Reviews

The Stand by Stephen King

hannahsbooks101's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

infinnable's review against another edition

3.0

I was reading the extended version and by 50% I needed to start skim reading, I was already skipping the dream sections. Great story but so over written. Read it simply to tick it off the list of classic post apocalypse fiction. Wouldn't recommend it to a good friend.

chrisb's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

ladykyr's review against another edition

The first part was great but when it got political as they were rebuilding society I lost interest 

shellydav's review against another edition

5.0

Creative apocalyptic tale of good versus evil. Couldn't put it down. Read it from cover to cover on my honeymoon. (um, I don't recommend the made-for-tv movie unless you really like "campy" horror).

odinallfather's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

xdilox's review against another edition

4.0

I purposely chose to read this book during the pandemic and I don’t regret it at all. Having a runny nose and sore throat throughout the first part of this book was the scariest and coolest thing ever. This book features an excellent cast of characters and very intriguing story even though I feel like apocalypse fiction is so overdone in books and movies. Stephen King however fleshed this book entirely too long for my liking. Going in I get that it is the "complete and uncut edition" but when the original book which was about 830 pages is discontinued the reader has no option really. Moving on this book was an excellent joy ride throughout the first and last portion of book. It's the middle I would say pages 400-600 are extremely slow and became such a chore to read. The amount of times I wanted to put it down for good I couldn't tell you. Of course by seeing this you can see I pushed through and made it till the very end. It's once again Stephen King's characters that he has created for this novel are so interesting and had me wanting to know where their journeys ended. The antagonist is one I do not believe I will ever read about one more threatening and powerful for the rest of my life. It is one that is kept in the dark for so long that you just feel even more disturbed when you hear the little snippets of it's devilish persona. In essence as hard as that middle part was to get through I highly suggest you pick this up it is worth the time. If you can find an original print of this book at a used bookstore spare yourself the boredom and go for it. If you are a Stephen King fan (I've read Firestarter and the Bill Hodges Trilogy take that for what you will) I truly believe you will give this book five stars.

librarydoc's review against another edition

4.0

Sheesh, that took awhile to read! I read this the first time back in the 90s, probably the same time the made-for-tv movie came out. My husband checked this out last week from our public library, and I decided to read it again.

This is pretty classic Stephen King, and one of my favorites. Not as good as "It" or "The Shining", but pretty darn good. This one is a tough read for me because bad things happen to good people, and some of my favorite characters don't make it in the end. I know, I know, that's life...but who doesn't like a happy ending?

mattia_masciadra's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

liketheverb's review against another edition

4.0

A harrowing tale about the metaphorical--and literal--battle between good and evil, The Stand will remind readers of epics such as The Lord of the Rings and The Odyssey. Stephen King crafts a remarkable new world inside of, or perhaps more accurately, after, the one in which we reside. It brings to light questions about how humanity might respond if challenged on a global scale and whether or not we have the tenacity, grit, or even the goodness required to survive. At over 1400 pages, this book is daunting, but hopefully as rewarding for you as it was for me.