Stephen King's "The Stand"

[Ohio Dem]

I'm thinking about reading The Stand by Stephen King again. What a great book. But it's so long! And it's the unabridged version, which is something like 400 pages longer than the version originally released.

The only reason I haven't started it yet is that I want to read several other things, including Conason's book and Moore's book (when it's released).

But anyway: Who here has read The Stand? What did you think?

[Piltdown13]

1. It's one of my favorite King books.

I thought the characters in "The Stand" were some of the most compelling in any of his novels, and the story was very entertaining. (I also thought the mini-series they made several years ago was pretty good.)

I still can't decide whether I like the originally released version or the unabridged version better. There's certainly a lot more detail in the long version (whole characters were cut out of the short version), but I can't make up my mind whether the extra material adds significant value. Of course, it's probably been 15 years since I read the short version...I keep meaning to find it and have another look. :-)

[Ohio Dem]

8. I've never read the abridged version, so I'm no help there.

The mini-series was okay, I guess. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped, though. You'd think that four days in a mini-series would do a book justice, but The Stand really requires a whole month to tell the whole story.

[lazarus]

2. loved it

Especially liked the unexpurgated version. But then, I think King's a great writer, when he's on his game.

While I don't like the implicit technology/evil mysticism/good subtexts, the characterisations and writing are fantastic.

FYI, add the Franken book to your list, I just finished it, wonderful work.

[Ohio Dem]

9. The Franken book:

Done. Outstanding book. I've already loaned it to a coworker, gotten it back, and loaned it to another coworker. I think the book was in my possession for thirty seconds before it was gone again.

[jonnyblitz]

3. I think one of his best if not THE best. I don' t read his books anymore.

I am not into fiction/horror anymore but I remember when I read that book a bazillion years ago I liked it the most.

[Cheswick2.0]

4. I am not a King fan, but I loved it

I really prefer Dean Koontz books such as the Watchers.Strangers and Lightening. However The Stand was Kings best book and I have read it several times.

[NashVegas]

6. Koontz

I started to get into his stuff, but by the 3rd or 4th book, I was getting pretty tired of his helpless heroines.

[Ohio Dem]

10. And those helpless heroines always find true love.

And the endings are always happy. Koontz is okay, but IMO he's no King.

[jus_the_facts]

12. Twilight Eyes...Midnight and Strangers.....are my favorite Koontz......

....the last decade he's written mostly about serial killer shit and lost my interest...just don't care for that stuff at all...x(

[NashVegas]

5. I Loved It

But thought the unabridged version was a good argument for why editors are kept employed. Most of the additions weren't necessary.

The other thing that mildly bothers me is how the book is "updated" every few years for cultural/timeliness reasons. ie, every every xth printing, they push back the date the story takes place in 5 years or so. Then to fix that, he changes the popular culture items he mentioned in passing. There's a part where he describes some teen reading a music magazine; I can't recall who he said was on the cover the first time, but when I read a later printing, Boy George was on the cover, and no one knew who he was in 1978.

I'm too lazy to go look up the passage right now, but I think it's when Larry's on the plane to NYC.

But otherwise, I still love the story.

[Ohio Dem]

11. I think my copy is pretty old, then.

I didn't notice that. But I might not have noticed. I'll have to look.

But you're right. Updating it cheapens it.

[NashVegas]

50. Another Updating

One of the wise cracks, originally "funny like a screen door in a submarine," was changed. Can't remember where, gonna have to look it up.

After some thought, I think David Lee Roth may have been on the magazine cover in the first version, or Steven Tyler, one of those guys, anyway.

I'll look it up later today.

[jus_the_facts]

7. The Stand.....the best book ever......

...I've read it several times...lost count but read at age 14 and it's my all time favorite book...got almost all Stephen's works in hardback...only 5 or 6 more to go 'til I own 'em all...but The Stand is his best by far....Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz is my second favorite read of all time....seems I remember you saying in another thread you'd read that one too and liked it! ;-)

[Ohio Dem]

13. Twilight Eyes is awesome!!!

Easily Koontz's best work. Why? Because it breaks his normal mold. The heroine isn't helpless, and there is that feeling of dread at the end, because the goblins still exist. I prefer that to a normal Koontz happy ending. (Not that I have anything against happy endings, but I like to be surprised sometimes, too. The occasional bad ending, like in Cugo or The Chamber, keeps me on my toes. When I read Koontz, I know how the book will end.)

