# Stephen King's The Stand



## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Anybody read it or read it on a Kindle?  I'm reading it now and so far I really like it.  Anybody else out there that likes this book and other books by Stephen King?


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## Andrew Kaufman (Jun 16, 2010)

I tend to enjoy his older work more than his newer. Seems he went a little sideways after a while; although, I've heard Under the Dome is pretty darn good.

Drew


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Andrew Kaufman said:


> I tend to enjoy his older work more than his newer. Seems he went a little sideways after a while; although, I've heard Under the Dome is pretty darn good.
> 
> Drew


Under the Dome was awesome. I read it hard-cover -- didn't have my Kindle then.


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Opps.  I did not see Padowd's thread about The Stand.  The topic a little different, though.


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## K.C. Neal (Jan 5, 2011)

The Stand is one of my all-time favorite books! I used to be on quite a Stephen King kick when I was younger. I think my mom was afraid the books would make me disturbed or something. The Stand is my fav, but 'Salem's Lot scared me the most. I haven't read much that he's written in the past few years - I'll have to check out Under the Dome.


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

The Stand is one of my favorite books ever. It is just such an awesome story!  I haven't read Under the Dome yet, but I really want to.


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## WestofMars (Sep 16, 2009)

I read The Stand eons ago, before the made-for-TV-movie with Molly Ringwald. Yeah, THAT long ago. Although I've read other similar good versus evil books since then, The Stand has always stood out. Guess it's true: you DO always remember your first.


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## Some Writer Cat (Sep 22, 2010)

I love The Stand, but I actually think Bag of Bones is his best, most nuanced book.


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## Jay. (Jan 1, 2011)

Bought the book for my kindle a couple days ago. I'm on chapter 6 and I'm still waiting for it to "pick up."

Everyone has been saying its good so right now I'm just being patient.

jay


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Wow... deja vu.

Anyway, The Stand is great.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

The Stand is a great book. It's on my K3, in line to be read...I'm reading Eyes of the Dragon right now (it's my fav King book 

Sandy


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

I'm a fan of *The Stand*. If you enjoyed it, you might want to check out Robert McCammon's *Swan Song*, too.


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## KindleLovinMike (Jan 6, 2011)

I didn't care for either of them, but that's just me.


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

_The Stand_ is my standard for all Stephen King books (and a lot of other books, too!) My next favorite would be _Desperation_ and number three is _The Shining_ (which is also my favorite scary movie!)


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## Manley (Nov 14, 2010)

Yep, I read The Stand (Full and Uncut Version) back when I in my early 20s...very good book, if memory serves me correctly. It is gigantic, as I'm sure you all know, but well worth it for me. I'm trying to remember why...I believe the characters were interesting, there were some sudden plot twists and surprises that caught me off guard, and I've liked most everything of King's that I've read so far. Although, I still haven't gotten through Danse Macabre.


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## Tom Schreck (Dec 12, 2010)

Am I the only one embarrassed to admit that the length of it just intimidates the hell out of me?


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## Jay. (Jan 1, 2011)

Tom Schreck said:


> Am I the only one embarrassed to admit that the length of it just intimidates the hell out of me?


According to kindle, I'm only 10% through it and I've been reading as much as I can everyday. I was curious to know how many pages it had by searching on Amazon. I ended up accidentally reading some reviews that turned out to be MAJOR spoilers!!! 

Anyways, the book is finally starting to pick up and now I'm at the point of no return. I just can't put it down!

jay


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Love The Stand.

I've read it twice in my life, the original published version and King's later, longer version. Eerily enough, each time I read The Stand was right in the middle of the dates used in the novel.

One thing that always bugged me about that longer version was King placed the University of Kentucky in Louisville, when it's actually in Lexington. However, upon later reading the DT series and some of King's comments about it, I came to understand why he would do things like that.


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## Jay. (Jan 1, 2011)

I read somewhere that the longer version has close to 1200 pages?! someone please confirm this.

jay


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## CarltonCaz (Dec 29, 2010)

Manley said:


> It is gigantic, as I'm sure you all know, but well worth it for me. I'm trying to remember why...I believe the characters were interesting, there were some sudden plot twists and surprises that caught me off guard, and I've liked most everything of King's that I've read so far. Although, I still haven't gotten through Danse Macabre.


It's been a long time since I read it, but it's always stuck in my mind because it was different to standard horror books, including King's own work. By that I mean it felt REAL, as if it could happen. That's what scared the beejeezus out of me.


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## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

> Am I the only one embarrassed to admit that the length of it just intimidates the hell out of me?


