Rating: 
Summary: What could I possibly say?
Review: What could I possibly say that 578 people haven't already? This amazing work of twists and turns is the epitomal story of good vs. evil. LaHaye has nothing on King.
Rating: 
Summary: Great start, but long and mediocre
Review: This is a gargantuan read. I just wish the second half of the book was as good as the first half. Unfortunately, it wasn't. What started out as a truly great book, and ended as a mediocre one. The first half of the book is suspenseful, riveting, and foretelling in a world proliferated by weapons of mass destruction. As the characters face and weather the viral destruction of the US population, it is the story of the survivors trying to rebuild, and hopefully, build a better world. At that point, I get the feeling that King had written the beginning to one of the best books ever created, then paused and said, "now what? How do I end the story?" I get the feeling he found the ending by simply continuing to write and letting the ending come to him as it would. As the end neared, I found myself continuing to plow through the book towards the end, not because I was deeply interested, but because I wanted some closure. Kind of like a really bad movie, you keep watching thinking, it has to get better.
Rating:
Summary: King's Very Best
Review: By reviewing a Stephen King book I'm hardly breaking new ground, but I had to say it, even though I know it's trite: I love Stephen King. In fact, at the risk of being lumped with the "mindless masses" (as I saw one reviewer term King fans) I'll even go so far as to say he's my favorite author. Yep, I'm well educated, appreciate Jane Austen and Henry James and love "Masterpiece Theatre" and also think that Stephen King is a great writer. An avid reader since age 5, I stumbled on King sometime in junior high. I can remember reading "Salem's Lot" alone in the house and actually getting the creeps (I was afraid to get up and close my open window for fear a vampire would be there, so I slept with my face to the wall)--something few novelists can achieve (you to have to be really "into" a story to forget it's "just a book"--and I think only a talented author can draw their readers in to that degree). In high school I actually wrote a National Merit Scholar essay on King's "The Body" (the novella "Stand by Me" was based on) as an example of "great literature" and was lucky enough to have a teacher who was convinced by my arguments and let me do it. (Most other students did "Grapes of Wrath," "Moby Dick" or "War and Peace"--I thought, and still do as a matter of fact, that great literature doesn't necessarily have to be dead boring. Even the review board that judged my paper appreciated my "unique" choice.) To date, I've read everything King's ever written, minus a few magazine articles and have to say that, while I don't think they've all been gems, I've never tossed one down in boredom (and isn't entertainment why we read fiction in the first place?). "The Stand," which King himself has called his "attempt at the great American novel," is my all time favorite. In the face of viral destruction of most of the US population, perpetrated upon us, of course, by our own government, only a handful of Americans are left alive. The story of these people, and their journey towards each other and towards creating a better world than the one decimated by flu, is truly spiritual--in a funky, Stephen King kind of way. And every page is worth reading. (Don't be scared shy readers, this is a long book that doesn't seem long. The story is good enough to carry you through all those pages.) There's a lot of "deeper meaning" in "The Stand" but it's also just a good, old fashioned adventure story that's a joy to read. I think that "book snobs" and reluctant readers alike should give Stephen King a try. I mean, there's got to be some reason why the man is the must published fiction writer of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Apocalypse Now
Review: "The Stand" discusses a few essential topics for the human race in the 21st century. Despite the complexity of our societies, or maybe just because of it, we face an immediate danger of extinction as a species. Snip: (...)
