readers since it’s eerily similar to the whole COVID-19 pandemic we dealt with a few years ago. Imagine that but taken to extreme new heights in a way only King can deliver.

All the descriptions, stories, atmosphere, and overall horror are perfection. I couldn’t put this novel down as it took me over two weeks to read and I even dedicated my days off from work to get through it because it’s such a massive and addictive novel. It’s great and I assure you if you’re one of those readers that think this book is too big or would take forever to read, it’s worth it if you chip away each day and don’t rush anything. Take your time reading this as it’s a novel you will never forget for the rest of your life.

Another nice touch was how King added graphic illustrations to this novel as you read to capture some pivotal (and creepy) moments to add to this epic reading experience. I love when authors do this since it brings me back to my teenage days of reading horror paperback books where every chapter had a graphic illustration or they were sprinkled in between chapters.

King did not hold back when it came to all the horror, gore, and creepiness. Some of which I couldn’t believe and made many weird faces while reading as I started to put the pieces together to the mystery of this disease. Once that was revealed, a whole new part of this novel opened up to situations I never read before in a horror novel.

Once all the characters were finally connected and the race to the end was on, this is where “The Stand” truly delivered. There’s even more horror including a bloodbath of an action scene that was unexpected and pretty intense with some of the main characters. Out of this impressive roster of characters, while hard to choose, I loved Frannie, Stu, Nick, and of course, Kojak the dog. I can’t also leave out the main antagonist who had some scenes that sent chills down my spine… the infamous “Man in Black” Randall Flagg.

This was the first time I’ve ever read a novel involving Flagg and wow, I can see why he is despised by so many. Some of the situations involving Flagg were insane and now that I got my introduction to him, I’m excited to see what happens in the future with such an iconic villain in King’s Dark Tower universe.

The climactic race to the end was monumental as King takes the famous “good vs. bad” angle to new horrific heights. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you but all the plot twists and turns led to an awesome drop-the-mic ending. It was so good that I went back to re-read the last few chapters again because they were outstanding. I never saw that coming and am beyond satisfied with how it ended. The range of emotions from sadness, laughter, rage, disbelief, hope, and heartwarming moments were just some of what I experienced while reading this novel. All of which will last a lifetime with me as it was such a powerhouse of a novel.

I give “The Stand” by Stephen King a 5/5 and would give it a 10/5 if I could because this was by far one of the best novels I’ve ever read by King and in my entire life. The incredible story, memorable characters, a villain for the ages, brutal horror that only King can deliver, and the power of hope led to such a powerful read. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for the next step in my journey to The Dark Tower as I plan to start “The Eyes of the Dragon” next.

Cough.

Our disintegrating modern ethical cliff - hanging in a sheer drop over our grim future world in the Stand - will soon utterly collapse. Then what?

Well, you know, and I know, that Hell is Deep.

Should we heed pale Dante's warning and "give up hope, all you who enter in here?"

No. Because we're not there yet. Repentance's Window of Opportunity is still open!

The Tibetan Buddhists describe the Land of the Dead as a land in which all reference points are lost. We will soon know Nothing For Sure. Our pride, which had always given us our bearings, is now gone in a puff of smoke. No friends, no diversions.

You know, Sartre had it wrong - Hell is not other people - it is only our narrow, naked self under the Bardo's Bright Light. Where is forgiveness now?

Well, remember that puff of smoke?

This is Hell's - or Heaven's, depending on how we lived our life - Anteroom. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Life is tough, and then you die. The Bardo's bottom line.
***

But there's another option. We can now make the best of a bad situation. As King's band of fighters here do. "It is not too late to seek a better world!"
***

I read The Stand in the languid summer of 1980, in a paradisal resort getaway in Canada's Kawarthas. It was a gift to my girlfriend and me (was it intended as Fifth Business, as in the blockbuster novel? You betcha!) from my Mom. She had stayed here many times, and had relished its gastronomical cuisine.

You see, Mom was dying of terminal cancer - she knew it and we knew it. But she knew we were deeply in love, and she only wanted to see our two wedding bands before her exit! And she did - just before, in fact.

What had I packed in my luggage before we left the smog 'n stress of the city for this heaven on earth?

As much of the Stephen King oeuvre as I could carry! So it was to be the Perfect Storm...
***

You guys know by now I am an Aspie who refuses to read signals - but that vacation I read 'em all, in our rich near-neighbours' gestures. I became utterly antsy, and so dug deep into those novels in order to self-medicate. It worked.

And I've been in a state of simmering High Anxiety ever since, though now confidently medicated. But I remembered back then St. Paul's words - "marry or BURN."

That was Mom's Fifth Business. And it did the trick.
***

But now that we all face The Disaster on a daily basis, we know that its grim aftermath, as Stephen King says, is Anarchy. There are always sorrowful survivors who must face That New Disaster.

King says we will never be able, naturally, to go back to utopia.

So what then? Put on a perpetually glum face and sink deep into nothingness? Heaven forbid - for at that time all our preferred anodynes will be permanently out of stock - for all the stores will be boarded up.

No. Remember November 22, 1963?

Kennedy had just been gunned down. Anarchy loomed like a Death's Head.

The great W.H. Auden simply wrote:

Remembering his death
How we choose to live
Will decide its meaning.

So, fast forward again sixty years.

Now we're ALL burning, and soon must pay the piper.

Hell is murky. The Death's Head has appeared again.

Whatever will we do? Well, how we choose to act or not to act will decide the Disaster's meaning.

And when that time comes I know I'll be sure to make my STAND.

Will YOU?