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)

3rd time is the charm!

I read the original when it was first published: really good. I read the re-edited when it was released: great. I listened to the Audible while reading along: UNBELIEVABLE!

Fun Narrator for. great book

Loved it narrator kept all character's interesting unique voice over for each character. very fun to listen to for anyone who is a Stephen King Fan.

That ending though!

This book was really fun to listen to from beginning to end I found myself wanting to listen to it more and more each day. I would highly recommend reading it or at the very least listening to it but that ending though!

Another masterpiece by the master himself

I've never listened to an audiobook...until now. The first one I chose was this one. The narrator is soo awesome and really brings the story alive. When I read, the book comes alive in my head. Who the people are, what they look and sound like, their walk, the sound of their voice, etc. With a narrator, the voice inside your head is the the one reading the book out loud to you. This has all 3 books, which is awesome because who really wants to settle for just Book 1 and struggle to find the second or have to wait til next months credit to get it. I'm in Book 3 now, and I only listen when I'm in the car. Now, there's a mini series based off the book. I refused to watch it until I finished the book, but with 9 chapters left and hours upon hours left to go, I decided to check into it to see just how far they got in the series. I'm further in the book, so I decided to go ahead and start binge watching the episodes they have. As per usual, the book is better, full of more detail and bringing every emotion into reality for it's... listener? Reader? Either way you choose to indulge in this amazing story written by The Man himself, you'll feel every single emotion. The goosebumps you'll receive will not only raise the hair on every part of your body, but will find its way to every single inch of the entire depth of your soul. Are you ready for a life-changing experience like that? Stephen King's "The Stand" has rocked my entire universe off its feet and made me think differently about the world I live in and the blind trust and faith put into our government. I began this book during the coronavirus pandemic and it really makes everything so much.....more. Just....more. You'll not be disappointed. Listen. Read. Indulge. Then watch the miniseries with all the information you have received and fill in the empty spaces left by the limited time each episode has. Once a fan, always a fan. Stephen King is THE MASTER of all things horror, paranormal, and bringing reality to your worst nightmares and fears.

Stephen King's The Stand

I read The Stand about once every five years, starting when it first came out about forty years ago. I've watched the miniseries on television and it's very good but nothing can touch the book.

Took me 3 months to finish. Worth every minute.

Rare and satisfying story telling that doesn't leave you starved for details. Every character is given a great amount of depth, all well rendered by the narrator.

King's Best Work

This is King's best book by far. The writing style is effortless and you can put it down.

very long... but very worth it

great narration for timely compelling listen at the end of a crappy and similarly horrible 2020

Good book but not fully great

It was a completely new book for me, didnt even watch the tv series before so the beginning was quite hard to follow and connect due to all the characters and jumping from one to the other, specially since the first chapters are so short and have plenty of secondary characters. Nevertheless, by the time that everything can be connected the story makes sense and gets in a nice plot. I would recommend it for readers trying to explore a different perspective of a pandemic with a touch of suspense as in King's books.

I finished it=)

That really didn't feel like 47 hrs. However I enjoyed it. Mildly confused by the last few words in the book but al together an enjoyable listen.