I read it as a teenager, and was of the age where nothing scared me, lol. Now, I get very intimidated by large books, but my kids usually talk me into them. I figure if I don't like a book, I don't have to finish it.


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## Jay. (Jan 1, 2011)

mscott9985 said:


> I figure if I don't like a book, I don't have to finish it.


I was lacking a bit of patience when I first started this. When I'm holding a large book, for some reason it makes me want to finish it sooner. With the kindle I can't really measure the weight and size anymore, so my motivation now is looking at the percentages now. lol

I almost thought I wasn't going to like this but there were too many good reviews for me to quit. I wanted to see what everyone was raving about.

jay


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## Misha Crews (Nov 11, 2010)

This is one of my top three favorite Stephen King books (the others being Firestarter and The Dead Zone - yes, I'm old school, lol!).  I read The Stand when I was a young teenager, and although I haven't reread it since, I can still recall lines of the book and where I was when I read them.  When one of my favorite characters died, I was reading on the subway (used to carry the HARDBACK book in my backpack - can you imagine?) and I could not keep from crying right there in public.  It's remarkable to find a book that has that kind of impact.

Zell and Jay (who were reading the book on Kindle) - be sure to get back and let us know what you think when you finish it!


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Is it just me who has a flashback to Captain Trips the first time I sneeze every winter?


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

It's not just you. Anytime I have a semi-major flu, I think of ole SK. What a marketing technique. He should sell flu medicine. Night/Day Flagg-quil or something.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

James Everington said:


> Is it just me who has a flashback to Captain Trips the first time I sneeze every winter?


LOL.

It's been awhile since I read _The Stand_. The first part is the most vivid in my memory, probably because it was so terrifying and seemed like it could start happening any time someone around me sneezed.


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## JeffM (Nov 22, 2009)

> When one of my favorite characters died, I was reading on the subway (used to carry the HARDBACK book in my backpack - can you imagine?) and I could not keep from crying right there in public.


I know exactly the part you mean, and I cry like a little girl every time I read it. I'm coming up to it again soon and I'm not looking forward to it at all.


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## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

I downloaded it way back before it was pulled by Amazon and was only $2.95 but I've yet to read it.  The length intimidates me a bit as well.


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## James Roy Daley (Dec 10, 2010)

Love the Stand. If you're going to read it, or re-read it, read the extended version. The extended version is so much better. That book should never have been cropped down to a smaller size.


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## bce (Nov 17, 2009)

James Roy Daley said:


> Love the Stand. If you're going to read it, or re-read it, read the extended version. The extended version is so much better. That book should never have been cropped down to a smaller size.


I've been thinking about getting the kindle version. How do I make sure that it is the extended version?


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

It should tell you in the description. That is the one I got not long ago. I think that may be the only one they have now for the Kindle.


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## jinlo (Sep 20, 2009)

James Everington said:


> Is it just me who has a flashback to Captain Trips the first time I sneeze every winter?


And if you watched the TV mini-series as well as read the book, you went looking for Flu Buddy in the drug store. (If you don't remember it, you can still see the Flu Buddy commercial on YouTube.)


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## thor0298 (Dec 28, 2009)

I read it about 15 years ago when I was starting high school.  It is one of his best books in my opinion.  But I think my favorite will always be the shining.  It was the first Stephen King book I read.  Right now I am reading Full Dark, No Stars.  It is pretty good but not his best.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

.... one of my favorite books of all time. I read it every few years. It's long, but honestly, you get so sucked into the story that it doesn't matter.

Under the Dome was also good, not quite as a good as The Stand, but it was very good.


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## Dee Ernst (Jan 10, 2011)

The Stand is one of my favorite books ever.  Read it in hardcover when it first came out, then reread it dispite the length.  Interestingly, when the uncut version was released, I read that and didn't like it as much.  There is such as thing as 'too much' King.


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## Belle2Be (Aug 29, 2010)

I'm a big Stephen King fan, I've read 'em all! My favorite series is the Gunslinger/ The Dark Tower series. 

I don't know if you've read the Passage, but I found it strangely similar to the Stand.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

The Stand will probably always be my favorite.... and DEFINITELY in the full/extended version.  King's publisher's made him cut the original saying that no one would buy/read that long a book.... so he did.  Years later, they finally realized that those of us who love King's writing would buy and read much longer works.... he went back and put some (not all) of the original book back in.  I'm so glad he did..... it's an incredible book!  I re-read it often.... and it's awesome every single time.


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## Sean Cunningham (Jan 11, 2011)

I was lucky enough to read the extended version first time out. It's a brick worth reading.



