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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This is the first book I read from Stephen King. It seemed so real and setting out what the result would be if good and evil has to go against each other. I love this book because the message of hope is so strong. When the film was made it was interesting that the film and the book was the same. I love both of them and when stuff get to much reading or watching it again relaxes me.
One of my favorites.
My favorite King book.
One of my favorite King books — such a great ride!
One of King’s best books, and the only post-apocalyptic story you need.
I can see why the ending isn’t particularly popular. I agree that it was kind of a cop out but I think because I was attached to a lot of the characters in Boulder and didn’t want to see the results of an all-out war with Flagg and his people I’d be one of the few who actually liked it. What did happen/who did die was bad enough, without an army marching on Boulder or Flagg or sending a WMD their way. I was more annoyed by the (view spoiler), the way they do in 9/10 action movies these days. (view spoiler)
I was warned about the middle possibly being a bit tedious as well as the end being just all around bad, but I actually liked the middle ‘reconstruction’ section as much, if not more than the beginning and I’m really glad that the uncut version was all my library had to offer (if they’d also had the shorter version I might have caved and gone with the quicker read and I think I would have missed out). Even though there was a lot ‘town planning’ stuff going on, the whole way through I felt tension and dread surrounding what Harold was going to do and when, so every time his name was mentioned my heart would start racing and I’d start speed reading to see what happened, but at the same time wanting to put it down because I didn’t want to hear that he’d killed one of my favourite characters (of course he did in the end, but it didn’t turn out as bad as I was worried it would). I was also surprised by (view spoiler) inclusion in Harold’s story and while I wish (view spoiler) could have realised the error of her ways sooner I thought (view spoiler) ending was fitting and a slight redemption.
When everyone was still getting sick and dying the beginning was great and unnerving (almost made me question every sneeze), but my experience of the beginning was slightly coloured by the jumps in time. I really wish King had started new chapters with appropriate dates where necessary because once they all started their journeys across the country there were a number of instances where I wasn’t sure if it was ‘current’ time or something from the past that I was reading. It would take me a couple of paragraphs, even a page to work out exactly when (and sometimes where) we were and that was disorienting and confusing for me.
This was an epic. Probably , and personally the best book Mr. S K ever wrote, of course that’s a hard choice (imo). Great book.
This is my absolute favorite King novel. The mini series is amazing too. I have read this massive book twice! I just love how King forms his characters and makes you care for and become invested in!!!!
Excellent story, didn’t really need to be quite so long.
Fiction that could easily be reality
Loved this book. Didn’t want to put it down.
One of the best stories I have ever read
Slow
Stephen king draws you into every character and it’s truly scary and interesting.
I own both versions of this book. It remains one of my favorites because of the diversity of the characters. A good writer can take you along on the trip through a story. A great writer will make the characters real to you, as if they’ve lived next door and you shared in each others lives.
I’ve always felt to some degree the The Stand was prophetic with its world cleansing Captain Trips. One only need to look around at the chaos happening in the world; disease, famine, religious wars. Yes, these have gone on ad nauseum for many a century; but to then throw in a world scourging super flu, that few are resistant to, a Randall Flagg with flunkies, the war between good and evil goes nuclear.
In the end, what I came away with, was that the indomitable spirit of humans to survive, should never be overlooked.
One of my first novel’s that made me an avid reader.
This book was long, and intense, but good. The thought of something so horrible and scary happening in our own future is horrifying, but in the realm of possibility and that makes it even more scary. The battle of good vs evil is a reoccurring theme in King’s novels and this is no different. I found the characters to be very well developed and felt truly heartbroken at some of the losses and even some of the possible losses before a death had even occurred (and sometimes didn’t end up occurring at all.) It’s definitely a book and a story that will tend to stay with the reader long after they finish the book.
Excellent characters
King at his best
Awesome