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Programming note: this review is for the original, edited/cut edition (think 800 pages versus 1200 pages), as it was first published in 1978. The full uncut version was not released until 1990. His original publisher, Doubleday, balked at the full manuscript that King presented, citing the physical inability of their presses to handle that thickness of pages at that time, although possibly the publisher also thought it would be insane to put out that beast. King made the cuts himself. Clearly the result remained highly popular. The paperback that I read this time around was a 36th printing, and its spine has formed a wicked concavity from past handling.

I am not familiar with all of the differences between the original and uncut editions. I can't even recall which I read in the past; this would have been decades ago. I think I last read the uncut version, based on one very minor detail from my memory that I did not encounter at this time. One thing that was cut, which I know from following others reading this book recently, is the actions of the president (and the U.S. government overall, aside from the military) as the Captain Trips pandemic unfolded. In the edited version, the president is mentioned only once and fleetingly. The cuts only created one obvious continuity problem when a trio of spies is listed before this idea was broached, and relatedly when a character is said to have been hypnotized previously although this did not occur on the page. Several new characters just show up in the second half with what is probably cut backstory. Otherwise, if you didn't know there was 50% more material out there somewhere, you would not notice any lack.

I should note that I read this during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, but I want to be clear that this is coincidental. I have not jumped on any bandwagon. I am serious! I started a publication-order Stephen King re-read in September 2019. Honest! Go check my reading history. Sept '19: Carrie. Dec '19: Salem's Lot. Jan '20: The Shining. March '20: Night Shift. What else was I supposed to do? Not read the books in order? No way! Wait until the pandemic is over? Too many more books to read! Think what you will of me but MAMA DIDN'T RAISE NO BANDWAGONER lol.

Anyway, on to the book. Let's take a look at some excerpts from the GR blurb:

Arguably the greatest horror novel ever written by the greatest horror novelist...

uhh... emphasis on "arguably". I mean, sure it's good, but.

The Stand is a truly terrifying reading experience...

uhh... maybe for some people? I found it pretty tame, considering. Maybe I should have been more terrified, given the current real-world pandemic, but the two situations are so different that this did not phase me. There were few moments that stand out to me in genuine horror, one early and two late in the book. The first was the general's order to (view spoiler)[release the virus in Russia and China once it was clear that the U.S.A. was boned, to even the playing field (hide spoiler)]. Now that was evil. The other moments were (view spoiler)[when Jayna offs herself by slamming her face into jagged window glass (hide spoiler)], and more chillingly when (view spoiler)[Flagg rapes Nadine (hide spoiler)] and she orgasms out of sheer terror, which... I'm pretty sure doesn't happen, ever. I have read far more terrifying imagined accounts of post-apocalyptic societal breakdown, such as The Dog Stars. In comparison, survivors in The Stand were awfully friendly and mutually supportive.

King certainly broke new ground in popular fiction with this book, with his vision of trans-apocalyptic America and the subsequent God-versus-Satan-driven battle for the souls of the survivors. It is very much a piece of 1970's America, with it's representatives from Texas, California, New York and more, its extensive road-tripping narrative, and very much so with its racism and sexism. The n-word is used, a lot. Sure, this is exclusive to "bad guys", so clearly King knows it's bad, but there is also no counter-balance of racial justice or inclusion. There are only two identified Black characters in the entire epic; one is the beyond-elderly "Black saviour" receptacle of God's will, and the other is named the Rat-Man. Not exactly representative of the population. And how's this for a diverse-sounding cast of characters: Stu, Nick, Glen, Francine, Lloyd, Harold, Lucy, Ralph, Larry... need I go on? Women in the society of survivors adopt the same traditional roles. Other than Mother Abigail, the object of holy worship and guidance for the "good guys", Fran is only female to receive any legitimate character development, and she becomes... the secretary. The only other females of note have less than stellar roles as, 1. teen slut, 2. to (view spoiler)[commit suicide (hide spoiler)] to foil the Big Bad's plans, and 3. to (view spoiler)[be demon-raped and then to commit suicide (hide spoiler)] to foil the Big Bad's plans. Otherwise the saga is one giant sausage fest. Perhaps the uncut version had more to offer in this regard, I have 20 more King books to read before I get around to that one (and yes, I am going to read this again in the uncut version, because clearly I am a masochist). The only legitimate diversity is the inclusion of disabled characters, both of them fan-favorites, one deaf and mute, one moderately cognitively delayed.

It's a long read, and it's a terrific journey in a lot of ways, with memorable characters and events. It marks the first appearance of Randall Flagg, a.k.a. the Man in Black, a.k.a. various names using the intials R.F. who appears in countless guises and functions throughout the King multiverse. The spread of the virus and the early days of the survivors' journeys are the most interesting parts to me. As things progress, forces gather, and civilazatiton starts to rebuild, it starts to drag on with significantly longer chapters and long stretches without anything thrillingly supernatural taking place. In the final 'Book 3: The Stand', the pacing picks up nicely. My memory of my last long-ago reading is one of a big build-up followed by a flubbed climax. My current experience was better, more like a steady gradual rise to a level plateau. The book would have benefited from spending more time on the "bad guys" side of things earlier. The denouement felt just right and provided the most touching moments in the book.

The biggest problem overall with The Stand is its pervasive dependence on divine intervention to move the plot forward at all points post-pandemic. Why do the survivors gather where they do? Because God directed them. How does Mother Abigail know what to do? Because God told her. How is the existential threat to humanity resolved? Deus ex machina all the way. How can the good guys get one past all-seeing Flagg? Because God blinds Flagg to his ace in the hole. As it turns out, the characters had little personal agency in the events that mattered the most. This might be the most terrifying aspect of the novel in truth; in this world of King's, all people are mere pawns doing an uncaring god's bidding, to the detriment of 99.4% of humanity.

APRIL 2024 UPDATE: The uncut version is up next in my publication-order King re-read, but I simply don't want to read it again, so I won't. I could say, "someday," but I think I'm good on the Stand for life now.