Andrew Kaufman said:


> I tend to enjoy his older work more than his newer. Seems he went a little sideways after a while; although, I've heard Under the Dome is pretty darn good.
> 
> Drew


I stopped reading Stephen King midway through the Gunslinger series, but a friend told me they'd heard someone say he's improved again. I haven't given him a try again yet, but I suppose it's worth a shot.


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## LaFlamme (Dec 9, 2010)

Randall Flagg was the Jim Morrison of bad guys. Charming as hell, so to speak.


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## Blodwyn (Oct 13, 2010)

I like The Stand. One of the goofy things I remember from it was their discussion of eating Morningstar Farms fake sausages and how awful they were as an "alternative health food." Before the big vegetarian thing in the 90s...now they're almost mainstream I find.


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## Mrs. K. (Dec 31, 2010)

The Stand is in the top five of my all-time favorite books. This is one of King's best two works (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption being the other one.) The Stand...read the book. Shawshank...by all means see the movie in the unlikely event you missed it.


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## Claudia Lefeve (Dec 17, 2010)

The Stand was one of my personal all time King favorites! If you have the time and patience, it's well worth the read.


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## Lori P (Jan 6, 2011)

Zell said:


> Under the Dome was awesome. I read it hard-cover -- didn't have my Kindle then.


that was a wonderful book!
i am reading next full stars


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Heard Ron Howard say, this morning on _Today_ that he's looking to bring King's _The Dark Tower_ to the screen. . . .he mentioned it as a long term project just or soon underway. . . . .


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

Here's one I prepared earlier...

If he never wrote another word, Stephen King deserves to be remembered for this, his contribution to the "Disaster Novel" genre. (NOTE: This review applies to the ORIGINAL release of the novel, not the "Special Edition")

It begins innocuously enough, with an army officer running away from his base. But he has left it too late, and he carries a new disease into the world. Over the next months people begin to die, in small numbers at first, then in their hundreds, thousands and finally millions.

The survivors, a disparate band drawn from all walks of life, find they have to make a choice; to join with the forces of evil, personified in Flagg (one of the best fictional villains in living memory) or to take a "Stand" for good, personified by Aunt Abigail, an old wizened black woman with a fundamentalist approach to her faith.

Soon all the survivors are lined up on one side or the other, and the final battle for their future destiny is set up when the main characters must take their own "Stand"

The questions of faith posed by this, and how each of the protagonists make their choices, form the moral core of this book, and the rigours of basic survival when civilisation has fallen forms the backbone of the plot, but it is the characters who stick in your mind long after you've finished reading.

King has always been good at "country" types, but here he shows a sure hand with such disparate people as a deaf-mute, a rock star, a garage worker, a pregnant teenager and her admirer-from-afar neighbour Harold (a gentleman so slimy you'll feel like taking a shower after just reading about him)

You feel rapport with these characters, and are soon cheering them on, and King has managed to reel in his propensity for "bloat", and doesn't let any one character take over.

The book carries a strong moral tone throughout, and at times seems almost biblical in its "fire-and-brimstone" intensity. In typical King fashion there are some terrifying set pieces, the pick of which takes place in a tunnel which is full of dead and decomposing bodies that must be navigated without a light. Not for the squeamish.

A lot of people have been daunted by the sheer size of this book. At over 1000 pages, it is not a quick read, and in the early chapters it is sometimes difficult to keep track of its large list of characters. Also, King seems to take delight in slowing things down and looking in great detail at some pretty unpleasant deaths as a result of the disease - a super-flu which results in particularly messy fluid expulsion.

However once Flagg appears and starts insinuating himself into the survivors' dreams. the tension starts to crank up and King knows how to keep you hooked, cheering the good guys along to the denoument.

I won't spoil it by giving away the ending, but the final "Stand" doesn't come quite as expected, and has some truly shocking consequences for the protagonists.

For a jaded horror fan brought up on John Wyndham and John Christopher, this book revitalised my interest back in the late 70's. This was the book that brought me back to horror, and made me want to write it myself.

For that alone it's got a lot to answer for.


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## anastaciaknits (Nov 28, 2010)

Like so many others have said, the Stand is one of my all time favorite books - the uncut version, that is, not the hogwash that was originally published.  I also read Under the Dome & enjoyed that, not quite as much as the Stand, but close. I've enjoyed quite a few King books, but definitely not all of them. I don't enjoy the "scary" King books nearly as much, I'm a wimp.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Andrew Kaufman said:


> I tend to enjoy his older work more than his newer. Seems he went a little sideways after a while; although, I've heard Under the Dome is pretty darn good.
> 
> Drew


Stephen King was awesome in the seventies and early eightes. He kind of peaked at It, and I think he sort of treaded water for a while after that. I hear he's back to form again, and I'll have to check him out.


