Rating: 
Summary: One of the very best!
Review: This is one of King's very best, although I'm not sure the extra padding of the unedited version actually improves the book. If the reader lets go and enjoys the ride (enormous suspension of disbelief is required, especially towards the middle) this is a classic. Harry Shannon's edgy first novel "Night of the Beast" is the only book I know of to employ as many horror tropes in such an original and entertaining manner, and although "The Stand" lacks NOTB's wry humor it belongs on every afficianados "booshelf." King's 'Desperation' and 'It' are almost as good, but not quite.
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Summary: Stephen King's "Andromeda Strain"
Review: Michael Crichton's "Andromeda Strain" has nothing on this book. While Crichton isolates a few scientists and infects a town, King shows us views of a man-made appocalypse. The scope of this story is incredible and has tie-ins with other stories, such as the "Dark Tower" series. The only real problem I had with this book is that we wait for hundreds of pages only to find that everything is wrapped up too quickly, and there is the final eternal denouement, at which point I wanted to drop the book. (I had the ending, why read so much more after?) While the ending held less interest for me than the first half, I feel this is one of Stephen King's best writings.
Rating: 
Summary: outstanding despite some awkward writing
Review: There's some sappy narration here and King's annoying penchant for dropping pop culture references into his train of thought, but his imagination has never been more vivid than in this near- exhausting adventure. Perhaps the best end of the world story in 20th popular fiction, it's filled with a boat load of memorable characters. (Tom Cullen the mentally challenged man with the mind of a child remains my favorite). Stick with the longer 1000 plus page rewrite for more depth and insight into the cast's motives. You won't easily forget this entertaining and often overly wicked epic. For a large book, the story moves quite fast, tho' you may want to savour the experience over a satisfying two week stretch, to really let it sink into you. An amazing piece of work in what should be just a mindless genre...
Rating:
Summary: Definately Stephen King's Best Ever!
Review: Before reading this book, you should read Earth Abides. That book is similar in that it deals with a band of survivors after a world holocaust. That book had great characters and interesting plot. This book goes way beyond and has a long laundry list of interesting and memorable characters (laws yes!). Don't be intimidated by the sheer size of the book. The book wastes no page and even people that get wiped out at the beginning of the book from the super virus, are interesting. I never zipped through of book this large so fast. This book has the ultimate showdown between good and evil that had me cheering out loud even though I was reading the book on a crowded subway train and getting strange stares!
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: I'm not much of a writer but I just have to put in my 2 cents. This is by far the best book I have ever read. If your into King then you've probably already read this, if not make it your next read. And if your not a big King fan I would still say make it your next read.
I guarantee you will not regret it
Rating:
Summary: It's all for you
Review: This is a great novel. Do not be afraid of it because of its size. The Stand and It rank even with my all time favorite reads. This book is a classic struggle between good and evil and it shows so many sides of gray in between. King takes a possible future and a stranger from another dimension, puts them together and gives you one wild ride.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start + Unsatisfying Finish=Mostly Fun Ride
Review: In "the Stand", my favorite King novel, the master of modern day horror has fun going apocalyptic on the United States and slowly (and semi-successfully) rebuilds it into two camps: a good one in Colorado and an evil one in Vegas. For a 1,000+ page book, its really a page-turner and I found it gripping throughout most of the book. It does, however, lose a little of its magic towards the end. King gets off to a great start before seeming to lose the thread of where to go. It leads to an unsatisfying ending (I didn't appreciate the cliched horror-movie device of having the villian killed but not really die a la Freddie Krueger/Mike Myers/Jason Vorhees). Still, "The Stand" is a mostly engaging read that is worth the ride.
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Summary: Less enchanted the second time around
Review: I picked up THE STAND again last week basically because I had nothing else to read. I buzzed through it my freshman year in high school, lost in the strange world King had created. The second time around, I'm noticing flaws in the picture he paints. A repetetive narrative. Far too much exposition. The irritatingly self-righteous Mother Abigail. Randall Flagg, who sounds like every other villain King has created. Still, THE STAND remains an addictive thrill. Its weaknesses are, for the most part, the same ones you find in all of King's work, as are the strengths.
Rating:
Summary: On No, not another Review!!
Review: In spite of all the words which have gone before me, I must add my own to what I believe is an energetic and engrossing read from cover to cover. The Super Flu devastates the world, and the battle of good versus evil begins, with characters which are close to the author's heart. However, his vision of Apocalypse is far different from the biblical one, and one needs to read this book for what it is - fantasy/and or horror. A great read, though, and make sure you have the coffee pot on.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant novel!
