The Stand

Rating:
Summary: The Best King I Have Read
Review: Sure by most standards i am a fairly new fan of Mr. King; lke most i have watched the movies but it has only been in the last 2- 2.5 years that I have started to read his books. I have read seven of his books so far and my favorites so far, and one of my all time favorite has to be the stand. Sure it isi a lillte week at the end but I find that with alot of his books, and that doesnt mean the rest is junk because of it. Others say it is too long, but it just gives you more room to become familiar with the people in theh story.. With this indepth knowlege of the people draws you more into the story. This is truely one of the great stories of the last 50 years, but I would like to know when we will get the rest of the story. I am a hobby writer; I write little nothings, not because I would like to be a novelist with my works being published and bringing in the big money, but because I like to do it in my spare time, and I can control who reads it and who doesn't( most times its only me) and I have a few ideas for a sequel.... I wonder what you guys think, or ever what Mr King would say.........

Rating:
Summary: dull,dull,dull,dull,dull,dull,dull and overall boring
Review: This is the only book to have the distinction of being hurled down my back yard. In frustration. I've never been beyond chapter 5 in four attempts although I have flicked through and read parts to see if it improves and it just DOESN'T !! It's turgid from beginning to end and instead of adding all the edited bits they should have hacked another 300 pages out of the damn thing. King's problem, especially in his recent works is he rambles on and on, giving you the background details of every single character who says anything, whether they have anything to do with the plot line or not and I say "enough already!". And all the characters have perfectly dreadful lives too, spot someone who's bright and cheerful in this book I defy you. These people exist, I'm one myself but they don't ever exist in King's world. He's written much, much better than this and only serious King fans rave about it, the rest of you if you get your hands on it - try hurling it down your back yard too.

Rating:
Summary: If you read one 1000+ page book this year, this should be it
Review: As a college kid, I get very little time for extraneous reading or tv watching. I managed to catch The Stand on tv, however, and really wanted to read the book. Boy, was I glad I did! It is a great book that despite its incredible length leaves you wanting more. The characters are _so_ believable, and if they aren't always _completely_ drawn out, that's part of the charm. I'm not a horror fan, but this was one book that I could not put down. I'm in awe of Stephen King's imagination, not for the horrors he conjurs up, but for the characters he portrayed within this novel. There is someone in this book for everyone to identify with which is what makes this book so effective.

Rating:
Summary: Best ever
Review: I have only read 6 King books but I don't see how anything can be this good. I like these Dark Tower books a bunch too. He needs to hurry up with those. Anyway, a must read book and a must see movie.

Rating:
Summary: Go Out and Buy This Book!!!
Review: Go out and buy this book. In all honesty, I would have read 2000 pages! I couldn't put it down! Make time to read The Stand and you'll gain all sorts of insights into the human soul and the power of faith (whether or not that faith is misplaced). I was blown away by the honesty, truth and humanity of the characters. Nobody's perfect; but anyone can change (if they want to, if they believe...). Pay special attention to the characters of Tom Cullen and Mother Abagail. On the surface of the story, they are both represented as weak and feeble. Tom because he's retarded, Mother because she's old. As the story expands and deepens from individual situations to the human situation, we see Tom and Mother Abagail's power!! Neither can be shaken from their path. They are the true heros of this story!!! Stephen King is a excellent and descriptive writer. I really FELT this book...

Rating:
Summary: Still King's best long work
Review: Although one of his earlier works, The Stand continues to be one of Stephen King's best. King masterfully fuses two great themes: the elemental struggle between good and evil and the fear of rampant technology so prevalent in science fiction. As a technologically engineered plague kills millions of Americans, the survivors answer the call of the evil Dark Man or of God's chosen, Mother Abigale. King chronicles both groups' efforts to survive, and thrive, in a world of corpses, dormant machines, and uncertainty. Interestingly, King chooses not to end The Stand with the clash between good and evil, but with the possibility of the human race's redemption in the form of a plague-immune baby, and with the continuance of evil in a new(?) Dark Man. The one drawback to The Stand is that it is long, and thus it is easy to forget important character elements that surface several hundred pages later. My solution to that problem has been to read The Stand 4 times in the last 5 years. It continues to amaze me.

Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: I agree with another reviewer. The beginning was good. Then it just gets lost in an extremely unoriginal "good vs. evil" storyline. Boring characters gather on each side, and then a lot of them die for no clear reason. And of course, good triumphs in one of the lamest endings I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: This is THE Stephen King Novel
Review: If I had to stranded on a desert island, this is the one book I'd take with me. It is the possibly the best work Stephen King has ever done. Truly a masterpiece of modern writing!

Rating:
Summary: Long, weak, but philosophical
Review: Many readers don't like the ending. Many say the story is weak. But at the end, you have to admit it leaves you pondering. I have not read too many Stephen King books, parts of "Christine", and parts of "Misery". This one I read in its entirety. It has a very philosophical angle. The message is very subtle but very definite.

Rating:
Summary: M-O-O-N, that spells "Great Read!"
Review: The Stand...so many different feelings arise from within me when I even think about this book. This was probably the first book that made me sit down and seriously decide I wanted to become a writer. Stephen King is an awesome author and fills this book chock-full of some of the most memorable characters ever imagined. Trash Can Man, Stuart Redman, Larry Underwood...can you get any deeper than these characters? King spins a tale in which the reader is not just one character, but gets a chance to become all of them...he allows one to become engrossed within them. Anyone I've ever encountered who read the book has loved it, and has always wanted more. Anyone who has thought otherwise just didn't get it, didn't want to get it, or hasn't grown out of Hardy Boys mysteries.