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Cover of The Stand by Stephen King

The Stand

  • 1153 pages · about 19 hours
  • First published 1978
  • 87 editions

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1 About this book

One man escapes from a biological weapon facility after an accident, carrying with him the deadly virus known as Captain Tripps, a rapidly mutating flu that - in the ensuing weeks - wipes out most of the world's population.

In the aftermath, survivors choose between following an elderly black woman to Boulder or the dark man, Randall Flagg, who has set up his command post in Las Vegas. The two factions prepare for a confrontation between the forces of good and evil.

  • Suspense & Thriller
  • Horror
  • Thrillers
  • Science fiction
  • Survival
  • Nuclear weapons
  • Post Apocalyptic
  • End of the world

2 What to expect

A very long post-apocalyptic novel: a weaponized flu wipes out most of humanity, and the survivors are drawn to two opposing leaders. The first part, the collapse, follows many separate characters across America and is the most frightening; the rest becomes a darker fantasy of good against evil, with dreams and visions guiding the survivors. It is slow in the middle, graphic in its violence, and at over a thousand pages a long commitment.

Good for readers who want: a post-apocalyptic epic, a large cast, and a big book to get lost in.

3 About Stephen King

Born 1947

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror fiction and has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery. In a career spanning six decades, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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