The Stand cover art

The Stand

An epic thriller from the No.1 bestseller

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The Stand

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Summary
 First came the days of the plague. Then came the dreams.

Dark dreams that warned of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of Evil.

His time is at hand. His empire grows in the west and the Apocalypse looms.


(P)2012 Random House Audio©1978 Stephen King Genre Fiction Horror Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Scary Ghost Haunted Dream Royalty

Critic Reviews

[The Stand] has everything - adventure, romance, prophecy, allegory, satire, fantasy, realism, apocalypse . . . Great!
A masterpiece . . . King says in the novel's introduction that he "wanted to write a fantasy epic like The Lord of the Rings, only with an American setting", and that's absolutely what he did . . . The Stand is dense and rich. Every character is full and alive
A fabulous teller of stories who can create an entire new world and make the reader live in it
His work plumbs with unnerving accuracy, the hopes and fears of an entire nation
As a storyteller, he is up there in the Dickens class.
A writer of excellence . . . King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel
All stars
Most relevant
During chapter 3, there is a moment where the narrator starts reading chapter 6.

Overall, the story and narration is great.

Glitch in Chapter 3

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The quality of story and the writing ensured that the marathon length was not a drag. Book 2 was a bit labored - I was over the committee love in. But even when the story dragged a bit (and it has to at some point given the length) the quality of King's written carried you along. Presentation was outstanding. Don't be put off by the length.

Hell of a journey

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What did you like most about The Stand?

I love the broad sweep of Stephen King's novel; the fastidious setting of the scene for this epic battle between good and evil.

What other book might you compare The Stand to, and why?

It's impossible not to see this novel as the parent of so many subsequent post-apocalypse themed novels and many modern authors writing in this genre seem to give a nod to this book in some way.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

From the point of view of a non-American reader, he brings the voice that helps to make sense of the very contextualised story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I enjoyed listening to this book in small doses; having already read the book I wanted to listen for detail.

Any additional comments?

My sister and I both agree, while the book is great fun it is also a fascinating snapshot of a time when male writers were still unselfconsciously sexist in their approach to story structure and characterisations. It is disappointing that two of the most interestingly drawn characters are afterwards relegated to passive roles because they are female. A finale with Fran in it would have been so much more satisfying.

Fascinating snapshot of its time.

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This was a good story that was worth the time invested. I'm not usually a fan of Stephen King, and even here the horror aspects were the least enjoyable for me, but they do not dominate the storyline.

Engaging

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was a great story but was an effort to complete the 40 odd hours

great but long

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