The Stand

Let's begin by stating that the edition listed above is the cut and censored version of The Stand that Stephan King was required to shorten in order to publish. I read an edition of The Stand published in 2020, titled "The Complete and Un-Cut Movie Tie-In Edition". It should be noted that the main difference between this edition and above listed edition is 500 additional pages of content that was originally cut, as well as additional content that King added due to the new release of the CBS limited series. I will finish this brief preface by saying that reading the un-cut edition is well worth the time.

Despite all that has been said above, it is also important to note that the book was originally published in 1978, and despite King's attempt to keep the great whale of a novel updated, there are several very outdated concepts found within its pages. These concepts include very old views on marriage, conception, people with disabilities, and some oddly placed comments about facial features. However, pushing past these few instance - that don't appear often thankfully and are generally a reflection of the time and character flaws - King has a skill in detailing characters histories, mind sets, and overall struggles before, during, and after a pandemic that wipes out society as we know it.

The Stand is, at it's core, a tale of overcoming hardship, learning to survive, and a battle between good and evil. Unlike many stories, our many heroes and villains in The Stand are not cookie-cutter good and evil. Every character has a reason to be a saint and a sinner, and King carefully constructs a detailed plot line for each and every one of them in which they crisscross the line throughout the entire novel. Each characters history, thoughts, and choices are excruciatingly detailed and are carefully constructed to lead to a crucial plot point.

In addition to these detailed characters, the overall storyline of The Stand is like a rollercoaster ride that shoots you from 0 to 100 mph as soon as you strap in, but comes to a screeching and abrupt halt that leaves you dazed until it slowly starts to gain speed again and repeat the process. There were moments where I couldn't stop reading, but there were also moments where I was just begging for it to pick up again. Despite those moments of lackluster action, it is clear that King carefully crafted each and every moment to fit the overall plot.

The Stand, in short, is well worth the read for the creative and detailed plotlines and characters that King intricately weaves and builds, not to mention the unnerving relatability of the overarching theme of a pandemic devastating the United States.