Reviews

The Stand by Stephen King

the_bookish_rose's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I can’t believe I actually finished The Stand as quickly as I did, given how many pages are in it. At a whopping 1,153 pages, this novel really felt like I was reading three separate novels at the same time, but I’ll try to wrap up my thoughts quickly. 

For the first 300-500 pages, I thought the tale was going more in a mystery, apocalypse way, with the superflu wiping out 99% of the population and following the survivors. However, the story gradually shifted to the theme of “good vs evil” with religious ties, and I lost some interest over that. By the end of the book, I almost forgot the superflu was a major theme in the beginning part of the novel, as it seemed like many of the characters had moved on from that and were fighting the main bad guy. 

One aspect I really LOVED about the Stand was the character development; it was truly one of the best, well written aspects of the novel. Though many of the “bad” characters were downright awful people (I.e torturing people and killing for no reason), each character felt fully fleshed out and going back to the beginning, I actually was rooting for many of the good character’s changes in character. I also really liked that the book included disabled characters in its main cast- though some of King’s language would be considered outdated by twenty-first century standards, I really appreciated the humanity given to Nick and to Tom and how they were able to shine throughout the story with their disabilities.

The ending was a little bit disappointing after the entire journey I went through reading about the good guys trying to wipe out the bad guy’s camp, and the very last section felt unrelated and just thrown in for no reason. If there’s a sequel to this tale, I’d love to keep reading it, as the main characters were my cup of tea to read about and I’ll miss some of them.

Recommendations: I would recommend this with a lot of disclaimers, warnings, and general guidelines. Please be sure to check out the trigger warnings online before reading this one, as there’s many to list out. My biggest recommendation for reading this would be is if you are a huge bookworm like me and have loads of reading stamina (or free time 😅) then go check this one out. Also recommended if you like horror in the flavor of superflu epidemics and good vs evil. 

Thanks for reading this far down, and happy reading!

zmull's review against another edition

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5.0

2021 reread: I first read The Stand in 1992, then again a few years later. I'd been a pretty avid reader since I was a kid and had lots of exciting experiences with books. But nothing like the first time I read The Stand. It was one of those truly immersive experiences that you can have with a great book. I didn't want it to end and I've jonesed for that experience ever since. Stephen King is good at that sort of book. At his best he's a master of plot and pacing. His prose is much better than he generally gets credit for. And his characters, while never a naturalistic as he seems to think them, are generally wonderful. The Stand is peak Stephen King. He was good before it and good after, but the shots never lined up quite as effortlessly as they do here. The ending has been debated ever since the book was released. It doesn't work for many readers, but I think its one of his best. It's a bold choice and slightly bonkers. I love it.

One thing did jump out on this reread. There's a lot of racist language in this book. Especially in the first act. None of it is particularly justified by the needs of the book. ALL of it should have been removed in the 1990 revision. It's a shadow on the book that could have been easily fixed. King has some ongoing issues with race. His use of the Magical Negro trope was a persistent failing for much of his career. It's a shame not only because it is wrong to use racist language casually but it also dates the book terribly. People just don't talk like this anymore. And that's a good thing.

daveydundo's review against another edition

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4.0

A lot of people consider this book King's finest work. I came in with extremely high expectations and perhaps that set that bar too high? For me it's not his best work and not even top 5. However, it's still a fantastic story and like just about every other SK book (except From a Buick 8) it's scary as hell - with a few scenes that bled over into my dreams. Unlike most other lengthy King tomes, I had a difficult time getting "hooked" by the story and the characters. It took me ~900 pages to finally feel that captivating feeling where you can't put the book down. Also, as a major fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, I felt underwhelmed by some of the story that dealt with the survival after the event. Lastly, having lived through COVID much of the viral transmission doesn't hold up well and actually pulled me out of the story a few times. All-in-all it was entertaining and scary but didn't measure up to my lofty expectations.

cnwilson20's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

damianliber89's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

3.5

charlie9_9's review against another edition

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5.0

excellent read, the plot was well written and the main characters were introduced and fully developed.
Even though you know all aren't making it to the end you never see when and who it will be to it arrives

a_beautiful_soup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jdhacker's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

huffkjames's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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jakedludwick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

That was crazy long, but so good. Very much enjoyed it.