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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)

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What listeners say about The Stand

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Pretty good book

I enjoyed it but it was long. Hard to follow and pay attention in the beginning while learning all the characters.

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Love this story!!

A beautiful story by Stephen King. The book is very long but well worth it! The narrator is very good as well, I enjoyed his voice and pace. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is religious or not. Anyone could relate to the story in one way or another.

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My first Stephen King book

Read it in college and wanted to read it again in light of recent events. And it did not disappoint! This edition has all sorts of extras that really sucks you in.

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Stephen King is the BEST

This has been a favorite of mine for over 20 years. Having it read to me in this amazing fashion was just delightful. Grover Gardner is fantastic; he had me imagining the characters like never before. Bravo to him, bravo to King for one of the greatest novels ever written. I’ve read almost everything King has written, and The Stand has always remained the standout for me.

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It’s incredible

I promise this book has a major pay off that fills you with so many emotions. It’s the type of book you get lost in. I listen to it as I ran for miles, and I couldn’t believe how far I had gone because I was so lost in the story. It’s a standout novel.

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First ever

First ever King novel and I loved every minute of it. Was very anxious to see how things would unfold but definitely didn’t see this coming. Worth the listen.

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I love this book

I loved everything about this book. This was before King put his political jabs into his books. Grover Gardner is my favorite narrator

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It was okay.

I read that The Stand is considered to be the best Stephen King book and the one he received the most inquiries about.
It was not my favorite. It is well written and I don't regret buying it but it's not one of those books I just can't put down. I do wish it would have had a better ending. I would have been happy with the main character sitting on the porch at the end, but I guess there needs to be opposition in the world to know good from evil...

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Grover Gardner reads this book in an unforgettable way!

Amazing! Hands down one of the best readings I have experienced by Grover Gardner and as always, the wheel of Stephen Kings mind circles around again.

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Captivating experience

I was hooked on this listen from chapter one. You’re drawn into each characters life and can genuinely relate to them all. As crazy yet oddly familiar as the super flu is to what we are experiencing today, I found myself picturing our world as it is in The Stand. Highly suggested read/listen. I will definitely circle back around to it in the future.

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