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A review by theinquisitxor
The Stand by Stephen King
5.0
the stand the stand the stand! My first Stephen King book. Way back in January 2020 I set a goal for myself to start reading Stephen King. Then a global pandemic hit, and I was in no way able to read horror, much less a book about a pandemic. Now, as my physical tbr is dwindling, The Stand was one of the last books on my shelf I had yet to read. So I read it. And it was really really good.
I read this edition, the uncut version at a little over 1400 pages. This is the longest (single) book I've ever read, but it doesn't feel like 1400 pages. In fact, the amount of time that passes in the novel is only about a year. The closeness you develop with the characters and the detail of the wold lends to this book feeling shorter than it actually is. But it still feels like an Epic in its scope, the conflicts, ideals and beliefs it tackles.
I wasn't really expecting the way religion plays into the story, but I feel like you can interpret what religion is in several different ways. This book has a lot of Old Testament feeling to it, and Mother Abigail is akin to a prophet. Whether or not you interpret the religion in this book to be actually God is up to you. The way I viewed this book was through the magic in Stephen King's universe. Some characters can use the magic (or Ka in his other works) and they call this religious power.
This book is definitely fantasy, but it is also horror. While it's not necessarily horror in the supernatural sense, it is horror in the grittiness and horrible things that people have gone through and experienced because of the superflu. So just be warned, this book isn't exactly a walk in the park.
I read this edition, the uncut version at a little over 1400 pages. This is the longest (single) book I've ever read, but it doesn't feel like 1400 pages. In fact, the amount of time that passes in the novel is only about a year. The closeness you develop with the characters and the detail of the wold lends to this book feeling shorter than it actually is. But it still feels like an Epic in its scope, the conflicts, ideals and beliefs it tackles.
I wasn't really expecting the way religion plays into the story, but I feel like you can interpret what religion is in several different ways. This book has a lot of Old Testament feeling to it, and Mother Abigail is akin to a prophet. Whether or not you interpret the religion in this book to be actually God is up to you. The way I viewed this book was through the magic in Stephen King's universe. Some characters can use the magic (or Ka in his other works) and they call this religious power.
This book is definitely fantasy, but it is also horror. While it's not necessarily horror in the supernatural sense, it is horror in the grittiness and horrible things that people have gone through and experienced because of the superflu. So just be warned, this book isn't exactly a walk in the park.