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The Stand: 5/5  Reviewed: 2/3/2021  

    If you’re a casual reader, this book is probably not for you, as there are a lot of characters to keep track of and a total of over 1,400 pages. That being said, I think anyone who likes to read books or intends on becoming a writer should read this. There is something we should clear up right away. This is not a horror novel. This is the ultimate battle between good and evil. There are two different communities in this book, one led by The Dark Man, who acts as the villain of the story, and Mother Abigail, who acts a prophet and symbol of Light. Both of these characters are written very well, although the main characters are the real spotlight of the story. Stu Redman, Larry Underwood, Frannie Goldsmith are the three I found most interesting among the wide cast of unique characters. This book also takes peeks at The Dark Man’s community in Las Vegas, where we get to see how things operate, the people living in fear, and the general greyness that is humanity. Some of these sections, however, can get a little annoying. I particularly didn’t like that chapter with The Kid, and although it doesn’t take away from the overall story, its little sections like this that could’ve been kept out of the complete version of The Stand. 

The writing in this book is prime King, and the book rarely has any moments that were not well written. The way King ties everything together is also smooth and feels natural. This book also has one of the greatest opening sequences of all time, as the prologue really sets the tone for the rest of the book and sets up the introduction to Stu Redman very well. With 1,400 pages, there is lots of room for character development, and although some characters remain static, most of them have a character arc, mature, or have a big fall from grace. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Harold Lauder is a prime example of a dynamic character whose personality endures changes throughout the book. 

    This book has four parts in my mind. The initial outbreak takes place in the beginning of the book, and brings a lot of interesting exposition and shows the tragedy that is the superflu. The second part is the journey to Mother Abigail, which is filled with the setup to the main focus of the book, the battle between Mother Abigail’s community and Randall Flagg’s. Part three spends a lot of time planning and chilling around in the community. I thought this part was going to be a bore, as in the grand scheme of things nothing of huge importance seems to get done, but there is a lot of great character work and a major plot twist. Part four is the ending couple hundred pages, and I cannot really talk about this part without getting into spoilers, but this part is very moving, despite feeling a little rushed. This part goes by a little too quickly, but It’s not a huge problem. Overall, this is probably one of my favorite books and also one of the best-written stories I have read, due to its memorable characters and fantastic writing, and I was very sad to see it go. Very seldom do books give me this much nostalgia right after reading them.