[jus_the_facts]

15. ...speakin' of the goblins...ever notice how several repukes ears all fold

...downward...gives me the heebie jeebies! :evilgrin:

on edit....next time you see Pat Robertson and *...think about it! :scared:

[Ohio Dem]

17. I think Koontz might have been on to something in that book.

He was clearly describing Republicans. And most DU'ers have twilight eyes, apparantly.

And the rest of the country goes blindly along. Well, some of the rest of the country, anyway.

[jus_the_facts]

25. Exactly..it's just soo eerie...and can't stop myself from projecting.....

.....but they DO look like veiled goblins....their masks ready to slip off any second!! :D

[Ohio Dem]

38. LOL. From now on,

when I think of that book, or reread it for that matter, I'll always picture little Rumsfields and Ashcrofts masquerading as humans.

That would make the book truly scary.

[jus_the_facts]

46. sorta makes reality all the scarier.....*hair prickles on arms*

....that's what I was thinking during (*)'s swearing in Muahahaha :evilfrown:

[ronzo]

14. Anyone have a copy of the 'bible' run?

They still pop up on ebay from time to time.

Great book, by the way.

[Ohio Dem]

18. I'm not familiar with "The Bible Run."

What is that?

[ronzo]

28. Its a run one publisher did of the stand...

It's an edition that looks like the bible, in a really sweet box. Hardcore King collectors buy them up.

Let me check ebay...

edit:
found a reference on google:
http://www.overlookconnection.com/thestand.htm
they're getting harder to find, apparently...

[Ohio Dem]

35. That sounds excellent.

I appreciate the explanation.

[Spider Jerusalem]

37. A Donald M. Grant edition?

That's the publisher that does limited-edition numbered runs of a lot of King's works (Dark Tower included...all of the Dark Tower books have been published as limited-edition hardcovers before coming out in trade paperback).

[Spider Jerusalem]

39. Ah. Published by Doubleday.

[ronzo]

42. How sharp is that?

[Ohio Dem]

44. That IS really cool looking.

I'm going to have to look into this. I think I have to have one of those. But only if they cost less than the Woody Hayes bobblehead, which I inexplicably missed out on.

[ronzo]

47. serious bucks. n/t

[Toby109]

16. Best King work, IMHO

The characterizations were dead-on which is what King does best.

[Ohio Dem]

19. Yeah, you really get to know his characters, don't you? n/t

[curse10]

20. It's my favorite King book

I read it when I was in the 7th grade. It was most excellent. But not his scariest work-- that goes to Salem's Lot

[Ohio Dem]

49. No, not the scariest.

I don't know if a book can truly be scary. Certainly most of King's books aren't scary.

The Dark Half was pretty scary, though. I was living alone at the time and couldn't put it down. Therefore, a lot of it got read in the middle of the night. It sorta freaked me out, and I don't know why. As far as 'Salem's Lot goes, it's been so long I don't really even remember how it goes. I'll have to reread that one, too, I guess.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. The Stand was good...

not a bad reworking of Tolkien. (Flagg is Sauron, Mother Abigail is Gandalf, Trashcan Man is Gollum, and so on)...but the Dark Tower series is King's best work, in my opinion.

[Ohio Dem]

26. I tend to agree.

When does the fifth installment come out? November 4? Is that right?

Yeah, the Dark Tower series is absolutely his best. Good point. But I wonder if he'll ever finish it.

Edited to avoid nearly the entire post being underlined.

[Spider Jerusalem]

31. Yeah...

Dark Tower V is out Nov. 4, then followed at three (or six, can't remember which) month intervals by books VI and VII. From what I understand he's more or less finished it. Which means I have two series I'm looking forward to reading through to their conclusions over the next year...the other is Neal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle"...V. 1, "Quicksilver", came out this past Tuesday, I'm almost done with it (on page 800-something of 944) and already waiting on the next installment, which will be out in March...ah, the agony of anticipation...