Review: Before I get to the meat of my review, I feel I should provide a little bit of perspective. First, I am not a die-hard Stephen King fan. In fact, aside from "The Stand", I have only read collections of his short stories, so I can assure you my review isn't the rabid defense of an overly loyal admirer. Second, I am not a fan of horror and I wouldn't classify "The Stand" as such. Finally, I am a big fan of the "apocalyptic fiction" genre, and I believe I have a pretty good basis for my evaluation of this novel. That said, "The Stand" is an incredible novel; perhaps one of the best I have ever read, by any author or in any genre. The story is predicated on the accidental release of a "super-flu" that wipes out 99% of the humans on the planet. The survivors find themselves drawn into a battle between good and evil that will determine the future of the entire planet. As one might expect, a novel with such an ambitious plot and of such prodigious length touches upon numerous themes. In order to simplify my review, I am going to break down the novel's strengths into the following categories, and then consider them one at a time: world-building, plot, characters and themes. First is world-building. In most apocalyptic fiction, one (if not both) of two things will be true: 1. The characters stay in one place or 2. The action picks up after the disaster. An example of the first is "Earth Abides" and of the latter "On the Beach". There's nothing wrong with either plot device, but in "The Stand" King injects a remarkable level of detail into his novel by covering the super-flu from start to finish. The novel starts at the very beginning of the outbreak, and many key plot lines are developed before the epidemic ever rears its head. King charts the breakdown and eventual destruction of civilization, and then offers a short, but remarkable, picture of the survivors in the immediate days after the flu has run its course. He makes the subtle observation that many survivors would die in a second wave of suicides, accidents and depression that would weed out many of those unequipped for an empty world. Finally, as the story progresses, King makes remarkable (but not overbearing) predictions about how nature would reshape the U.S. in the absence of man. Second to consider is the plot. As I alluded to earlier, King has used the emptied United States as a battleground between good and evil. Soon after the flu has run its course, the survivors begin having dreams about an old woman (Mother Abigail) who seems to be marshalling the forces of good, and a malign presence (Randall Flagg) who is gathering those who would serve him and his ends. Insofar as the reader knows, the choice is clear-cut, irrevocable and mandatory. It is very much a "are you with us or against us" type of situation. That said, much of the book is devoted to the characters traveling across country to Boulder or Las Vegas (guess which side is where), no mean feat in a world without mass transit, hotels, etc. In fact, King's writing is so effective, the novel would be fascinating if the characters did nothing but travel around and attempt to reestablish society. The second, metaphysical, layer just makes it all the more interesting. Thirdly, we have the characters to consider; I'll won't name names or speak in specifics to avoid ruining the plot, but there are a few general points worth mentioning. To start, the cast of characters in "The Stand" rivals that of "Lord of the Rings", and King handles it every bit as well as Tolkien. One might expect that a novel with a story this complex would skimp on character development, but the opposite is actually true. King took a huge idea (good vs. evil) and reduced it to a human element that the reader could digest. His characters show an incredible range of emotion, and even their flaws serve to enhance the reader's view of them. They struggle and fail and are rarely sure of themselves, in other words, they are human. As such, their actions take on a level of realism that is astonishing. Finally, we come to the themes of the book. The way I see it there are three: the dualistic nature of good and evil, redemption and hope. The first is the most obvious, King correctly points out that good cannot be appreciated or striven for in the absence of bad. We can strive to limit the effects of evil, but it will never be overcome, as King sees greed and hate as intrinsic to the human condition in general, and civilization specifically. The second theme, of redemption, is subtler and offsets the first. King does not paint anyone is irretrievably lost, and along the same lines, he considers how good intentions are frequently misdirected through ignorance and fear. King seems to believe that given the opportunity and support, anyone can salvage their lives. Which brings us to the final theme of hope. As the novel ends, the reader knows that evil has not been vanquished, but also that it can never triumph because within its very nature are the seeds of its destruction. Over time, evil empires have gained power because they have torn down their enemies (see Nazi Germany), but as the saying goes, live by the sword, die by the sword. There is always hope, because evil cannot win. There are so many other points to touch on, I could write indefinitely, but what it all comes down to is this: if you're looking for a novel that will entertain you even as it makes you think, "The Stand" is for you. Enjoy!
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