Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Stand  By  cover art

The Stand

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $40.50

Buy for $40.50

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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: We All Quote Down Here—50+ of the Best Stephen King Quotes


It is King's versatility, his skills as a writer, and his ability to tap into our fears that makes Uncle Stevie so eminently quotable. Even though King writes mainly terrifying books, his works are also full of wisdom, heart, humor, and compassion. He can be scaring your pants off one minute, and really making you think about humankind the next. Here are the best quotes from the master of the macabre: Stephen King.

What listeners say about The Stand

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59,250
  • 4 Stars
    12,149
  • 3 Stars
    3,051
  • 2 Stars
    908
  • 1 Stars
    648
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    56,083
  • 4 Stars
    9,230
  • 3 Stars
    1,851
  • 2 Stars
    369
  • 1 Stars
    332
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    52,119
  • 4 Stars
    10,870
  • 3 Stars
    3,188
  • 2 Stars
    913
  • 1 Stars
    648

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books, terrific narration

Would you listen to The Stand again? Why?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I wasn't sure about this book, due to the length and my initial sample of the narrator's voice. Now, 45 listening hours later I couldn't imagine anyone else narrating. It was terrific. It was a little slow at times, but looking back, that added to the story. It was truly a masterpiece of fiction, as it has been called before.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favorite King novel by far,

Some think in writing this story he had diarrhea of the word processor, no way!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Looking at the run time I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it. I was wrong, by the end the 48 run time felt too short. I highly reccimend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

New to audio books - enjoyed thoroughly!

What did you love best about The Stand?

It was so intriguing thinking about what would happen to the world in a catastrophe of this magnitude.

What did you like best about this story?

I couldn't wait to come back and hear what happened next.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Grover Gardner was pleasant to listen to - a great actor.

If you could take any character from The Stand out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Tom Cullen. Laws yes.

Any additional comments?

At 48 hours, it's quite the commitment. I listened every day, to and from work, for a month. But by the time I got halfway through, I felt so invested in it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding story and performance.

This is one of my favorite Stephen King books, and Grover Gardner's performance was the best of any audiobook I've ever listened to. Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awsome - get this book

What did you love best about The Stand?

non-stop twists and turns. Very hard to guess what was going to happen

Who was your favorite character and why?

stu

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

stu

If you could rename The Stand, what would you call it?

no change .... maybe faith

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great story and great performance

This was one of the best King novels I have ever come across and the narrator can be matched only by the legendary Frank Muller. If you have a long commute like me I can't recommend this high enough. now I have a surplus of audible credits!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Coming Home!

I've read The Stand, many times since 1984! I loved it each time, the characters, old friends! But listening to the story told was amazing! Thank you, Stephen King and Grover Gardner for bringing it to life!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Long and Strong

Drove this daily very interesting to drive to.
Only S.King book I have ever read that let a tear roll down my eye.

loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story!!

One of many great stories by King. Liked some of the subtle hints to the Dark Tower Series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!