[Ohio Dem]

45. I read about Quicksilver in Newsweek.

It sounds interesting. Like it, do you? I might have to check that out as well.

[Spider Jerusalem]

48. Yes, indeed...

it's somewhat hard to describe succintly...part picaresque novel, part swashbuckler, part bodice-ripper, part novel of the history of science (Newton and Leibniz and their famous feud are prominently featured)...full of 17th century political intrigue, with digressions on the nature of money, techniques of cryptography, religious tolerance in post-Restoration England, alchemy...and I've just scratched the surface.

[dofus]

22. Read the original.

For one thing, it's set in the early 80's (as I recall) and makes much more sense in that time frame. When he rereleased it he not only put back in stuff the editor rightly made him take out, but he moved it up in time about ten years, and so a bunch of little plot details no longer made sense.

A political poster gets changed, and the change makes no sense. Also, in the first version, I could barely accept the idea that the parents of the unmarried pregnant girl absolutely freak out at the prospect of the out-of-wedlock grandchild. Ten years later it's even less believable that they act that way.

Steven King is a great writer, but is always improved by judicious editing.

[Ohio Dem]

30. I think the original is what I have.

I have to check to be sure, though.

[SmileyBoy]

53. The uncut version takes place in the summer of 1990.

And the girl's father had no problem with her having a baby, but her bitch mother had a freakin' coniption.

[WilliamPitt]

23. Excellent book, lame ending

but an excellent book.

[Ohio Dem]

29. I'm of two minds about the ending.

Yes, I think it was lame. If King has a weakness, it's his endings. It's like he writes and writes and writes and then the deadline comes up, so he quickly ends the book.

On the other hand, I liked the idea that Flagg is indestructible. (liked might not be the right word.) The ending reminds the reader that evil is never completely overcome. You might cause the evildoers (sorry, George) to blow themselves the hell up, but you can't kill evil.

[WilliamPitt]

32. I'm thinking more of the final showdown in Vegas

The Flagg bit works out well, and plays into several other books: The Gunslinger series and the Eyes of the Dragon, especially.

The Vegas 'hand of God' thing was dorksville.

[Ohio Dem]

33. True. And it's cool that Flagg is a recurring character.

Not only in King books, but in MASH as well. Same name, anyway.

You're right about the "hand of God" thing. I think the deadline was fast approaching and he had 500 more pages to write, but couldn't.

[FDRrocks]

24. Scary!

The book was a great read. I read the unabdrigded version twice when I was in middle school and HS, it really makes one wonder.

On the other side, you have read it. There is so much non-fiction knowledge out there for everyone to learn. Why bother? Unless you need a break from serious reading and need a reprieve, I would vote against it.

[Ohio Dem]

34. A break is exactly what I need.

But I think The Stand might be too long a reprieve.

[Lady Freedom]

27. I have read the unabriged version A LOT!!!!

Yes I Love to read! And The Stand is so wild of a ride that you have to take it again and again!

[PinkTiger]

43. The Stand is the only book I have read more than once,

Except for Gone with the Wind. I've read it twice. Now I've dated myself, Hah!
I'm a Stephen King fan, so I've read the unabridged version and the first one, and a second version that had the dates changed and some other details brought up to more recent time.

At the time, the changes didn't matter. I also think the unabridged version is overblown....but as a King fan, I loved it.

It is his finest work, except for his books on writing, which I find very useful. I teach writing (journalism, not creative) and have used some of his techniques in teaching feature writing. Feature writing requires creativity and good inner monologue and dialogue, as well as an ability to describe places, people, events and feelings.

The other works by King that are notable are the Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, the Gunslinger Series (love these) and Hearts in Atlantis. These are such good books (Shawshank was actually a novella, almost a short story) that they seem written by a different person.

I do not like King's works that lack good characterization. And I dislike the ones with mostly male interests; Also, silly plots based on UFOS and aliens are boring. The Stand had several interesting female characters -- one of its strengths. It also had a central idea that was universal. How many of us have not felt that our lives were inhabited by a push/pull between Good and Evil? When King bases his horror on the reality that is within all of us, it is, In My Opinion, better reading than alien clowns and cars that are possessed.

