The Stand

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins

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)

not a fan of the narrator

good story, vanilla ending, really unimpressed narrative. made characters sound cheesy, campy. wish that king would have been more realistic about the grieving process

Baby can you dig your man!

In 1978 Stephen King first published The Stand but a good deal of it lay on the cutting room floor. The publisher felt the price the book commanded would not cover the costs of printing the entire novel as King envisioned. So now, decades later, King wanted to present to the public his novel as he initially intended. I can now imagine that most of what wound up on the cutting room floor were the expanded backgrounds, interactions, and relationships of the characters contained within. Combining the good versus evil hook in a post-apocalyptic setting has been done before but never in such detail. The Stand is an excellent work of fiction, one that I had to experience, but I must admit it is too long.

Gripping from the beginning!

It just sucks you in and takes you along for the ride. Grover Gardner is fantastic. One of the best.

Take your breath away

The Stand is such a powerful book to me. I love reading the classics and King does an incredible job with including snippets of those works of art weaving them into the vernacular of his characters. He also introduced me to many songs I've never heard before and I'm grateful.

Having so many characters in this book gives it incredible depth and shows the myriad facets King's mind is capable of achieving.

The Stand

Very good just a bit too vulgar in parts for me. Too much detail sexualy.

Great Build-Up, Ending Doesn't Quite Land

This story establishes a suitably dark and satisfying tone that is quite satisfying. Parts are quite scary and even psychologically depressing (maybe limit how often you listen to this in the dark before falling asleep, that's a lesson I had to learn), but it is a compelling world and there's a great narrative drive to the characters and the setting they have to navigate. That said, the ending... not sure what to say except... King left me wanting something more, possibly even something different. The set up was great and created the expectation of something revelatory. And ultimately, it's not really there. Still, a good listen, and maybe tempering expectations about the ending will add to the enjoyment.

Well....

What can I say about The Stand? It's the magnum opus of one of the most prolific writers of my lifetime (and many others, myself not even born when this was originally published).

If you enjoy a character driven story, dark fantasy, horror, drama or anything dystopian. The Stand will scratch many itches. Yes, it's terribly long... But, if you can muscle through it you'll be rewarded with one hell of a ride. It's not that difficult at the end of the day. You want to keep reading it. Some of the dialogue seems outdated (because it is) and some parts are slow (I mean, it's a doorstop!), yet I found myself in need of finding out what happens next. What crazy character am I going to meet? Who will survive? Who won't? It surely will surprise you.

I did a mix of listening and reading, since it is so long. I wouldn't have enough time in several years to read this otherwise. The audiobook version narrated by Grover Gardner is excellent. His voice and reading takes a little getting used to but once you do, you come to enjoy his style and acting. Would recommend this work in either medium.

Long read - amazing detail

An immense amount of detail given for nearly every scene - I love getting a feel for each scene with small details and spot on, original similes. Narrator does a phenomenal job playing the multitude of characters.

Our current COVID situation adds an extra element to this book...

40+ hours - too long? I don’t think so. Never was I bored waiting for the next scene.

Absolutely amazing

There is no No one on this earth that can spin a story is great Stephen king.

My very favorite book of all time

The Stand is so worth the read, listen or watch if you’re a post-apocolyptic fan. This is a lengthy book but it was worth every minute of your time. It is very well written and the narrator does a tremendous job of using different accents and inflections for each character. Highly recommend this audiobook.