“The Stand” by Stephen King is a novel I regret not reading sooner. I knew going into this that greatness was awaiting since many readers consider this one of King’s best books ever written and let me tell you, it delivered and then some. In case you didn’t know, I have officially decided to start my journey to The Dark Tower and wanted to do a ton of pre-reading to ensure I get the complete experience the best I can.I am conquering The Dark Tower by reading all these books leading up to it. In ...

As soon as Chinese New Year got cancelled, I knew coronavirus was serious. Then the virus spread just like viruses do in every horror novel. So much so, in fact, that my immediate first thought was not to stock up on bottled water and toilet paper, but that it's finally time to read The Stand. Naturally I'm a Stephen King superfan, so it's strange I hadn't yet read what is commonly considered his magnum opus. In the back of my mind I knew there would be a right time to read it. I thought it m...

Oh wow, it hasn't even been a year since I finished this and I'm rereading again? *******************I'm not sure what I can say about this massive tome that hasn't been said before, but I came, I read, and I conquered. I also really enjoyed it along the way, which says a lot due to my struggle with committing to massive books. :) Does anyone know if there will be a new book-to-screen adaptation of this one in the near future, or if the old mini series is worth the time? Anyway, I'm satisfied an...

“The place where you made your stand never mattered. Only that you were there... and still on your feet.” One of King's greatest works - a battle between good and evil on a grand scale, with a seemingly endless cast of characters. Mankind's final folly and how both darkness and light fight over what remains. If you've never read it, you need to do so, right now!Despite the 1,325 pages the story never stops. I love the understated start and how King pilots numerous character journeys in this rapi...

Another flashback Saturday and I’m holding unabridged author’s cut version which weighs in at 1141 pages. Yes I know, only holding a book that you started equals to about 5 hours training exercise is challenging thing and of course reading a book about highly contagious superflu which escaped from US Army biological weapons facility in the middle of the pandemic makes you think I’m out of my mind. ( Of course I am! If you check a few reviews of mine, you already found out my true mental state!)I...

A masterpiece of epic proportions. I will never stop rereading this book. This is my 4th-time with this story and honestly, it may be my favorite time.I took the time to annotate it and picked up so many new things that I may have overlooked before, particularly in regards to our good friend, Randy Flagg. There were things I had forgotten, and things I remembered, but was dreading revisiting. Most notably, everything involving the scouting trips to the West just tugged at all my damn heartstring...

M-O-O-N. That spells “Damn, what a great book!”I knew King had it in him, I am a fan of his brilliant 1977 haunted house thriller The Shining, but I did not expect this.The best post apocalyptic novel ever? Maybe, that is a broad category teaming with great work from talented writers, but King’s The Stand is an epic, genre defining work.My friend Michael has a profile statement, something to the effect of finding our next 5 star rating. I like that sentiment, and am excited by the opportunity th...

Dear Stephen,I'm sorry. I just don't like you in that way. I know we've been friends for a long time, but I just never developed those kind of feelings for you, even after eleven hundred pages. I feel like we only moved forward in fits and stops, and we were just never able to sustain a kind of even-handed development of the kind of chills and thrills a person really likes. Shock someone enough times with snot running out of their nose, and it just becomes a little meaningless. And there are onl...

I loved this book. I read the uncut version years back when I lived in the States, maybe in 2002. I loved everything about it except the ending. I'm a big fan of Stephen King and have 23 of his books on my shelf. Stephen King can only write a good ending to a book by chance. That said, the first 95% of his books is generally so good that I can forgive the ending.One of the things I like best about King's writing is the way he breathes life into characters and every day settings. For a horror wri...

You know what’s really scary? Getting sick while you’re reading the first part of The Stand. Just try running a fever, going through a box of tissues and guzzling the better part of a bottle of NyQuil while Stephen King describes the grisly deaths of almost every one on Earth from a superflu. On top of feeling like crap, you'll be terrified. Bonus!After a bio-engineered virus that acts like a revved up cold escapes from a U.S. government lab, it takes only weeks for almost all of humanity to suc...