This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides — or are chosen. A world in … world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail — and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.
In 1978 Stephen King published The Stand, the novel that is now considered to be one of his finest works. But as it was first published, The Stand was incomplete, since more than 150,000 words had been cut from the original manuscript.
Now Stephen King’s apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil has been restored to its entirety. The Stand : The Complete And Uncut Edition includes more than five hundred pages of material previously deleted, along with new material that King added as he reworked the manuscript for a new generation. It gives us new characters and endows familiar ones with new depths. It has a new beginning and a new ending. What emerges is a gripping work with the scope and moral comlexity of a true epic.
For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King’s gift. And those who are reading The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Considered my many to be the bible of post-apocalyptic fiction, The Stand delivers in spades. King at his ever-loving finest!
Another of my all time favorite Stephen King novels. Terrific story, wonderful characters, and such a great apocalyptic story!!
My favorite Stephen King book to this day, and I have read many of them.
Read it several years ago and have read it several times, both versions. Although I prefer King’s intended version , not the edited version first put published.
The stand is simply an amazing book. This is Stephen king at the very height of being Stephen king! Gets a little long-winded in parts but this is the way Mr. King got to be as we know him, an amazing author . Everybody reading their end of the world, pandemic stories should read this. This is where it all started
The Stand. Where do I start? This book influenced me more than any other. I got lost in the world and the idea of an apocalypse. It made me want to write, and it’s the reason my own first book was apocalyptic fiction.
I’ve owned three copies of The Stand. I wore out the first one from re-reading it before I realized there was an uncut version. I wore that one out over the years as well, before buying it for my Kindle. Why? Because it’s THAT GOOD. This is the classic tale of the apocalypse. After a deadly biological weapon–oops–gets loose, the devil wants a chance at the survivors. The best part? Many of the characters, good and bad, are society’s misfits who all have reasons for choosing the dark side.
If you’re looking for a long book to sink your teeth into, this is the one. It’s my all-time favorite novel by Stephen King , and one of my Top 5 (ever) reads.
PS: Remember back in high school when you had to analyze the seven themes of Moby Dick? The Stand’s got just as many layers that are worth delving into. Read it. You’ll be glad you did!
The best characters I’ve ever met in a book. Make sure you get the extended version with “the kid”.
Another 1 of Kings best!
My favorite Stephen King book.
One of my all time favorites!
This is my favorite Steven King book. It starts out a little slow but hang on after that!
Never a dull page with King writing….
Another spine-bender from SK, he creates complex, realistic, and brutal worlds-I’ll never get tired of his writing.
A classic of the genre. One of the earliest and best post apocalyptic novels with compelling characters and a completely original (at the time) plot.
This is the story of good versus evil. A patient escapes from a testing facility where everyone has died from whatever has been released into the air by accident. He makes it half way across the country before he stops – too sick to continue. Along the way he has infected anyone he has come in contact with. They call it “the flu”. There are few people who are immune. Everyone else dies of the flu within a week or so of becoming infected.
The people who remain form two groups. One is lead by 108 year old Abigail Freeman who follows God’s calling. The others are lead by Randall Flagg who represents the devil. These two people come to the remaining survivors through dreams – calling them to join them. In the end, there is a stand against evil to help restore humanity.
This is one of my favorite stories that Steven King wrote. I try to read at least one of his big books each summer. (this one was a whopping 1100 pages). I have seen the TV miniseries and love it. IT is a great story, and exactly how I imagine it would go if the population was invaded by a deadly disease and what was left were people who were good and people who weren’t.
I definitely recommend this book. Yes, it is a doozy to read, but you will not be sorry.
One of Kings best
Ok, first read the long version, the short version is ok, but the long version is unbelievable. I read the short version at least 3 times before the long version released. I have read the long version 5 times and should probably revisit it again. Yes it is that good. Good vs evil and so much more. There has never been a book that I know of where everyone goes either to the good city or bad, and some go to the good just to realize they need to go to las Vegas, the bad city. It is funny on some levels, dark levels.
Best of all Kings books
Stopped reading King because of his liberal left viewpoint.
Out of all the Stephen King books I’ve read, The Stand is my favorite. Phenomenal characters and world building in a post apocalyptic dystopian America. This epic story builds to a clash between good and evil you will never forget.