The Stand ★★★★★

The Stand (Click Here To Buy)

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars)

The Stand by Stephen King is a fiction book about a virus that wipes out most of humanity and the struggle between good and evil that ensues between those that are left.

Even though I could check this book out from the library, I decided to buy this gorgeous copy from Barnes and Noble because - well just look at it! BTW this is the original, uncut version and it is 1,154 pages. So that's why I haven't been posting on booksta as much this month!

Wow - where to even begin with this monster. So the story is divided into three books. In the first book (which I would give 5 stars) - a virus that was created by the government is accidentally released and it slowly and viciously spreads across the country. In this time we meet the books main characters, who are living all across the country. There’s Stu Redmond, who we meet in Texas and has an early encounter with one of the first infected people, getting him sent to a quarantine center. There’s Larry Underwood, a one hit wonder rock star who has recently become famous but has to go back to his mom’s house in New York to lay low from some guys he owes money. There’s Frannie Goldsmith, who is in Maine, just discovered she’s pregnant and has no interest in staying with the baby daddy. And there’s Nick Andros, who we meet in Arkansas after he is beat up for being deaf and mute. We are with these characters when everyone around them is killed by the virus.

In book two (which I would give 3 stars) these characters start to meet up with each other, as well as some secondary characters, and start to make their way to Boulder, Colorado. Each character admits to having dreams of two types - one of an old black woman in Nebraska telling them to go to Colorado, and the other of a dark man with the vibes of pure evil. After they get to Boulder, they try to start a community. (This part is kinda boring) But some good people turn evil and plot against everyone else.

Book three (4 stars for the cake) - the battle for good against evil takes place - I won’t spoil it. ;)

I know a lot of people read this book deep during the pandemic last year - me? I’m glad I waited a bit because it gave me something to compare it to - like the government in the book saying the vaccine will be ready in one week, YEAH RIGHT! Lol. The middle, as I mentioned above, was a bit of a slog to get thru and made me wonder what the abridged version takes out. Despite the middle, I have to admit the character development in this book is a ten - primo. I love getting to follow characters for the long haul and see where their decisions take them. I especially love this with evil characters like Lloyd Henreid, The Trashcan Man, and Harold Lauder. Evil is really complicated and I often feel like good communication skills or therapy is all an evil character needs. (The mental health counselor in me coming out) In the last pages of the book, King ends with a great plug for why police officers shouldn’t have guns. #canigetanamen

I have read a lot of Stephen King’s books. Most recommended in the same vein of this would be End of Watch, Doctor Sleep, and The Outsider.

If you liked The Stand, I also recommend Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay, Bird Box by Josh Malerman, World War Z by Max Brooks, and A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond Villarreal

Happy reading :)

Ms.Bjork