A review by bookish_manda
The Stand by Stephen King

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

2.5

I had several people recommend this Stephen King book to me, including my history teacher friend from high school. This is my fourth King book, and at this point I’ve enjoyed reading 50% of them. I’m a fantasy and dystopian fan, but I think I mostly like King’s high fantasy books (Fairytale and The Eyes of the Dragon). I really didn’t like Gunslinger. 

 As far as The Stand goes, I don’t think this book was worth the many hours of listening. I opted to listen to the 2008 complete and uncut edition, and I think that was a mistake. A forty eight hour audiobook is really long. Especially a Stephen King audiobook… 

I liked this book better than Gunslinger, but there were so many things that bothered me about The Stand. It was originally published in 1978, but 2024 me struggled getting passed the old-school norms of misogyny, religious influence, rape, and language towards minorities (persons of color and persons with disability). 

I think I will need to try King’s later books and non-fantasy/dystopian books (excluding any future high fantasy books). 
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