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The Stand  By  cover art

The Stand

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Publisher's summary

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail - and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

In 1978, Stephen King published The Stand, the novel that is now considered to be one of his finest works. But as it was first published, The Stand was incomplete, since more than 150,000 words had been cut from the original manuscript.

Now Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil has been restored to its entirety. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition includes material previously deleted, along with new material that King added as he reworked the manuscript for a new generation. It gives us new characters and endows familiar ones with new depths. It has a new beginning and a new ending. What emerges is a gripping work with the scope and moral complexity of a true epic.

For hundreds of thousands of fans who heard The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are listening to The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.

Cover artwork ©2020 CBS Interactive Inc.

©1978 Stephen King (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"A master storyteller." (Los Angeles Times)

"[The Stand] has everything. Adventure. Romance. Prophecy. Allegory. Satire. Fantasy. Realism. Apocalypse. Great!" (The New York Times Book Review)

"As brilliant a dark dream as has ever been dreamed in this century." (Palm Beach Post)

Featured Article: The definitive guide to the very best Stephen King adaptations


If you’re a Stephen King fanatic, or are interested in learning about the movies and shows made from his books, this round-up will provide you with a comprehensive list of the very best Stephen King screen adaptations. Watch the adaptation and then listen to the audiobook, or vice versa—this choice is yours. Either way, you can see how the adaptation stacks up against the source material and experience these legendary frights over and over again.

What listeners say about The Stand

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Absolutely Amazing

This is one of King's best books I loved listening to the whole 48 hours it was great. I'm positive ilk be listening to it again one day soon!

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Still the best

I read this as a teenager for the first time. Years later, re-read and then began listening...and listening again every once in a while. Still the best. Maybe it's the depth of character. No small feat, laws no. Maybe it's the neverending battle of good vs evil or the bizarre range of the human condition. Either way, still the best.
Yours truly,
Constant Reader

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good book bad female voices from narrator.

struggled finish it because of the narrator. it was a great book and love king.... not happy this narrator did story of the world

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amazing story! great narration

I loved this audio book, I've read the novel 5-6 times and this was an interesting experience just listening to my "old friends" in the story...stu,nick,Glen,Larry, Tom Cullen (my personal favorite),Co jack...etc.

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Just as I remember reading it before.

The same excitement - now imagining Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail! Great epic tale!

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Where was he? What did it matter?

my favorite so far of the King stories. amazing characters who take you on such a complex story of how our world came to be, was destroyed by us, and then came to be again with the same ideals built on heaven and hell solely on 2 people abigal and Flagg who overtime would become god and the devil in passing generations.

i have seen the television so which is amazing while listening to this. the show makes some changes that I think is perfect for a different narrative of King's story. i love this story so much and the last chapter where Randall wakes up and sees the native people is like a poem of how America came to be.

good shit Stephen good shit

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Loved every 47 hours of it!

I completed this book in less than two weeks. I couldn't get enough! King is a master storyteller.

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amazing

first your like how do I follow all theses stories and then it all ties together in a wonderful masterpiece

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Incredible narration

I’m so sad this book is over. I listened to The Stand during my 2 hour commute everyday and now I have a void! The narration of this story is so amazing. The story is so immersive. Highly recommend

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Great book

This book kept us totally engaged the entire book. We listened on a cross country trip.

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