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

So far I'm 50 percent of the way through it.  Started reading it about 8 days ago.  I didn't think the book started out slow.  I thought it was very interesting how things progressed with the Superflu and the impact it had on people particularly the main characters and their families and friends.  The length of the book has not intimidated me.  I remember seeing the paperback version in a book store and thought, wow, this will take forever to read.  But reading it my Kindle has not intimated me and I've been flying through the book so far.  So far I'm really enjoying it -- and reading it on my Kindle.


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## chris v (Jun 23, 2010)

The Stand is sooo fantastic. My favorite, I think, I liked the movie too and still like to watch it now and then. But I also liked reading Pet Sematary and Salem's Lot. I still like to reread Salem's Lot and Dracula, Bram Stoker, every now and then.

His recent works, the Sunset set of short stories (forgot whole name) were pretty good. I still have to read The Dome and his new collection. I liked The Cell also...

Chris Verstraete
Seearching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery
The Killer Valentine Ball
http://cverstraete.com


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Joel Arnold said:


> I'm a fan of *The Stand*. If you enjoyed it, you might want to check out Robert McCammon's *Swan Song*, too.


Just want to second this.


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## moondog (Sep 17, 2010)

I can say The Stand was one of the books that propelled me into my own post-Apocalyptic series. It was one of the first really well received end of the world (as we know it) books of fiction. More books like this are found here: http://apocalyptic-literature.blogspot.com/


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## LRGiles (Apr 28, 2010)

I have fond, fond memories of THE STAND, but have had trouble trying to revisit it in recent years. This is probably due to the fact that it's a BRICK (i'm referring of course to the re-release hardcover from the early 90's). Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get all of my SK favs on my Kindle (IT-another brick, Nightmares and Dreamscapes - a cinderblock, Desperation & The Regulators - laid end to end, a construction beam). Going SK Digital (also known as SK Lite) would definitely save my back should I ever need to move again.


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Just downloaded a sample of Swan Song.  I'll check it out.  Thanks.


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## Ray Rhamey author (Jan 6, 2011)

The Stand is a favorite of mine, too. The way King establishes mood and builds the creepiness at the beginning is amazing, but then so too are many of the characters he develops. There's a scope to The Stand that's not in Under the Dome (which I also recommend).


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

To those who love the books and or waiting to read the book, I just found out that "The Stand" is now being made in to another movie with CBS.  Sure, there was a mini series made back in the 90's...but apparently now they are trying to tackle a movie.

So those who want to read the book prior seeing the movie, and depending how fast you read a +/- 900 paged novel...you should start soon.

Tris


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

This  is making  me think  I need  to reread it.  I  did read it when it first came out and I don't remember  much other than I didn't think  it was as good as Salem's Lot.   Someone  said that  Amazon pulled it?  What's up with  that?

Must  have  been  awhile  go.  I just  downloaded  so now its in my TBR list.. behind many  others..


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## Zell (Dec 27, 2010)

Tris said:


> To those who love the books and or waiting to read the book, I just found out that "The Stand" is now being made in to another movie with CBS. Sure, there was a mini series made back in the 90's...but apparently now they are trying to tackle a movie.
> 
> So those who want to read the book prior seeing the movie, and depending how fast you read a +/- 900 paged novel...you should start soon.
> 
> Tris


I would love to see a movie made for The Stand. By the way, the recent version is about 1150 pages -- I just finished reading all of them. Looking forward to IT. Under the Dome was a great book. I liked it better than The Stand.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Tris said:


> To those who love the books and or waiting to read the book, I just found out that "The Stand" is now being made in to another movie with CBS. Sure, there was a mini series made back in the 90's...but apparently now they are trying to tackle a movie.
> 
> So those who want to read the book prior seeing the movie, and depending how fast you read a +/- 900 paged novel...you should start soon.
> 
> Tris


Think they're also doing a series of films/TV shows of the whole of The Dark Tower. What could possibly go wrong..?


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## nmg222 (Sep 14, 2010)

James Everington said:


> Think they're also doing a series of films/TV shows of the whole of The Dark Tower. What could possibly go wrong..?


Yup, 3 movies and two seasons of a TV series that will bridge the movies. Javier Bardem just landed the lead as Roland.

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/dark_tower_film_and_tv/news_tracker/

Can't wait.

Add me to the list of people who think if you liked The Stand, you have to read Swan Song by Robert McCammon.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Wow, interesting casting! Bardem can certainly bring the grimness.


