Rating: 
Summary: YAWWWN
Review: I could not finish this book. I got to 800 or so and simply could not go any further it was dragging on and on. I still do not understand how people can find this book so wonderful, nor Stephen King. I like very few of his books but if you insist on reading his work I reccomend The Green Mile or The Regulators (written as Richard Bachman)
Rating: 
Summary: All of you detractors-You're missing the meaning of the book
Review: This is driving me crazy. I've read both versions of the book AND watched the miniseries. It's not King's lack of imagination, it's the readers' who have gotten used to neat Hollywood endings. The baddies didn't blow themselvse up. The 'Hand of God' did. The Stand is not some big fistfight ala Schwartznegger (sp?). It is the stand between good and evil that each individual makes in their heart. When they draw the line and say, "I don't care what you do to me, I will not give in to evil, I won't take the easy way out." That is what God was looking for. You could even say that he unloosed the plague to start over. He was looking to see how strong a man is when faced with evil. Will he give in? Or will he stand tall. Unfortunately, God seems to require people to follow through with their stand instead of rescuing them. But hey, this isn't a Hollywood ending, thank god.This is one of my fave books of all time, partly b/c it is so long. You really get to kow the characters and for a few days or weeks, they become your family and when the story is over you miss them. You gte really involved in their lives. I really can't say that about most other books I've read, regardless of genre.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever
Review: The Stand in my opinion is truly one of the greastest books of the century its up there with the shining and the lord of the rings.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning: spoilers
Review: I feel compelled to respond to Chris from Canada. It's not just 'people with no imagination' who are turned off by this book. People with imagination are the ones who realize exactly how good this book might have been. In fact, imagination is exactly what the story lacks for the last 500 pages or so. It DOES end with explosions, mass murder AND the hero getting the girl. The "stand" here is nothing more than four guys going to meet the enemy reluctantly, against their will, because they think that's what God wants them to do. This message comes from a starving, dying, delirious woman. And, might I add, they accomplish nothing except getting themselves killed for no reason at all. This is the problem so many of us have with the book. The animosity is set up and grows for 600 pages.. and then, out of nowhere, the bad guys just blow themselves up? What kind of conflict is that? Stephen King can be fantastic at shorter works (Skeleton Crew, Different Seasons), but he's remarkably consistent with his 'epic' works in that he never knows how to resolve them. Save your time.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST NOVEL EVER WRITTEN!
Review: I read this and it blew me away. the was great yoo. this is defenitly kings best work. i also recomend bag of bones.
Rating:
Summary: A Stand for good literature
Review: After having read such an incredible novel of epic proportions, I can't believe the audacity of people that criticize on WEAK arguments. The Stand certainly does have a major conflict in the novel, and it goes deeper than that. The Boulder Free Zone has lost its leader, and most of its council in an attack, and are disheartened. When four men embark on their journey towards Las Vegas to confront Flagg, they are definetly making a stand for all that is good. The integrity they show while crucified and being ridiculed by Flagg's followers also is very strong at showing they are making a stand. Just becuase Stephen King decided not to end the story with explosions, mass murder, or the "hero getting the girl", that doesnt mean it isnt a good book. I could see where that turns off those who have no imagnination, but in now way does the Stand suffer from lack of an excellent conclusion. I give this book my highest recommendation, and hope you too can enjoy this amazing book.
Rating:
Summary: More than a "Stand"
Review: I read this book several years ago and recently my interest has returned to it. Before purchasing it again I chose to read some of the reviews listed here. It shows a lot of what I have come to see in what people want in their stories and entertainment. High levels of conflict and excitement and little tangible intellect and sensitivity. The main complaint I have seen was that there was no "Stand" at the end. That is only true if you are looking for a cataclysmic battle of individual versus individual in a bloody massacre. This book in its depth of scope and character transcends the need for blood and violence. This book is about character. Individuals that are just like anybody else and what they would do in an amazing circumstance. To me, "The Stand" is that made by each of these characters in reference to what their individual make up is. Are they good or evil when push comes to shove. The character of Larry Underwood depicts this the greatest of all the characters. If you are looking for a big fight at the end don't waste your time. If you are looking to be enriched as to the human condition and the inner workings of individual conscience than read, read and re-read.
Rating:
Summary: This is my second favorite end times novel.
Review: This is a sensational novel, absolutely Kings' best. It is, however, not the best book of this genre. I would not have said that a few days ago, but I just finished a novel that actually eclipses THE STAND. It is the suspense thriller THE LAST DAY by an author called Glenn Kleier. If you've not read THE LAST DAY, let me say that it is scarier, more fascinating, and far more thought provoking than THE STAND. The ending is both shocking and unpredictable. I would go so far as to say it is one of the best novels I've ever read. THE STAND is excellent. THE LAST DAY is just that much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding! Highly recommended! But...
Review: This book is basically about a government experiment gone wrong that wipes out 99% of the planets population. The survivors are drawn together through a series of disturbing dreams, some to the good side and the others to the bad side. I will say that of the three Stephen King books that I have read I think this one is the best. I noticed that many other readers thought it was too long, but on the contrary, I think it was just right, if not too short. First of all, it features multiple main characters. King gives the reader considerable detail into the lives and backgrounds of each character, which allows the reader to feel as though he or she knows the characters and has been in touch with the characters for a long time. You create a better mental image of the scenery that would not have been possible without the extra details. When they hurt, you feel their pain. When they are happy, you're happy for them. When they die, you feel sorry for them. You develop a caring and understanding for them that you would not have been able to do without the detailed descriptions. Also, this book features illustrations in various chapters that helped augment the effects of King's phenomenal writing skills. The three reasons I didn't give it 5 stars were because I didn't like the way that King didn't spend as much time on the bad guys as he did with the good; there were a few spelling errors that the editors missed (and I am not talking about the misspelled words that were intentionally misspelled for dialogue purposes); and there wasn't really a "stand" as the title says. Maybe he should have called it The Chain Letter of Death or something along that line. Overall, I would recommend this book to those of you who can appreciate good character development and like science fiction because it appears be a 3-way split between suspense, horror, and sci-fi. P.S. Please read my other reviews.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Please...
Review: I won't go into all the flaws this book has (no one has all the time for that), but I'll point out the most obvious one. There's NO CONFLICT. Everything builds up toward a huge battle, the book is even titled after the last stand these people are supposed to make.. but it never happens! There's no battle, no conflict, no stand, no resolution at all. I've noticed the people raving about this book seem to forget this one detail.. well, wake up. This has the worst ending I've ever read in ANY book, and I've read hundreds. Come on, Steve, after 980 pages you owed us (and yourself) more than a cheap ending like this.
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