Rating: 
Summary: The ending is tough to figure
Review: I'm a King fan and, apart from Gerald's Game, this is the first King book that I haven't rated five stars. The opening pages of 'The Stand' are absolutely riveting. King does a great job of drawing the reader into the story right from the outset. After that, the pace is continued and the story develops nicely with King's usual mastery of characterization and description. What I found weak was the ending. Somehow it seemed that SK was trying to delve into issues of religion and morality (something he usually leaves to others) and, for me, it didn't work. I admit it was a brave effort, but it just doesn't come off the way I believe King intended it to. On the other hand, with the terrible and tragic events in New York and Washington recently, it seems that fact can sometimes mirror fiction (Tom Clancy foresaw the threat from the air). I hope, for the sake of all of us, that Stephen King proves to be less prophetic. The Stand is a well written book (as you would expect from The Master), but it is not his best work. That said, it's still well worth the few dollars it costs to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Long But Great
Review: The Stand was long but the plot was not taken lightly. It scares with, not the mentality of or the pictures your mind makes, the reality of it. This book has its, could come true value, which is scarier than a book like say IT. Don't get me wrong It is just as good. The Captain Trips virus kills most of the world's population and the scariest part was that the one's that did live had no way to live a noemal life with everyone gone.
This book,besides Carrie, is King's best.
Rating: 
Summary: Will it ever end?
Review: I know I am in the minority but I did not like this book. The plot was ok, but by dragging it out over 1100+ pages King made it a labor to read (like many of his other works). A man with King's talent could have easily condensed the book to 400-500 pages and not detracted from the story. Reading parts of The Stand was like watching grass grow, but it did put me to sleep many of nights. I think if Stephen King and Tom Clancy would get together they could produce a 3000+ page novel which would be a #1 bestseller and cure insomnia. By the way I expect this review to get trashed by King's beloved followers (Not to mention Clancy readers).
Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but is up there
Review: More people have recommended this book to me than any other. I kept hearing that this was an "absolute must read." I was told that this was his best book. Well, on the advice of those people in my life and based on King's other writings, I picked it up. This is not his best book. I thought The Shining was by far his best. But this book is up there. It is disturbing, unsettling and powerfully composed. King has such an incredible talent for story-telling, he is in a league of his own. At times the book is slow. He spends a lot of time giving you an elaborate cast of characters and background information that at times can seem overwhelming. The book moves on a building crescendo that escalates to a most unsettling and dramatic conclusion. The reason I thought this was not his best is because I was disappointed by the ending. The ending ends with a *bang*, but it just didn't sit well with me. I get the feeling that something was missing, although, I don't know what it could be. A big plus about this book is the magical way King composes his characters. I have never read a book that has had more depth in its people than this one here. Vividly portrayed, you learn everything there is to know about them. You watch them develop from page one all the way through and by the end they are completely different. I enjoyed that aspect of his writing. Let me reiterate, this is not his best book. But this is one to take on a long vacation or whenever a nice rainy day comes by and you want to read an epic.
Rating:
Summary: The best work among numerous duds
Review: Stephen King is entirely overrated as an author. I devoured his books in junior high and high school, and that's about the level of writer he is. He is very good at what he does, which unfortunately is recycle and regurgigate a good novel in fifteen different forms annually until it degenerates into pure garbage. That said, this is the one work that stands out above the rest. The level of character development, if not higher, is much more interesting than in his typical works, as is the entire grandiose concept of The Stand. Just the sheer imagination that it takes to write and read something like this makes it worthwhile. It's unreal, but also written well enough to make the reader wonder "what if" and give it some element of reality which is necessary to make the work really stand out and grip you. For someone who doesn't read Stephen King, this novel is an exception and worth the effort. For those who do read him, this book outclasses the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Another phenomenon by King
Review: "The Stand" is one of the greatest--and biggest--novels I've read. The idea is that a horrible strain of the flu--known as the "superflu" in the book--is accidentally let loose from a government lab, and wipes out almost everyone in the country. Those who survive the epidemic are haunted by dreams of a dark, clairvoyant man who is trying to gather up survivers. They also have dreams about an old black woman named Mother Abigail, who is also trying to gather survivers together. Some go to the dark man, and some go to Mother Abigail. "The Stand" is a long story of Good vs. Evil, and is dramatic, frightening, and compelling. If you're looking for action, drama, apocalypse, or just like Stephen King, then I definitely recommend "The Stand."
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