**spoilers** Review: "The Stand" -Stephen King

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ktfrank04
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**spoilers** Review: "The Stand" -Stephen King

Post by ktfrank04 »

“The Stand”
Stephen King

Rate: I rate this book 4 out of 4 Stars

Recommend: Yes – but not if you do not enjoy long detailed stories.

Page count: 1439

Favorite quote: “No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just…come out the other side. Or you don’t.” (p. 547-8)

Review:
Do not be discouraged by the page count, this book is worth the read. Let me premise this review by saying I was skeptical when told to read this book. I had recently started reading King’s Dark Tower series when a few people told me that I had to read “The Stand” before continuing with it. I was skeptical because I am not one of those apocalypse fanatics. I do not generally enjoy reading about zombies or any of those outlandish “end of the world” scenarios; I find the whole topic ridiculous. This book, however, steers clear of those absurd conceptions and sticks to realistic scenarios in which the end of the world could possibly happen. Not due to zombies or god or the devil, although the latter two are prevalent in the story, but to mankind’s own disastrous mistake. This was something I could sink my teeth into, metaphorically speaking.

The Stand cannot even be described as solely apocalyptic, because it entails so much more. Among the death and destruction there is drama, romance, action, revenge, community, government, philosophy, sociology, and psychology mixed in. The list can go on and on. This book literally has it all. Even the characters themselves are diverse across the board, intriguing enough to keep you interested in them throughout these thousand pages.

The first half of the book details how the “superflu” spirals out of control and wipes out 99% of the world’s population. I could have done without the “excerpts” of radio communication and broadcasts that King put in there but I can see why he did it. It was to show how out of control both the civilians and military had gotten because of this epidemic. In between these general descriptions of the deteriorating country, there are both flashbacks and current stories regarding the individuals who will become major players towards the end of the book.

The second half of the book illustrates the main characters’ struggle to reach their final destinations. Whether to the figure of good, Mother Abigail, or to the figure of evil, Randall Flagg/The Dark Man, each person had their set of trials and tribulations. At this point in the story, two main cities are being occupied by these forces. Flagg has control over Las Vegas, Nevada, while Mother Abigail and her “Free Zone” are set up in Boulder, Colorado. Each group develops their own version of a community and both have their set of leaders. I will not go into further detail about the events in the second half because I would not want to ruin the surprises, but let me say it does not disappoint! I am a huge critic when it comes to endings (whether in books or movies, etc…), and I certainly was not counting on a happy one for this book. But, King nailed it. Of course these pages are littered with death and destruction, but I believe the characters that were meant to live, did. **Spoiler** When Tom finds Stu in the desert at the end I was like “YES!” and I would have been happy with it ending right there since it was a pretty miraculous turn of events. King goes on to set up one happy ending, maybe the only one needed, and comes full circle with the knowledge that both good and evil have survived.

Overall, “The Stand” is a great book, a must-read for Stephen King lovers.
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Post by gali »

Duplication - there is already such a topic open for this book. You should have added your review over there.

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