King has borrowed heavily from Tolkien, but also from C.S. Lewis. I think he is also heavily influenced by Biblical references and by comic books, and he is also influenced by his generation. Vietnam, the 60's -- and his obvious problem with equality of women -- these reflect his age.

Movies? In my opinion there will never be a good King movie, except for maybe the Shawshank Redemption, which was an improvement over the original. (I also liked Misery and Dolores Claiborne - Kathy Bates is fantastic). King's strength is on the imagination quotient that he sparks in the reader. This is such a variable, it is difficult if not impossible to translate to the screen, which is such a passive, visual experience. Reading requires imagination. That is what we love about it.

But I have a theory about King. One of his books, Bag of Bones, has a writer protagonist (a common ploy), who is so prolific that he writes more books than his agent will send to the publisher. When the writer's wife dies, he goes through several years of being unable to write.
So he sends the "overflow" to the publishers and these are published instead of him writing new stuff.
I think King has actually done this, and a lot. Some of his stuff seems like his early writings, and is wholly different from the later stuff. I think The Stand was a turning point in his writing, I think he has had dry periods, and has recycled his earlier books that he didn't sell.

There are times I think a grocery list by Stephen King would be a best seller.

Anyone else notice this?

[FloridaJudy]

36. Loved "The Stand"!

I'm particulary fond of the little old black lady, and the "Rambling Man" - aka the "Freeper from Hell".

It's been my one of my unabashed pleasures to have actually *met* Stephen King! The guy is an unapologetic liberal, and even a worse chain-smoker than I am.

I was sitting in the back of a class-room listening to some professors pontificate about the meaning of King's work. A guy with thich glasses behind me suddenly cleared his throat.

The professors bowed down in homage: "Mr. King, what do YOU think?"

He didn't even blink. "I feel like Huck Finn listening to his funeral oration!"

I LOVE that guy!

[Ohio Dem]

40. You have to like King.

Everything I've read or heard about him I like. He seems very generous and likable.

[gate of the sun]

41. read it.

a few times.......but then I've read quite a few books a few times. some parts are really good. Some parts are a bit lame in my opinion. the good versus evil part falls abit short with me.

[RebelOne]

51. One of King's best books

I have read both versions. Believe me, once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.

[SmileyBoy]

52. AWESOME story, but it made me paranoid.

I kept trying to tell myself that something like what happened in the story about the plague could never happen in reality, because there's no way that a virus can exist in nature that will kill 99.5 percent of its hosts. I actually had to read Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone" for reassurance from my paranoia on "The Stand", and "The Hot Zone" was a friggin scary book, too. That tells you a little bit on how much "The Stand" scared me. But anyway, Preston writes in his book that once a virus kills 90 percent of its hosts, it cannot efficiently spread, because its killing too many people, and it needs time to spread. In essence, it kills itself out by trying to kill over 90 percent of its hosts. So a man-made virus like the one in "The Stand" could not exist in nature, because in reality, it would kill itself out. Look at me, I'm rambling aboput my paranoia again.

Anyway: Great story, the plot and charachters were excellent, but the plague part of the story gave me the real jibbies. I almost was crying when I read the parts in Chapter 26 in the uncut version about when civilistion collapsed.

[Aristus]

54. I read the edited original version every year or so when I was a teenager.

It was incredible. Even when I knew the story, I loved putting the book down and coming back to it later, looking forward to finding out what was happening in the Free Zone or Vegas. The unabridged version came out, I read it, and was decidedly underwhelmed by it. I saw why the editor insisted it be cut. I gave you nothing you really needed in the way of further characterization. The perverted little Charles Starkweather clone from Louisiana was repulsive and unnecessary. Did I really need to read about him sodomizing Trashcan Man with a pistol?
The characters in the edited edition were all well drawn, and we were spared the completely unrealistic shrew of a mother Fran had.

Having said that, this discussion makes me want to go and read the edited version again. Great book.

[SmileyBoy]

55. I only read the unedited version, and I thought it was great.

I'm not really interested in reading the edited, 1978 (early-1980's scene) version. Also, the uncut version took place in a later time period, which I believe makes the perception of the story more frightening to me in the more "horror-esque" parts, because I can relate to 1990 society much more than early-1980's society.