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Amazon.co.uk Review
In 1978, science fiction writer Spider Robinson wrote a scathing review of The Stand in which he exhorted his readers to grab strangers in bookshops and beg them not to buy it.
The Stand is like that. You either love it or hate it, but you can't ignore it. Stephen King's most popular book, according to polls of his fans, is an end-of-the-world scenario: a rapidly mutating flu virus is accidentally released from a U.S. military facility and wipes out 99 and 44/100 percent of the world's population, thus setting the stage for an apocalyptic confrontation between Good and Evil.
"I love to burn things up," King says. "It's the werewolf in me, I guess.... The Stand was particularly fulfilling, because there I got a chance to scrub the whole human race, and man, it was fun! ... Much of the compulsive, driven feeling I had while I worked on The Stand came from the vicarious thrill of imagining an entire entrenched social order destroyed in one stroke."
There is much to admire in The Stand: the vivid thumbnail sketches with which King populates a whole landscape with dozens of believable characters; the deep sense of nostalgia for things left behind; the way it subverts our sense of reality by showing us a world we find familiar, then flipping it over to reveal the darkness underneath. Anyone who wants to know, or claims to know, the heart of the American experience needs to read this book. --Fiona Webster --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'A writer of excellence...King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel' (Sunday Times )
'One of the great storytellers of our time' (Guardian ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'One of the great storytellers of our time' (Guardian ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First I must state that I am not someone who would describe themselves as a Stephen King fan. I've read a fair few of his books, some of which I've quite enjoyed and some of which I struggle to remember, but "The Stand" is one of my all time favourite books. I bought the unexpurgated version recently to re-read, after a gap of about ten years, and was as lost in it this time as I was the first time I read it.
Yes, as a couple of reviewers have pointed out, of course you could tell the story in a book half, or even a quarter, of the size but I for one would have felt very cheated. The story is not complicated. It begins with a plague and moves towards a final showdown between, effectively, good and evil and perhaps that could be seen as overly simplistic. The characters, however, are so well drawn that you feel you know who they are and want to know, in detail, how the whole thing plays out. The pace is good, even for such a large book, and the more meditative sequences do not detract from this at all.
Some of the characters are exceptionally good: Nick Andros, the deaf mute, and Tom Cullen for example and Harold Lauder is very finely drawn as a man who finds himself thwarted by life and love and tempted to the darker side. Despite it's somewhat exalted overtones at points, there is a sense of reality to the book which manages to keep it grounded. At times King's writing almost seems poetical, something I never thought I would write in the same sentence as "Stephen King" because I frequently find his real-life character conversations to be rather stilted and pedestrian, unlike his more dreamy sequences.
I imagine for a great many SK fans this could well be their favourite of his. And that an awful lot of others think it's a fair few pages too far and totally up its own backside. I think you should find out for yourself. If you're not sucked in at the end of the first quarter of the book then you never will be but if you are then you're in for a real treat. Read and enjoy.
Yes, as a couple of reviewers have pointed out, of course you could tell the story in a book half, or even a quarter, of the size but I for one would have felt very cheated. The story is not complicated. It begins with a plague and moves towards a final showdown between, effectively, good and evil and perhaps that could be seen as overly simplistic. The characters, however, are so well drawn that you feel you know who they are and want to know, in detail, how the whole thing plays out. The pace is good, even for such a large book, and the more meditative sequences do not detract from this at all.
Some of the characters are exceptionally good: Nick Andros, the deaf mute, and Tom Cullen for example and Harold Lauder is very finely drawn as a man who finds himself thwarted by life and love and tempted to the darker side. Despite it's somewhat exalted overtones at points, there is a sense of reality to the book which manages to keep it grounded. At times King's writing almost seems poetical, something I never thought I would write in the same sentence as "Stephen King" because I frequently find his real-life character conversations to be rather stilted and pedestrian, unlike his more dreamy sequences.
I imagine for a great many SK fans this could well be their favourite of his. And that an awful lot of others think it's a fair few pages too far and totally up its own backside. I think you should find out for yourself. If you're not sucked in at the end of the first quarter of the book then you never will be but if you are then you're in for a real treat. Read and enjoy.
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has it all. Never have I read something that has captured me to the extent of The Stand. It tells of a scenerio we can all vividly picture. A lonely world where mankind is close to extinct, while the cities and machines are left to gather dust and remind survivors of a world lost through the mistakes of man.
This truly is the epic of all epics, and I assure those who are intimidated by the length to not be. You'll be captured by the story before you know it. The characters are so diverse and unique that it's impossible not to relate to them. My personal favourite had to be Larry Underwood, the drugged up rock-star whose life undergoes some extreme changes as the story progresses.
There are moments in the book that will bring a tear to your eye, there are moment that will leave you terrified. However, in my opinion this isn't a horror story, but instead a tragedy that tells of courage, hope and faith.
This is definitely the greatest book by Stephen King, and really makes me want to forget I read it so I can experience it all for the first time again.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great book in my opinion and shows Stephen King at the peak of his powers.
I remember trying to read this book when i was quite young and i never really enjoyed it.It sat in my collection until a couple of years ago and then i read it at a rate of knots!
The basic plot, is that a super-virus is accidentally unleashed on the public.Nearly all of the population is wiped out, and the few remaining survivors are drawn to two people they dream about.Flagg is one.Mother Abigail is the other.The story shows how people survived the outbreak, then begin to reform society and then decide how to fight against the evil Flagg.
That is it in a nutshell - without spoiling anything too much.
