Customer Reviews
A superb book that you won't forget in a hurry - By: Book Worm DJ, 06 Jan 2009 
This book is amazing, & if you haven't read it you'll find the 'theme' is quite topical - thinking about BBC's Survivors, Avian Flu etc etc! I would agree with the other reviewers who point out that this isn't a horror story,in spite of the fact most of humanity is wiped out.
At the start of the book, a virus is unleashed with a 99.9% kill rate. The story is about the handful of people left behind, & their struggle to adapt to life after the virus without the comforts of family & society. I especially liked the fact that the survivors are a mixture of the good, the bad & the ugly. The 'facts' of life post-virus are dealt with thoroughly & convincingly.
The story is also about the battle between good & evil - represented by two charactersin particular. There is a supernatural element to the book, but it's more symbolic - about the battle between good & evilin every human being, & the choices we all have to make, especially when it seems the other side is stronger.
The book is long, no doubt about it, & be aware that this is the unabridged version. There were a couple of parts that dragged for me, but only because I was so engrossedin the other characters that I didn't want to read 50 pages about The Kid or Trash Can Man - no doubt other readers loved those two characters! King himself admits that some readers will find it too long & self-indulgent, & may be better sticking to the abridged version. But this is the first & only version I read, & I'm glad I did. It's a beautiful bookin many ways & a book that you won't forget.
Engrossing... - By: R. Townsend, 17 Jul 2008 
I've read this book many times since it first came out; both the original & the extended edition.
I'm now listening to the Audio Book of the original edition & I think I favour that version - it seems a lot tighter somehow. Anyway, it's making my hour long drive to & from work just fly by (I don't even mind traffic jams!).
Highly recommended.
Very good, but not great - By: Gavin Copeland, 15 Jul 2008 I am a Constant Reader of Stephen King's works & it was about time that I finally undertook the epic that is The Stand.
The Stand follows the fate (and faith) of a group of apocolypse survivors & their subconscious drifting to one of two specific places: Boulder, Colorado under the watchful eye of Mother Abigail, a living angel,in all but name or to Las Vegas under the influence of the demonic Randall Flagg.
The book deals with the re-building process (rebirth) of both groups of people & their respective enviornments & the inevitable battle betewwn good & evil between them.
As a commmentry on mankind, The Stand explores the realms that man is indeed born to hate his / her fellow being. Both communities treat each other with deathly suspicion. The hope that Mankind can learn from the mistakes of the past is ultimately forlorn.
The Stand as a commentry on Mankind is an excellent piece of work. King develops his characters with such depth & feeling that eventually he sucks the reader in, making him/her truly care about (or despise) them whatever the case may be.
After finishing the book, I found myself a little empty. I cant help the feeling that King had run out of ideas towards the end of the third quarter & instead perhaps of taking a step back from his creation, he continued on, & thus made a very underwhelming ending especially considering the work which went before.
This book is not a horror story. With the exception of the depiction of death for 99.9% of mortals as a symptom of a superflu virusin the first quarter of the book, there are very few genuinely exciting passages. Throughout the novel King created situations where by he could set the readers heart racing with excitement, but for some reason he takes a step back & the chance for genuine shock or a breathtaking passage was lost.
The Stand is an eventful novel. The Stand has a message. The Stand is epic & grandeose. However, The Stand is not as exciting as it could have been.
A must-read - By: Katja Beck, 08 Jul 2008 To start with, I should say that I never read the original shorter version of this novel. And now that I have finished the uncut version, I cannot imagine where this story could have been shortened, what could have been left out. I do not feel that any section or page was unnecessary. The story would be incomplete, if any page was missing. Due to the books' length, the story line is developedin much detail & the reader really gets to know the main characters.
In the story, mankind destroys themselves & the few remaining survivors of the super-flu find themselves drawn either to God's side or the devil's. Both groups are curious of what the other is up to, until they finally meet. I found the story so gripping that even after I put the book down for a few days, I could pick it up again without having to re-read a couple of pages to know what was going on. The book is very well written. One of Stephen King's best works (along with The Shining).
AVOID AT ALL COSTS - By: Mr. Michael D. Chambers, 04 Jun 2008 
After reading IT by Stephen King i thought he was an excellent writer & i couldnt wait to find another great book of his. After going through endless reviews on his other books i came to the conclusion that The Stand was one of his best.
500 pages into the book i almost threw itin the bin but just managed to put itin the cupboard for a rainy day....
i simply could not stand spending my free time quite literallyin agony reading this book. The length of it does not bother me as IT was also a long book but when every page you turn is just complete & utter garbage, the length of it also becomes a problem!
This book is simply boring. Far, far too many pages are spent on irrelevant information that leaves you cursing at Stephen King.
Another major problem i had with this book is the ammount of time spent talking religion, it never ends & believe me if you arent a priest or a nun this will start to bore you.
Of the hundreds of books ive read i have never given up on a book until this one.in 500 pages next to nothing happens & even if it has a great ending, it would not make up for the pain you have suffered before!
This is no exageration, this book is unbelievably bad, i would have given it minus 5 stars if the option was there. it has put me off ever reading Stephen King again.
My advice would be to read some Dean Koontz books he is an outstanding writer who does not waffle on like King.