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## Misha Crews (Nov 11, 2010)

LaFlamme said:


> Randall Flagg was the Jim Morrison of bad guys.


Love this! Very aptly put.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Me, too. Well said. The Walkin' Man.


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

I read it when it first came out and really liked it. The longest book I ever read and probably wouldn't find the time to read it now.

The TV movie was pretty good too if I remember correctly.

Will the Kindle hold the complete book?


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## Bryan Smith (Feb 13, 2011)

The Stand is not only my favorite book by Stephen King, it's also my favorite book by any author.  I don't reread books often, but I've read The Stand three times, the first time as a teenager in the early 80's and the latest time about 8 years ago.  Everyone has books and other influences that were important for them at a formative age, and The Stand certainly falls in that category for me.  I can't imagine my life without having read it.  The one other book with nearly as big a personal impact is Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas.


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## Cloysterpete (Aug 21, 2010)

nmg222 said:


> Yup, 3 movies and two seasons of a TV series that will bridge the movies. Javier Bardem just landed the lead as Roland.
> 
> http://www.stephenking.com/promo/dark_tower_film_and_tv/news_tracker/
> 
> ...


Swan Song is good but it's a pale imitation of the Stand. I just read the bit in Danse Macarbe last week about how he came up with The Stand, very interesting to see how his ideas form in his head, long live the King!.

I've read both versions of The Stand, the only other book I've read twice is Desperation but that was because I wanted it fresh it my mind for when I watched the tv mini series thing.


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## Rick Chesler (Jul 17, 2010)

haven't read the Stand yet, but have read many of his other works. Some of my favorites are the novellas in the Different Seasons collection (has the Shawshank Redemption).


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## Bryan Smith (Feb 13, 2011)

Different Seasons is an excellent collection.  A classic.  But his newest novella collection, Full Dark, No Stars, is also very, very good.  I think the man's been on a serious roll lately.  Under the Dome was also vintage King, in my opinion.


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## jdj5585 (Feb 13, 2011)

I think I started to read that book in like sixth grade, but couldn't get into it. Perhaps I was too young? Strangely enough, I'm relatively certain that the work is still sitting on my bookshelf...Maybe I'll pick it up again sometime soon.


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## nmg222 (Sep 14, 2010)

Cloysterpete said:


> Swan Song is good but it's a pale imitation of the Stand. I just read the bit in Danse Macarbe last week about how he came up with The Stand, very interesting to see how his ideas form in his head, long live the King!.
> 
> I've read both versions of The Stand, the only other book I've read twice is Desperation but that was because I wanted it fresh it my mind for when I watched the tv mini series thing.


I think Swan Song is actually a better story than The Stand, but noone can touch King when it comes to character depth and detail.


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## candide (Feb 15, 2011)

I read The Stand in my teens (I'm late 30s now) and absolutely devoured it - I've always had a thing for post-apocalyptic fiction, even before reading The Stand, and this had the characterisation and narrative to flesh out the genre book into something that I've always sort of kept with me - Larry's trip through the tunnel, the woman (Rita?) who chokes on her vomit, the Walking Man...it's all so evocative and even now gives me a strong sense of the time and place where I read it.

I recently re-read my favourite teenage King novel though, 'Christine'. This had a really strong impact on me as as a teenager, not so much for the subject matter as for the themes and the settings. As a horror novel I think it's a bit 'meh' - and did at the time - but as a piece of Americana it's absolutely superb. Yes, it's a bit Wonder Years and a bit of a Springsteen cliché, but the relationship between Arne and Dennis, the almost throwaway manner with which Dennis's  family is drawn, the imagery and symbolism of the car, and the heartbreaking mess that the relationship with Leigh becomes...it moved me as a teen in ways that few other books did. And it did it all over again the other month, 20-plus years on.


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## Ray Rhamey author (Jan 6, 2011)

I recommend Bag of Bones. There's a love story in it that has stayed with me even though I can't remember the scary stuff any more.


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## candide (Feb 15, 2011)

Ray Rhamey said:


> I recommend Bag of Bones. There's a love story in it that has stayed with me even though I can't remember the scary stuff any more.


Thanks, I'll look out for that. There's a lot more to him than the horror stuff.


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## Christopher Beck (Jan 24, 2011)

I have The Stand in hard-cover but have not read it yet. There have been some King books that I really enjoyed- Under The Dome, Needful Things, Duma Key, etc.- and some I haven't like Bag Of Bones.


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## jdj5585 (Feb 13, 2011)

I think my favorite thus far was _The Long Walk._ I like King, but I'm picky about which of his books I read...Then again, I doubt many people would agree with my choice haha


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