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Summary: Stands the Test of Time
Review: Uncut Stephen King--longer, scarier, better! If you've never read this version, grab it now. One major reviewer compared it to John Robert Marlow's first novel NANO (also terrifying).
Rating:
Summary: The Stand: Complete & Uncut
Review: Well, I safely say that I finally finished this one after a long, long year & eight months. This is a novel that will have an enormous impact on all of it's readers. This one is about a deadly virus, called the SuperFlu, that wipes out 90% of American. The ones who survived, Stu Redman, Frannie Goldsmith, Harold Lauder, Nadine Cross, Larry Underwood, Ralph Bretner, Glendon Batemen & his dog Kojak, Tom Cullen, Nick Andros, Richard Farris, Lucy Swann, & Dayna Jerggins, must come together and meet up in Nebraska, where Mother Abigail, the woman who has lived 109 years, has promised to help them in this whole ordeal. While all of this is going on, a black-hearted man by the name of Randall Flagg, is planning something worse than the virus, for he is planning to take over what is left of the world. From the master of the macabre, Stephing King brings you one of the most terrifying novels of all and this time, it is complete and uncut, giving you the chance to read every single word. Buy this amazing novel and you will never put it down again.
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Summary: Stephen King does it again.
Review: The Stand. Stephen King. New York City: New American Library, 1978. 1,141 pages. Over the years, we've come to expect a lot from the most successful writer ever, Stephen King. But many herald The Stand, one of his earliest works, as his best. Separated into three parts, it starts out with a disease that wipes out 99% of the world's population. The survivors soon band together and discover they have recurring dreams: One about a kind, 108 year-old women living in Nebraska, another about the Dark Man, whom none have seen but all fear. Led by the former, they attempt to reestablish society in Boulder, Colorado. But the Dark Man isn't ready to just let them start over, and campaigns to take down the peace-lovers. In the end, an apocalyptical battle between the forces of good and evil, God and Satan themselves at times, comes down to a showdown in Las Vegas. Though many believe this is the greatest book of all time, others have criticized it for its length. There are moments, however rare, when I agree and think it could have benefited from some trimming. But King for years wanted to make an epic like Lord of the Rings (it really shows in some aspects), which just can't happen if the novel's a mere 500 pages. Usually, I'm weary of someone who takes a pound of paper to spit his or her story out and usually, I'm right. Especially in J. R. R. Tolkien's, the tale kind of rambles on and on, with no interesting points at all. Entire chapters do nothing but add weight and label the author as "prolific". But not so with The Stand. King tells about nearly every single day from June to January, but makes it interesting. In the beginning, when just introducing the characters, it seems too much like a soap opera with all the emotion, but not for long. When the main characters meet, their problems and personalities seem to fit naturally with each other. The character Harold Lauder, the genius who begins to go mad, has a depth the likes of which I had yet to see. Ditto for the Trashcan Man, on of my favorites. While long, this story is definitely not boring. I should say now that the version I read was the unedited and uncut edition-meaning it had over 150,000 words that King wanted to include before, but couldn't. Since he became better known, he decided to re-release this with all the additions and none of the editing. I see where he's coming from, but the book could have been a good deal better if an editor saw it at least once. I'm speaking grammatically here, especially with the repetitiousness that distracts the reader. Particularly in the first half, I was tripping my way through every other sentence, rewording it in my mind so that it made more sense. Entire paragraphs would use the same style of sentence over and over again. If it weren't so flibbin' long, I'd read the edited version to see what that was like. There are some people who just don't like reading long books. Right away, they think, "Oh, it's going to be horrible because it's so flibbin' long." But, much like LOTR, it's really three different books in one. If he sold them that way, as a trilogy, then I think more people would have appreciated it for what it really is. In On Writing, a book to help other writers, King adamantly suggests a rule in which you write the first draft and then take out at least 10% of it for the second draft. He must not have thought so highly of that rule when writing this. It isn't the only rule he says yet refuses to obey, but it's the most obvious. If the goal of The Stand was to write a classic, then mission accomplished. Despite the many errors I saw, this is one of my favorite books. It's deeply religious, but also offers philosophy, sociology (what would humans do if 99% of them were wiped out? they'd start fighting again), romance, action, the whole shebang. If you look past the size, you're bound to find something you like. It has left almost nothing out, simply because of how much is written. In order to make it more acceptable to the public, another author would have skipped the whole first third, generalizing it in a paragraph or two. But not King, and that makes the characters so much more human. The only part of the plot you could find hard to believe is those who had immunity and lived through the epidemic: A deaf-mute, a famous singer, a borderline retard, and a pyro, to name a few. The fact that so many diversified people would come together in such a way suggests some belief requires suspension, but you could argue that that was all a part of God's plan- it was His strategy to let all of those people live, so they could interact the way they did. Some say yea, some say nay when it comes to The Stand; you either love it or hate it, because of how much is written. It's either a good thing that keeps on coming, or a bad thing that never seems to end. My belief is that the characters were very believable, the choices they made very realistic, and the action never-ending. All in all, it's a good book, one that should "stand" the test of time.
