Rating: 
Summary: Boring Long Drawn out potboiler!!!
Review: Good GOD! This book is stupid. It's long, drawn out, boring and totally contrived. Like the majority of his work it's populated by the typical Stephen King stock(blue collar village idiot's) character's and a cheesy redneck devil like villian. Stupid and predictable...tedious and incondite!!!! and a total waste of my time.
Rating: 
Summary: King¿s End of the World Epic Stands and Delivers
Review: Stephen King is an author whose work has diversified enough through the years that he is considered not just a top of the line horror writer, but a first-rate author able to succeed in any given genre. With classics like "Salem's Lot" and "Carrie," King established his horror credentials. In stories like "The Body" and "Hearts In Atlantis," he captures the essence of childhood. In tales such as "Rita Hayworth & Shawshank Redemption" and "Dolores Claiborne," he coaxes misery and hope in equal parts out of everyday reality. "The Stand," one of Stephen King's earliest novels, incorporates all these aspects of King's range and much more beyond that. It is epic in both scope and accomplishment.The story itself, much like the Biblical flood or Homer's Iliad, is not the focus, but simply the backdrop - the conditions under which the many characters are tested. In this case, King's novel concerns an engineered virus breaking loose and its subsequent destruction of the human race. "The Stand" is a fable of good and evil, but the narrative is about choices made and the Journey. I capitalize the "J" in journey, because I imagine if King were discussing this book, he would, too. There are many paths traveled in this tale, and so much of what defines the characters and the weave of the story are meditations about whether or not to turn off the road. Is it possible? Is it too late? Is it worth it? These are the questions constantly posed to and by the characters, and we turn each page in anticipation of their answers. In the desolation and brutality of the scenario, King's horror achieves numbing omnipresence. The characters embody all the earthy quirks and human foibles that have proven to be King's most distinctive feature and gift. Life, death, good, evil, youth, old age, politics - all are grappled with by the characters, and in ways that we instinctively believe are how those characters would respond. "The Stand" has something for everyone, but each reader must make a choice to immerse themselves in this unique experience. It a long book containing a deep world, defined by black and white, populated by grays. To read "The Stand" is to explore how deep or light your own shade of gray is. Are you ready for the Journey?
Rating: 
Summary: A Flawed Diamond
Review: 3.5 stars. This isn't one of King's typical horror stories. This book goes beyond that; it takes on some of the most important religous, psychological, and social issues of our time. There's a double meaning behind the title: Stephen King himself is taking a Stand on these issues that we've all been debating. Because of the implications, this novel is vast in scope and stretches beyond the borders of its covers. But is it King's best? No. Here's why: First off, the novel is slow. The beginning of the book is dedicated to the spread of the plague. Then it shows the survivors grouping under two leaders: Randall Flagg in the west and a 108-year-old black woman named Mother Abagail in the east. It's a long while before the heroes actually depart to make their Stand against Flagg. And also, the novel is filled with too much talking to my liking, mostly philosophical stuff (In other words, not enough action). (SPOILER SECTION) Secondly, I HATE deus ex machina, and that is what this ending is. Thirdly, the very end makes everything that happened in this book seem for nothing. It basically said that time is circular. The last sentence of the book went something like this: "Time was a wheel, and it always came around to the same place again." Time is linear, it is it is IT IS! Just look at our own history and you can see as much. Fourthly, there are many abandoned plot threads: 1)There's a scene in which Mother Abagail realizes that an Eye(Flagg) is looking for everybody that would come to her, and one little girl. Who was this little girl? We never find out. At first I thought it might be Frannie's baby, but no, that turned out to be a male. 2)What was so important about the child Flagg conceived on Nadine? We never find that out, either. 3)Why was Flagg losing his powers toward the end? This is never revealed, unless it's just deus ex machina again. Also, Flagg's psyche is never fully explored; I can only get a vague picture of him. 4)What happened to Leo Rockway that turned him into a murdering savage? And why did he have such a special perception? The book doesn't say. 5)Toward the end, it seemed that Tom Cullen had an important part to play, but he didn't. Yeah he saved Stu but it didn't change anything major in the story. We never find out what was so special about him or how he relates to the moon, M-O-O-N, that spells abandoned plot threads, and an author isn't supposed to abandon his plot threads, laws yes, everybody knows that! 6)And more important than any of the others, WHAT stand was there? If everyone had stayed in Boulder the outcome would have been the same, because it was Trashcan Man that did everything. Basically, Larry, Glen, and Ralph all died for nothing. (END OF SPOILER SECTION) Those things listed above greatly flawed this novel. But, the depth of the story and King's great characterization would not allow me to drop the rating to less than 3.5 stars. This book had the potential to be his brightest gem, but, in the end, it just didn't cut it. I think King knew how to start this story but he just didn't know how to finish it properly.
Rating:
Summary: Spending time in hospital soon? Get this King Bible!