There are characters in here aplenty.Ones that you identify with, ones you dislike; but all of them grip you.The way King writes about these characters is excellent - you HAVE to know what is going to happen to them.And they are so well developed that you almost know what they are going to do before they do it! My own personal favourite character is Larry.He changes throughout the book and is the one who you really feel has an internal struggle about what he is doing - he constantly questions his own worth and morality and it is really insightful of Stephen King to do this.
The plot is excellent, and moves well.It does lull in the middle a bit, but this is the is the quiet before the storm, as the final section of the book moves on at a rip-roaring pace.Considering ths book is so long it is amazing how it holds your attention all the way to the last page.
This book is about good and evil and mixes the morality up well, by not making every decision so black and white.People do make mistakes, and people do deserve a second chance and you get to see quite a few sub-plots where these possibilities are played out.And you do get the voice in your head saying ' If only 'x' had done this, then they would have been okay......'.The book really involves you in so many ways, that most books don't.It has depth and it has meaning on one level.And on another it has a cracking plot!
Some people who have reviewed this book didn't enjoy it for various reasons.The two main reasons for this were a/ the length and b/ the ending.
In my view the length is just about right.The topics and characters the book covers justify the length.I don't read this book and think that Stephen King could have editted it down much more, without missing out some important sequences and developments.Second is the ending.And i can understand why people are disappointed by this.My challenge to someone reading this book would be to come up with a better one - I dare you!Alternative endings to the one Stephen King has written do feel cliched!
I would recommend this book to almost everyone.It has everything a good book should have - great plot, great characters, great development and great pacing.Another great aspect of this book is that you are left wanting more!
I would put this in my top 5 Stephen King books, and this is the book that most of his readers vote as their favourite.Why not try this and see for yourself ?
BRILLIANT READ - BUY IT!!
I remember trying to read this book when i was quite young and i never really enjoyed it.It sat in my collection until a couple of years ago and then i read it at a rate of knots!
The basic plot, is that a super-virus is accidentally unleashed on the public.Nearly all of the population is wiped out, and the few remaining survivors are drawn to two people they dream about.Flagg is one.Mother Abigail is the other.The story shows how people survived the outbreak, then begin to reform society and then decide how to fight against the evil Flagg.
That is it in a nutshell - without spoiling anything too much.
There are characters in here aplenty.Ones that you identify with, ones you dislike; but all of them grip you.The way King writes about these characters is excellent - you HAVE to know what is going to happen to them.And they are so well developed that you almost know what they are going to do before they do it! My own personal favourite character is Larry.He changes throughout the book and is the one who you really feel has an internal struggle about what he is doing - he constantly questions his own worth and morality and it is really insightful of Stephen King to do this.
The plot is excellent, and moves well.It does lull in the middle a bit, but this is the is the quiet before the storm, as the final section of the book moves on at a rip-roaring pace.Considering ths book is so long it is amazing how it holds your attention all the way to the last page.
This book is about good and evil and mixes the morality up well, by not making every decision so black and white.People do make mistakes, and people do deserve a second chance and you get to see quite a few sub-plots where these possibilities are played out.And you do get the voice in your head saying ' If only 'x' had done this, then they would have been okay......'.The book really involves you in so many ways, that most books don't.It has depth and it has meaning on one level.And on another it has a cracking plot!
Some people who have reviewed this book didn't enjoy it for various reasons.The two main reasons for this were a/ the length and b/ the ending.
In my view the length is just about right.The topics and characters the book covers justify the length.I don't read this book and think that Stephen King could have editted it down much more, without missing out some important sequences and developments.Second is the ending.And i can understand why people are disappointed by this.My challenge to someone reading this book would be to come up with a better one - I dare you!Alternative endings to the one Stephen King has written do feel cliched!
I would recommend this book to almost everyone.It has everything a good book should have - great plot, great characters, great development and great pacing.Another great aspect of this book is that you are left wanting more!
I would put this in my top 5 Stephen King books, and this is the book that most of his readers vote as their favourite.Why not try this and see for yourself ?
BRILLIANT READ - BUY IT!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
My favourite book
Stephen King's epic, The Stand, remains my favourite book. It is not a traditional horror, and I find it sad that many potential readers may be put off by King's reputation as a... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Richard Richards
A Big long highway to nothing, bad end much
The set up is good with king typical brilliance
we meet many believable characters and begin to care for them as they make there journey. Read more
we meet many believable characters and begin to care for them as they make there journey. Read more
Published 1 month ago by dregj
One of my favorite books
I'm not a Stephen King fan but for some reason this is one of my favourite books. I've read it cover to cover several times and will do several more times. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. M. O'Sullivan
wow
never read a stephen king book before,my favourite film of all time is the green mile. Had ago of the stand because of the many reviews,must admit hard going at first,nearly put it... Read more
Published 2 months ago by michelle
BEST KING BOOK EVER
i read the stand when it first came out in one sitting - quite simply , it is the best book ever written by SK by miles & miles & miles......
Published 2 months ago by pemsbooks
One of King's best
I've always been a big fan of King's earlier novels. I first read them back in the early 80s, so I've come back to The Stand without being able to remember it in detail, just the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Steve D
Epic
This truly is an outstanding book and certainly a contender for my favourite of all time. I just can't express how much of an impression this story had on me. You need to read it.
Published 3 months ago by TellyGremlin
A deep ride into an alternative future
This book was written as an epic tale in a future world where humanity has almost destroyed itself and then people find themselves at the centre of a struggle between good and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christian
Fantastic book
One of the great Stephen king books that is a must read. It was made into a TV series. the stand has also been recently released in extended form with another 400 pages added that... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Novagoth
Utterly absorbing!
One of the best books I have ever read. First read it when I was about 19 years old and re-read it again just a couple of years ago (15 years after the first time) and it was just... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Freckle
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