Rating: 
Summary: The Stand
Review: I just finished the Stand and I'm pretty disappointed. I have read 3 other King books, IT, Salem's lot, and Pet Semetary. All I knew about this book was that it was as long as IT and that it had to do with a deadly virus that wipes out America. The first couple of hundred pages that deal with the spreading of the disease and destroying the human race were pretty good and the early parts where the major charachters are coming out and facing the new America was also a lot of fun. The killer of the book is the major plot of the book. The good people finding each other and chasing after an annoying old woman they see in their dreams while the bad people are getting together with the villian Randall Flagg and preparing to do battle. It is just waaaayyy to long and boring. Poor Frannie is crying about something every time she is mentioned in the second half of the book. The two sides prepare to face off and the book starts to pick up steam and move quick then ends anticlimactic. I was thinking I read 1000 pages for the battle to end like this???
Rating:
Summary: The Best From The Master
Review: I have always been a fan of Mr. King. Having just read this book again, I remember why. I have never associated with characters the way I did in the stand. The pages keep turning long after I would have stopped reading most books for the night. I still find new things every time. Truly Captivating. A Must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Its the End of The World as We Know It, And I Feel Fine
Review: Ah, lets get retrospective. 1978, a year that gave us Lynard Skynard, Stretch Armstrong, and most important, The Stand. After Stephen King released his classic novel The Shining, His Constant Readers were yearning for more, and they got their wish with The Stand. Although Mr. King was early on pigeonholed into the certain genre of horror, he showed he could flex his fingers and create a book so profound its hard to place it in a certain genre(But it still says Horror on the side of the book)). People gobbled up this new novel and it turned out to be his 1st #1 Bestseller(The first of many), surging him to the forefront of popularity and earning respect from his peers. Most critics hailed it as an epic novel and said it was basically An Idiot's Guide To The End of The World, while some critics(Namely Spider Robinson) abhorred this book and urged others to boycott it. But Over Time, People figured out Spider Robinson was an idiot, end of story(I mean, how many people have an insect everybody hates as their 1st name). Many fans hail this novel as Stephen King's greatest and most epic novel, his most imaginative and profound novel, and his most heartfelt and most realistic novel, and stuck in a blender you get one great book. Although The Stand was originally missing over 150,000 words from the manuscript, Stephen King re-released The Stand uncut 12 years later, adding new locales and characters, and further deepening our perspective of all the previous characters. Also one other note, ABC made a 6 Hour TV Miniseries out of The Stand(Starring Teen Idol Molly Ringwald) and I have heard its quite good and very true to the book. Here's an overview of the story and the writing of The Stand(Dont worry about Spoilers, I'm not giving anything away): Story: Imagine the Government has Secretly made a superflu virus that is capable of wiping out 99.4% of the population in direct violation of The Geneva Code and imagine the disease leaking out and slowly infecting the entire population of the earth with a disease that is impossible to cure. Even after millions of death, the government still denies any involvement in the superflu, all the way to their graves. Whole cities are totally deserted and the scattered survivors search for others with diminishing hope. Soon the survivors begin to have dreams, One of an 108 year old black woman named Mother Abigail, and another of A man shrouded in darkness and evil, named Randall Flagg. People from around The United States begin to flock towards one or the other figures in their dreams, Mother Abagail, a symbol of Love and Hope, or Randall Flagg, a symbol of evil and oppresion. The heroes of the book go to Mother Abagail in Boulder, Colorado, where they form a quaint community and try to rebuild their former lives. All the other people(Mostly criminals and egoists) flock to Randall Flagg in Las Vegas, where people who go out of line are crucified or worse. The Denizens of Boulder live in constant fear of The Dark Man and his plans of world domination, so they prepare for an impending attack from Randall Flagg's followers. Before Mother Abagail passes away to live with her all-important God, she sends 3 of our heroes to Las Vegas to make a last stand against evil. Stu Redman, Glen Bateman, Ralph Brentner, Larry Underwood, and the dog Kojak risk their lives on the faith that God will prevail with them and defeat Randall Flagg. Writing: Stephen King's writing starts off very placidly in the first 500 pages with his descriptions of the plague and its aftermath, briskly showing the Readers whats inside of his head. His writing can be very interesting and very inane at times throughout the first 500 pages, but once you hit 500 and meet Mother Abagail for the first time, Stephen King's prose seems to be miracurously changed for the better, as there are no boring moments and he writes with a flourish that can be found in novels like The Shining. Even though the book is a massive 1141 pages (In SUPER-SMALL print!) I wanted the book to be longer, as I thought some of the plots were unfinished. Stephen King really lets his readers feel for his characters, may it be pity, contempt, love or hatred, as he carefully molds his characters personas and devolops them throughout the novel. King imaginatively shows what peoples reactions to the End of the world would be and what they would do, and that makes the book even more plausible. But one major flaw that keeps nagging at me is the fact of how Randall Flagg is finally defeated, as the reader gets the impression the heroes are setting out on a quest of magic and faith, but instead they all die in a spur of the moment blast. I felt King could have tried harder on the ending. Bottom Line: I do not recommend this book to any people trying to get into Stephen King because of its length and overall complexity, but it is a very good addition to any King fans collection. This book gets 4 out of 5 stars only because of the at times flawed writing and the rather unremarkable ending. Overall a very good book and a great read, and this is perfect for anybody who thinks some of King's writing is TOO SPOOKY(Boo) to read.
