The Stand Mass Market Paperback – June 28, 2011

"The Stand" is a very entertaining, highly readable story about an apparently world wide pandemic and post pandemic world. The style of the narrative is easily followed modern conversational American English. The book is quite lengthy by the standards of modern American Popular Fiction. Although I enjoyed it very much, it was similar to reading three shorter novels. There are numerous characters and storylines. I feel it is definitely an adult book and speaking as a father, I would not allow my young children to read it at all and although I would allow my high school children to read it, I would insist on parental participation.I have been reading various novels about pandemics and I would have to say that this is my favorite. I liked this far better than "The Andronmeda Strain" although "The Stand is far lengthier. "The End of October" was a good, well written, medium length novel that I also liked.A well intentioned person guided me to "The Eyes of Darkness" by Dean Koontz. Although I liked that novel very much, it is not really a pandemic novel as far as I am concerned. As far as movies, I am enthralled by what seems to be a forgotten 1959 movie "The World, The Flesh, And The Devil". It is not exactly a story about a pandemic, but in some ways it is a distinction without a difference.Of the popular modern contemporary male American authors of fiction, Stephen King is definitely among my favorites. I have read several of his novels. I put this at or near the top of the list. I also enjoyed 11 22 63 very much and a collection of stories combined in one work called "Four Seasons".This work under review has many interesting aspects to it. The story goes beyond the pandemic episode and has a metaphysical "Good Versus Evil" aspect to it, parts of which I found fascinating. Parts of the story also have a "Lord of The Flies" feel to it. Parts of the story have a dystopian sense.Due to the length of this novel and the fact that it is mostly easily followed, I purchased both the book on Kindle and an accompanying audiobook narrated by Grover Gardner. Mister Gardner is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and he does his usual professional job on this book. I often listened while commuting. When possible I read along and the narration was very faithful to my Kindle version. I am glad that I did both read and listen.In summary I am quite glad that I read and listened to this book. It is one of my favorite Stephen King novels and probably my favorite pandemic novel to this point in time. Probably the most difficult part of this reading experience is the length of the book. But the book is highly readable and makes a very good candidate for an audiobook. Grover Gardner did an excellent job. Due to the length of is book I intend to take a break from Stephen King. But he is a very good author and I fully intend to return to his writing in the future. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.

Read the original version, and now the extended. Both are wonderful tales. This one, the extended, actually fills in information that was good to have. I feel I know the characters better. The Stand was always a favorite. Now, it is even more so. Kudos to Stephen King for publishing this the way he intended. Fabulous read and well worth purchasing a second copy of the book.

Disclaimer: I've never read a Stephen King novel before. I've avoided him because horror isn't my thing. Having read this first novel, I am a fan of his writing ... but not of his content.Second disclaimer: Apparently Stephen King has written several versions of The Stand, and this one isn't the original ... so if anything I say doesn't seem true, keep in mind that I've only read this one version.Okay, on with my thoughts on the book:First, Stephen King is an incredible writer. INCREDIBLE. When I taught writing, I had an article written by King in which he advised that fledgling writers use fewer adjectives and stronger verbs ... wow, did I see this in his writing. Every word he writes is perfection; his words are perfectly chosen, and it's easy to sink into the world he creates. He is genuinely one of the top ten writers of his generation.Second, his characters are incredible. He builds their backgrounds and feeds out the details about their lives so skillfully that the reader feels he or she knows the characters ... bad guys are sometimes pitied, and good guys aren't always particularly nice. But the characters feel real; often they're haunted by their past actions ... some change for the better, others change for the worse. Some characters only appear for a couple pages, but they serve to show just how horrible this plague would be to the world.On the other hand, King doesn't pull any punches ... some of his material takes the reader right up to the line where cruelty begins, and he takes a big step across that line. A four-year old who falls into a well and suffers four days with broken bones before he dies of exposure. Weird sexual stuff. It's a big much for me, and that's why I'm giving the book 4 stars. But I loved the overall story of good vs. evil and survival after the plague.Apparently this is one of King's less gory novels. I'd love to read more of his work, but I'll choose carefully ... this was as much gore as I can take.

A Masterpiece of Epic Horror and SurvivalThe Stand is a monumental novel that masterfully blends horror, suspense, and a richly woven post-apocalyptic world. Stephen King’s storytelling is gripping from the first page, with unforgettable characters facing the ultimate battle between good and evil.The pacing is perfect, with moments of quiet tension building to explosive confrontations. The depth of character development makes you truly care about their fates, and the vivid descriptions bring the devastated world to life.If you love epic stories about survival, morality, and humanity’s resilience, The Stand is an absolute must-read.Highly recommended for fans of classic horror and epic fiction!