The Stand: Complete and Uncut

Rating:
Summary: Fraught with meaning
Review: I recently completed my second reading of The Stand. It all started with the movie..I was entranced, I loved it so much. I became so close to the characters, felt as though I was going through the struggle with them. I fell in love with Stu (East Texas), Frannie, Nick, Tom, Larry (I ain't no nice guy), Glen, Mother Abigail, (even Kojak!) and was completely fascinated and frightened of the Dark Man, the Walkin Dude, Randall Flagg. After I read the book, I was amazed at how loyal they were to the real story, although there are many differences between the movie and the book. I do agree with some of these previous reviews, that sometimes King does provide too much information about some minor characters, but if you have a problem with that, you can just skip over it. This movie and book just fascinated me and I cannot believe someone wrote to throw it out your window or something of that nature. Obviously it is a long book, but it needs to be long. The world can't be ended in 100 pages, nor can you be introduced to wonderful characters in 200 pages. Words cannot even express how this work has effected me, but I can tell you I just finished watching the movie again and reading the book, and I am going to watch the movie AGAIN!! Anyone else who read this and wants to talk about The Stand, feel free to e-mail me or IM me on AOL!!

Rating:
Summary: Not the great man's best
Review: My favourite King book of all time has to be Misery which is such a classic page-turner it kept me up till well into the morning. This book however took me two months to read, with a three week break included. It struggles to get going, struggles to maintain any narrative pace and finally struggles to a "so what?" ending. Astoundingly it is not as bad as Salem's Lot which I refuse to ever read again. Maybe I'll try this one again but not until I've got a good month to kill, or if I'm stranded on a desert island with nothing else. Just out of curiosity I did manage 15 yards in my rear garden with it.

Rating:
Summary: One of SK finest works, a must to read.
Review: As a SK fan, to me, the Stand is considered to be one of his finest books ever written. Although in fiction form this book gives the reader a bleak look into what can happen when the goverment keeps playing around with chemicals (People in the government should read this one) Truly a page turner, this book is a must, it will grab you from the beginning to the end.

Rating:
Summary: The best he ever did, but hopefully not the last
Review: I've loved this book since its first printing in 1978, and it's surely destined to become one of the literary classics of the 20th century. If Mr. King ever reads this, I have to ask him what has happened recently to his writing? It's too much to ask of him (or anyone, for that matter) to follow up such stupendous works of literary art as "The Stand", "The Shining", "Christine", and "It" with a consistent output of masterpieces, one every six months...I presume, sir, to speak for all your fans and ask you to not to sacrifice quality for quantity, verbosity for texture and plot any longer. We can wait; I would happily wait twenty years for one more novel as great as "The Shining" and never begrudge you a second. The book was that good, and I'd love to see you top it that bad!

Rating:
Summary: too long, too perverted, bad ending
Review: I did't dislike all of this book. The first, oh, 400 pages in which King describes Captain Trips, the virus that wipes out the human race, was very entertaining. From then on a long, drawn out saga in which every possible phallic event or symbol has to be brought to the reader's attention ensues. I found I cared nothing for the characterss, i found the story ridiculously unbelievable and I thought the ending was a rip-off due to a lack of creativity from King. I like King's work, most notably "apt pupil" and "it", but this one's a loser.

Rating:
Summary: Philosphical masterpiece and mind bending story
Review: This has to be the most, no, wrong words, this IS the best book i have read, hands down. The characters were memorable, even some of the characters that were only in for a short while, (Rita and Harold) and characters that had entire chapters devoted to them (Trashcan man and Tom cullen.) The story makes you think about religion(which i usually never do), and about your life when you finish it, i'll just say it simpely. THIS BOOK IS A MASTERPEICE!!!

Rating:
Summary: Overall a good book, to too long
Review: Well, I am an avid Stephen King fan but this book just takes too long to get you interested. It drags on and on and on. My advice: watch the damn movie and skip the book.

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.