Description
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot is centered on a pandemic of a weaponized strain of influenza that kills the entire world population. An extremely contagious and lethal strain of influenza, resistant to antibodies and vaccines, is developed as a biological weapon within a secret U.S. Department of Defence laboratory.
A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world's population within a few weeks. Those who survive are scared, bewildered, and need to be led by an alpha. Two groups spring up-- one led by Mother Abagail and others by Randall Flagg. The benevolent 108-year-old woman, Mother Abagail, who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and the nefarious "Dark Man", Randall Flagg, who delights in chaos and violence. A few survivors of influenza, unite in groups, established a new social system, and engage in confrontation with each other. As the dark man and benevolent woman acquire some power, the survivors have to choose between them-- and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
Review
The Stand was highly appreciated by literary critics and is considered one of King's best novels. It is a masterpiece that is set in the virus-decimated U.S. King's thrilling American fantasy epic is a classic. In 1990, The Stand was reprinted as a complete and uncut edition. King restored some fragments of texts that were initially reduced, revised the order of the chapters, shifted the novel's setting from 1980 to 10 years forward, and accordingly corrected a number of cultural references.
The Complete and Uncut Edition of The Stand is considered to be King's longest stand-alone work. The book has sold 4.5 million copies. It has been included in lists of the best books of all time by Rolling Stone, Time, The Modern Library, Amazon, and the BBC. Reviewers praised the believability of the story, the relevance of the issues raised, and the liveliness of the characters, but criticized the protractedness of individual episodes, the plot dualism, and the deliberate denouement.
Adaptation
Television
- A self-titled, 8-hours miniseries, based on the novel was broadcast on ABC in 1994, directed by Mick Garris and starred Gary Sinise, Adam Storke, and few more actors along with Stephen King himself.
- A 10-hours limited series to air on CBS All Access completed production in March 2020. The Complete and Uncut Edition includes a prologue detailing the development of the virus and the security breach that causes its release.
Marvel Comics adapted The Stand into a series of six five-issue comic book miniseries. The series was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and illustrated by Mike Perkins. The first issue of The Stand: Captain Trips was released on September 10, 2008.
Music
- Metallica (2019) derived the title for its song "Ride the Lightning" from a quote from The Stand.
- The Alarm had a song on the 1984 album Declaration called "The Stand (Prophecy)" as an homage to the book. The song contained certain lyrics directly related to the book.
- The title track to the 1987 album ''Among The Living'' by the band Anthrax is based on the novel.
About the Author
Stephen King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural, fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them are worldwide bestsellers, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman. He has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections.
His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, Mr. Mercedes, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both Mr. Mercedes and End of Watch received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.
His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, Mr. Mercedes, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both Mr. Mercedes and End of Watch received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.
His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by the New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller as well as the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers Association. He co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game, and It.
Stephen King has been the recipient of many national and international awards till the date. He has received America's prestigious 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He has been described as 'King of Horror' a play on his surname. King studied at the University of Maine, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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Rating: 4.6/5
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton (New edition), Doubleday (Original)
Publishing Date: 12 May 2011(New edition), 3 October 1978 (Original)
Language: English
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Fantasy-fiction, Post-apocalyptic, Fantastique
ISBN-10: 9781444720730
ISBN-13: 978-1444720730
ASIN: 1444720732
Pages: 1344
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