"Once in Every Generation a Plague will fall among Us"
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding end of the world novel... 4 1/2 stars
Review: "The Stand" has become one of Stephen King's most popular novels, and is known as one of the greatest end of the world novels ever written. I put off reading "The Stand" up until recently, because of all the acclaim that it has received. When a book is hyped up that much, it usually fails to meet my expectations. Not to mention the fact that the book is over 1100 pages long, and has a story that spans over the entire U.S. That means a lot of time and patience has to be put into keeping track of all the different characters and other aspects of the story. I am so glad that I finally gave this book a chance, and I was amazed that I was actually begging for more after the story had ended. The story is over 1100 pages, but it moves incredibly fast. The thing that appealed to me the most about this book, was that the story lets perfect strangers across America gravitate towards one another. What the characters have to overcome is amazing. Not only do they have to survive a killer virus, and society as they know it breaking down, but also something more evil then they ever could've imagined. Another aspect of the book I found appealing was the focus on religion. Anytime you have an end of the world novel seem like a battle between God and the Devil, it is often much more appealing. Another reason to read "The Stand" is to witness King's character development at its best, due to the fact that this book dealt with many likeable characters. Randal Flagg is obviously the story's best one. He is the source of the greater evil, and is known as the "Walkin Dude". He posses unimaginable powers and is basically the Devil himself. Obviously when you have a character like Randall Flagg, people are going to be seduced by the evil that such a character offers. The "bad guys" are my favorite characters in the book, because King puts a lot more energy into them, than he does the heroes of the story. The characters on Flagg's team are well developed villans, that really stand out and make an impact on the story. God's team is led an extremely old negro woman named Mother Abagail. She is the driving force for the survivors, and the reason that all the survivors seem to find each other. King was brilliant with her, because he portrays her as God's weapon against the Devil. All of the characters that come together to form the society of survivors are well written, likeable, and posess courage and determination that is extremely inspiring. It is very hard to choose a favorite character when reading this book! "The Stand" is an epic masterpiece that offers rich character development, an intriguing end of the world story, the fight of good against evil, and the overall strength of the human condition. This is definately one of King's best novels.
Rating:
Summary: Longest and Greatest of Stephen King
Review: The book of the King's that isn't really for horror fans. A deadly virus is released onto America, and ends up killing 99.4% of the world's population. The few who survived are somehow immune to such a virus, and are somehow called to two parts of the world. One part is owned by a nice God-loving old lady. The other is ran by a mysterious man named Randall Flag. Both of them try to set up their own community and try to live through the horrible tragety of the "super flu." However, when both communities collide, it's all up to the people to make their Stand.
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Summary: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Review: Stephen King's longest novel ("It" is shorter by fewer than a hundred), "The Stand" is a novel of a superflu called Captian Trips which kills 99.5% of the American population. A handful of survivors gather into two camps; the good guys in Boulder, Colorado and the bad guys (where else) in Las Vagas, Nevada. The villian of the piece is a populor figure in King's fiction, Flagg. And after all these years with him, we still know little about him. There are many other memorable characters. Trashcan Man is a wierd pyromaniac. Nick Androes is the best of the good guys, as a deaf mute, and a leader in the new society. Also a huge problem arises, one of the women is pregnet; will the baby contract the superflu? The adventure is exciting (the rape gang shoot out), and horror is gory (the radiation sickness is gruesome), and the relationships is realistic (the friendship between the leaders sem genuine) The love stories are a little less defined. In the end, I think this is where "The Dark Tower" series starts. In the end, the length isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it's still a little thick.
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Summary: King is an acquired taste
Review: Having read both the original version of The Stand in high school and more recently the restored version, I can say without reservation that I loved them both, but give the restored version the nod due to it's more expansive character development. Many non-fans of King have told me over the years that the reason they dislike his works is his tendency for wordiness, spending a page on a subject when a paragraph will do. This is exactly why I always liked him. His occasional ramblings always seemed to heighten the tension that reading his more horror based writings naturally produced. While The Stand isn't a traditional horror novel like Salem's Lot, Christine or The Shining, it does benefit from the extra pages, and with a story as good as this one, it's hard not to consider them a bargain.
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