Review: The Stand is not for the King novice by any means and remains his most inaccessible work - but it is a modern masterpiece in every sense of the word. If you have not read King before then stay clear until you get a few under your belt because this is a very different book but it is probably his best. The Stand when first released was a publishers nightmare who felt that the book needed to be cut in order to make it more appealing to the market. It was a book that could have been a big turnoff point for his readership but the edits where made and the book was well received by the critics. With this version King has reintroduced the cut elements to restore this classic to its full entirety. It is a massive book (1168 pages!) and a huge undertaking by King. I read this while I was in hospital and that is the best place to read it because of the subject matter. So buy it and keep it aside for those gloomy days in the ward with tubes hanging out of you. Essentially this is an apocalypse story that revolves around a terrible man-made virus that wipes out most of the planet leaving but a few survivors who must restore mankind by taking a STAND either with the good guys or the bad guys led by Lucifer - Randall Flagg. It is vast in characters with detailed locations and lots of plot. The first half of the book concentrates on the different characters and their various predicaments before the virus is unleashed. Then they gradually meet up throughout the course of the story, some falling victim to the dark side, others leading the survivors to good for a final standoff between the two factions. All in all this is just salami literature (good guys vs bad guys stuff), but what tasty salami it is. This is a full blooded manuscript, rich in every aspect with plenty of scares along the way. A modern apocalypse classic that still works well today and possibly predicts the fate of mankind in a very eerie way. It all seems too real at times! Timeless. - As note this is one of Kings few books where a main character, Randall Flagg, makes a second appearance in another unrelated novel called "Eyes of the Dragon". You may want to dip into that one first before you read this as it is a sort of prequel for this main character.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I've Ever Read.
Review: Nothing in this world matches the pure brilliance you'll find in these 1,154 pages. Stephen King is often unfairly dismissed as a simple horror writer, but The Stand proves he is one of the best writers of all time. The characters in this book are so well done that I think of them as real people. The way Stephen King takes stuff everyone takes for granted and turns it upside down is totally brilliant. The book isn't dated at all, though it was published in 1978. The expanded version is only better, making the greatest book ever even more compelling and interesting. No review in this world and no word in the dictionary can describe and do justice to the book; you just have to read it. You will be very, very happy you did. 13 stars out of 5. 13/5
Rating:
Summary: You'll never be so glad you read 1100 pages
Review: I found The Stand to paradoxically be both the quickest and longest read I've ever experienced. Weighing in at over 1150 pages in the uncut edition, this is not a book you can expect to finish on the plane. Nor will you particularly want to. I don't think I've ever read another book quite as vivid or engrossing, and I was sort of sad when the two days -- solid days, waking up to going to bed -- of reading it were over, because one gets that caught up in the narrative. I won't bother to summarize it, as that's been done in these reviews before, but I will say that this is easily the prolific King's best work by far. Even at 1150 pages, still fascinating the whole way through. Apart from On the Beach, The Stand receives my highest accolades.
Rating:
Summary: An epic chlling novel
Review: Opening scene Man wakes wife grabs family and, in panic flees their house explaining something horrible happened in the government lab he worked at. Few pages later car crashes into Texas gas station with all passengers dead of mysterious virus. Captain Trips as the virus comes to be known wipes out a large percentage of America. In the rest of the novel we see the forces of good against the forces of evil in two distinct camps.
That synopsis doesn't do the plot justice but I don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say the Stand is a thick book, with little lagging or extraneaous information. After reading it twice and reshuffling my reading schedule to get ready to read it a third time I decided to review it a hard task as how do you review a book that simply put could be the best in the genre in the market ever. King published the Stand in the late seventies then released an uncut unabridged version in 1991 I believe. It is still being printed to which should be a sign of its popularity.
King has really outdone himself in this one by backing away a little from reanimation of dead pets, ghostly cars, village of vampires, he has perhaps written his most chilling novel in that the set-up which begins the horror of the Stand is very realistic. It's terror is timeless as an accidental virus could very well be released it touches the realm of possibilty more than some of his novels.
King being King tho there is elements of supernatural in this immensely entertaining book Randall Flag is such an evil villian I think other authors went to well trying to compare someone even remotely in his league teehee.
King's characterization in this novel may be his best yet( not including some of his more mature novels written when he was in or approaching middle age like bag of bones). The plot as stated is intense and never lets go. The middle pages could be trimmed a little haha but then it wouldnt be uncut and the description add not takes away from overall enjoyment of the book. To conclude to any who read this that haven't read the Stand please go beg borrow or steal (just joking) a copy and read it I guarantee you will be glad you did. (assuming you have any interest in King or genre.)
Rating:
Summary: Baby can you dig your man?
Review: This is by far the best novel that I have ever read. The thing that I like about Steven Kings writing is you really get an in depth look at each character (who they are, where they come from, and what they are thinking). My favorite character is Larry Underwood, a troubled man who changes his morals around for the better. Whether you are reading the original or the uncut, it is an emotional ride. The one thing that upset me about the uncut book was that little tag at the end about Flag showing up on the beach with all the natives. What was that?
Evan Bowen
Albany, NY
Rating:
Summary: Stephen at His Best
Review: Every author writes a special one. They put their heart and soul into a book, and the end result is mindboggling. The Stand is Stephen King's One. He did write many other great books, but The Stand sets the standard for good writing. By the end of the first part of the book, 99.4% of the world's population is dead. And it is America's fault. We weren't supposed to make chemical weapons, and we did, so we payed the price. Now, the last remaining humans are scattered all around the world. It begins with the story of the humans in the east, and of a dark evil in the west. Slowly, people begin choosing sides. And then the groups meet. At last, they are divided between Boulder, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada. Randall Flagg leads all of those who wish to take advantage of this devastation, and he resides in Las Vegas. Even though the humans killed themselves off, they will not be wiped out without a fight. It's time to take a stand against evil. Stephen King, I congratulate you. If I could shake your hand, I would. The Stand, along with many other great novels, changed my life. The Stand is a must-read for anyone, whether you're a fan of the genre or not, go read this book. Kudos to you, King. -MB
Rating:
Summary: His Best. No Question.
Review: This is King's best work, full stop. I have read and re-read it from the time I was a teenager, and was thrilled to buy the "complete and uncut" version pretty much the instant it became available---and love that version even more. It's a true epic and succeeds on so many levels I can't even begin to describe them. Buy it.
|
