Talk Stephen King: The Stand

By far fans of Stpehen King have preferred the Stand. It was the book that introduced me to his writing. In many ways the Stand represents his writing well.

I first read the 1990 restored version and later listened to the original cut version. What is most striking between the two versions was how dry the cut edition was. Wow! And still, it had been a favorite. But King infused his novel with a deeper flavor; both for characters and the destroyed American landscape.

Primary Story

A superflu sweeps over the world, leaving on a remnant to survive. In America, peope begin either dreaming about an old black woman (Mother Abigail) or are drawn to Las Vegas where the Dark Man is calling them. He intends to take this opportunity to rule the world. Those drawn to Mother must restart society. A favorite part of the book is the Free Zone's efforts to clear out buildings and get the electricity going again. Also the use of motorcycles, since roads and clogged with cars. Mother Abigail disappears for a while, then reappears to announce that those she has chosen must go to Vegas and take a "stand" against evil.
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The Dark Tower

Wizard and Glass makes a particular connection to The Stand when Roland and his band find themselves in the world touched by the plague. Yikes, I remember as I read, characters are now moving through other novels by the same author. How neat.

Strenghts of the Stand:

The stand draws the reader in as King slowly takes the nation (presumeably the world) apart with his super-flu. This isn't as intense as it was when I first read it, because the book is so popular everyone kind of knows what is going to happen. But remember, there was a time when we didn't know what would emerge from the rubble. What would happen after everyone died? What was up with those strange dreams?

Both plot and characters make the Stand a good read. You want to like Stu, but characters like Herold strike more at home. Stu taking Fran and the intense rage from herold was strong. That King allows for conflict within thier own circles makes the story come to life.

I am hopeful that Under the Dome will be "Stand" like!

Favorite Characters:

Mother Abigail, Stu, Larry, Fran, Flagg, Herold, Glenn, The Kid, the Trashcan Man.

Question:

I have always wondered something about The Stand: Why was it necessary for the men to go take their stand in Vegas? Once Flagg had the bomb, the finger of God stopped him, not the men. They didn't really take much of a stand, they just got captured. So they were there to witness it, but what 'stand" did they really take?

Adaptations:

The original novel was put on audio, with Grover Gardner narrating. Personally, I don't like his narration, which is dry. It is out of print. I do not know why the complete and uncut edition was not put on audio. Of course, some websites claim to have a copy. . . but not a legal one.