The Stand

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book by King
Review: Awesome book for a deeper look into Americana. This book is an epic trek across the United States; a battle between good and evil, with other themes such as technology vs natural living, rationalism vs irrationalism, etc. The characters are so real you come to love them. This book makes you think-you can read the other reviews for a deeper analysis, all i can say is that I really recommend this for a memorable read.

If you like The Stand I also recommend Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Rating:
Summary: Shinning
Review: I first happened to see the film and I was very impressed by it but then I had the chance to read the book and it seemed perfect yo me ,I also had the chance to read Missery and I saw the film too and I started to love Stephen King's books , so I decided to get in touch with you since you should know I am a Cuban citizen and I have no right to know much about what is happening out there.I am a teacher of English and I hope you will answer me back.
Sincerely yours,
Charlie.

Rating:
Summary: A nice apocalyptic view
Review: This is my first time ever writing a review for anything on amazon, but decided I had to for this book. Stephen King has been a favorite author of mine since age 16 (5 years ago) and even though Needful Things was my first King novel, I must say, the Stand may be my very favorite of them all.

I feel this novel cannot be truthfully appreciated if one does not hold some sort of respect for the afterlife. Truthfully, after the first 300 pages or so, it turns into a sort of post apocalyptic tale with the age old battle of good and evil intertwined nicely into it. This book was written nicely, a tale slightly long in the tooth (over 1100 pages in the complete and uncut version); also typical of King it was wrought with gratuitous explicity, and lack of censorship.

I loved it.

I give it 4 stars, only because I was not satisfied with the ending, which was the old "villian being exposed of in a unsatisfying manner" style. A nice battle sequence would have been more satifying...

Rating:
Summary: Did I read the same book as everyone else???
Review: I read this in its entirety, and all I can say is I hated it. First of all, the book is way too long, and unlike "It", progresses at a slow, boring pace. Also unlike "It", the ending is entirely predictable, so I had to read through 800 pages just to reach a conclusion I already knew would happen. Of course, if you're the sort of person who likes predictable endings, then by all means buy this book. If you're more into edge-of-your-seat excitement, steer clear of "The Stand". Read "The Mist" instead.

Rating:
Summary: The Stand By Stephen King
Review: Stephen King beyond any doubt is the best writer I have read. The Stand Has to Be the best book ever written by King.
When You Sit down and read this book you will be stuck there reading it until it is finished. By the time you are done reading it you will feel you have been there.
So read the stand and be amazed...
M-O-O-N that spells The Stand....

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Novel of Depth and Scope
Review: The Stand is truly an amazing novel with its large cast of characters and scope of setting. Don't let the large cast of characters scare you or lead you to believe the characterizations are shallow, because they are not. The depth of each character rings true throughout the novel; each one is realistic-they could be you or your next door neighbor. The plot is like a finely-woven tapestry, the threads weaving together to an exciting and satisfying finale. It is not horror in the typical or classic sense. Instead it is dark fantasy that, especially now, has a basis in reality. What would happen if most of the people you knew died and you were left alone? What would this strange new world be like? How would people react and cope? Stephen King is said to be the Master of the Macabre, but he is really the Master of the English language. Don't miss the opportunity to get lost in this enthralling masterpiece. Some references are dated since the book came out in 1978, but these are easy to overlook. It is by far one of the best and most engrossing books I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Completely awesome
Review: The master storyteller has blown me completely away. I stayed away from this one at first because of the length, but once I opened the cover...that was it. A completely awesome read. Look into new novelist Christine Hilger's "A Force of Habit" Imagine suspense in a nursing home for aged nuns-this author pulled it off (must have been a student of King!)

Rating:
Summary: this book was a letdown!
Review: i had read quite a bit of stephen king's stuff before this - in fact, i was just coming off IT when i got this. it's king's Epic (although It and the Dark Tower series might also make that claim), and is definitely his most popular book. almost everyone i know who reads a lot of "popular fiction" loved this book, as did most king fans.

so what's my problem? well...

the first 300 pages or so are amazing - king gets the ball rolling on some promising characters and beautifully describes the collapse of american and world civilization under the superflu. the beginning is the most gripping part of the book, oddly enough - it doesn't drag like the beginning of McCammon's Swan Song. king's beginnings are always great, this one's no exception - the disease gets out on page 1, people start dying on page 5, anarchy has taken over by page 200, the world is emptied out by page 300.

but then the book starts to trip up! i can see how king set the book aside half way through -- the middle and final portion of the book begins to get very muddled and preachy. flagg is suitably creepy, but not one of king's best villians. and the absurd Magic Negro stereotype of the Good Guys' leader bothered me a lot, as did the deus ex machina of the dreams bringing everyone together -- it strains credulity, as does King's trite theologizing (which he never seems to buy himself).

just as the plot starts going bad, the characters go completely to (...). the good guy's roles become completely predictable - The Elderly Saint, The Quiet Kid With Strong Intuition, The Arrogant Man Who Learns a Lesson, The Tough But Tender Southerner, The Anxious Expecting Mother, The Wise Idiot, The Prideful Outcast (who of course turns evil) and The Bride of Darkness (again, we know exactly where she's going almost as soon as we meet her). although king's brief character sketches early in the book were fantastically vivid, the good guys are a complete waste by at least the half-way point.

Not to say every character is lame - the bad guys are great. Lloyd, the escaped con that Flagg corrupts, and the twitchy lunatic pyromaniac Trashcan Man are a lot of fun to follow. Heck, even the charmingly written Wise Idiot on the good guys side (M-O-O-N spells Tom Cullen) is fun.

But then comes the Quest (i was rolling my eyes by this point) into the enemy's heartland with only God on their side. This was campy, but still enjoyable - king is a great writer, even when stuck with a turkey plot like this one. but the end! how stupid! i won't blow it, suffice to say there's not really any final confrontation, just an absurd, unbelievable deus ex machina. now, a duel to the death between Stu and Flagg, *that* would have been cool.

looking back on this review, it seems pretty harsh. but dammit, the book is 1200 pages long! it could have been good at 700 (just leave out the teary recitations of the national anthem, some of the (...)christian content, and a weak character or two). too bad.

Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I'm a fairly new King fan, and I was ordered to read this by about five people, one of which, amazingly enough, was my mother. she rarely reads anything but the Harry Potter series and Romance novels.
Anyways, the book started out great! It was fascinating how he explained Captain Trips like a chain letter. The middle was gettting you to know the many characters, and the people who could have had important roles if they hadn't died meaninglessly.
And the end is Good against Evil, sure its been done, but that doesnt mean its not great in this book!
My only qualm was that my favorite character died.
Even if this book is long, its worth it, very much so.

Rating:
Summary: The Stand-The best of Stephen King
Review: I have read a lot of King's novels but this one is the best.The first time I read it I got chills.I have read this book 5 times and it gets better every time.Even if you are not a King fan go and buy this book.