The Stand by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King

 

Having just finished Gerald’s Game by Stephen King and The Host by Stephenie Meyer, I was in the mood for more horror and apocalyptic stories.

 

There’d been many Stephen King fans who have said that their favorite King book is The Stand, and I happened to have had this book on my shelves for a while now.

 

I realize that I’ve never really bothered to find out what his books are about, only buying the ones whose titles are familiar because of their popularity. So it happened that I had no idea what this book was about.

 

My copy of The Stand is the Uncut, Extended Edition, which is great, because I prefer to know the whole story, and is divided into three parts.

 

The first part talks about the plague and its effects, the second part talks about the aftermath and how they try to rebuild, the third part is the showdown between the forces of good and evil.

 

This book didn’t have the intensity of Gerald’s Game, and it was slow at parts, but it was nevertheless still exciting. I love the characters, and I felt their loss, their pain and confusion, their uncertainty, their fear. It’s one of the scariest, saddest, and most tragic story I’ve ever read, but at the same time, so full of hope, strength, courage, and love.

 

I believe there’s a film based on this book, and I’d be interested to watch it too. I finished this book two days ago, and I still think about the characters and wonder what happens to them.

 

It may sound strange, but the truth is, I find myself missing them as if they were real, actual friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, and I really wish they would get back in touch, or at least, I wish someone would tell me if they’re alright. 

 

That’s probably why so many people have said this is their favorite King book. I barely remember the characters in his other books, but I think the ones in this book will stay with me for a while.