The Stand
Author: Stephen King
Rating: â 4/5
Date Read: 2007/09/01
Pages: 1141
While I had heard about the Stand from friends of mine, it wasnât until I found out that the producers of my favorite show, Lost, love it that I started to read it. What I found was a fantastic journey through a darkly terrifying world that only Stephen King could create.
At the start of the book, the world becomes infected with the Superflu, also known as Captain Trips, which kills off most of the worldâs population. The survivors begin to wander, not knowing where to go, until they begin to have the same dream. Their dreams seem to lead the way to the west, where they will set up camp in Colorado. But there is another dream, that warns of someone dark rising in Las Vegas.
I wish I could rate this as five stars, but there were a few fundamental issues I had with the book that keep me from doing so. The first is sheer length; my copy of the book tops out at 1141 pages. This wouldnât be that much of a problem in itself, but I often felt there wasnât as much action as their should be to drive the plot over that many pages. I do, however, realize that this is the uncut version, so I know that criticism doesnât carry as much weight as it would with a trade release. Another problem was that the main conflict of the book didnât really gear up until more than halfway through, when it probably could have started much sooner. Finally, the ending (which I wonât go into) left a bit to be desired.
That said, I would urge anyone with a little time on their hands to pick up The Stand. Stephen Kingâs plague infected world is as scary as it is real, and its characters will stay with you long after youâve finished the book. If you do feel like tackling this great read, itâs definitely worth the time invested.