Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ever read The Stand?

I haven't read a Stephen King novel in 25 years. He has been on my "he is a Leftist jerk so he is not getting anymore of my $ " list for a long time. I had already bought this so I started rereading it yesterday.

Here is a summary if you are not familiar:

THE STAND
BY STEPHEN KING ‧ RELEASE DATE: NOV. 3, 1978

Striking a far less hysterical tone than in The Shining, King has written his most sweeping horror novel in The Stand, though it may lack the spinal jingles of Salem's Lot. In part this is because The Stand, with its flow of hundreds of brand-name products, is a kind of inventory of American culture. "Superflu" has hit the U.S. and the world, rapidly wiping out the whole of civilization—excepting the one-half of one percent who are immune. Superflu is a virus with a shifting antigen base; that is, it can kill every type of antibody the human organism can muster against it. Immunity seems to be a gift from God—or the Devil. The Devil himself has become embodied in a clairvoyant called Randall Flagg, a phantom-y fellow who walks highways and is known variously as "the dark man" or "the Walking Dude" and who has set up a new empire in Las Vegas where he rules by fear, his hair giving off sparks while he floats in the lotus position. He is very angry because the immune folks in the Free Zone up at Boulder have sent a small force against him; they get their message from Him (God) through a dying black crone named Abigail, who is also clairvoyant. There are only four in this Boulder crew, led by Stu Redman from East Texas, who is in love with pregnant Fran back in the Free Zone. Good and Evil come to an atomic clash at the climax, the Book of Revelations working itself out rather too explicitly. But more importantly, there are memorable scenes of the superflu spreading hideously, Fifth Avenue choked with dead cars, Flagg's minions putting up fresh lightbulbs all over Vegas. . . . Some King fans will be put off by the pretensions here; most will embrace them along with the earthier chilis.



Back in his younger days King could build a plot and his character development was very good. Captain Trips (what the super bug was called) was 99.5% fatal. The 0.5% that were immune were drawn into good vs evil tribes... it makes me think about current events. When times get hard the basically good people look out for each other, the not good people only care about power.....

Thoughts?

Read it twice, back in the day. It used to get passed around amongst the troops out in the field.

Pretty much know it by heart. Probably his best book ... but I too quit reading his books for the same reasons some years ago.

A friend of mine gave me the book after she finished it. I guess that was in 1978 (damn I'm getting old). It's a thick book and I let it sit on the shelf for a bit then I started to feel like I was getting sick. I went to bed and figured I'd read for an hour or so.

The next thing I knew it was getting light outside, I'd read straight through the night. I can't remember if I got the flu or just a bad cold but either way it made the reading experience extra vivid .

Yes...good book

🦫

Wait ill you get to the giant lobsters on the beach part.

I'm a fan of early Stephan King. Dude was prolific and wrote some gripping stories.

Laws Yes, MOON spells GFY.

😂🤪😂

Stephen King can eat a bag of dïcks.

So in the 2021 pandemic who do you nominate for the Randall Flagg role? It sure isn't Joe the zombie Biden. IMO he is minor minion in the bigger picture.

When I read the Stand, they were only single servings of dicks being sold.

Flave was in front of the line, of course...#TrendSetter

LMAO

🦫

George Soros.

I saw the mini series on tv. About 6, two hour shows starring Gary Sinise. Very good mini series.
I loved how, in the battle of the Good People vs the Minions of Satan, they had Satan living in hell in Las Vegas. Las Vegas has always been my idea of hell.

I saw that too and now I see those actors in my head while I reread the book . I put it down around 3:00 AM last night. It's a beautiful day here need to go on a long walk with my wife and take care of some chores before I pick it up again.

I read Christine, and half of The Shining...... That's it for SK!

Not really a Stephen King fan, but probably the best book I’d ever read at the time.

Probably did.

Read the 1100+ page "Complete and Uncut Edition" 1990 hardcover in a marathon sitting over 2 days of being snowed in. Threw it across the room in disgust when I finished. After such an epic tale, the ending was f u c k i n g retarded.

Looks like the full mini series is free on You Tube... Not sure how King would get paid for people watching this? Could be a not support the leftist dirt bag way for some pretty good entertainment....

drew it from the library in February 2020 for a reread.

..

My guess is that he fell off the wagon cause he sounds unhinged in his public statements and I can't believe that he allowed Hollistan to turn his lifetime project (Gunslinger / Darktower series ) into such a garbage movie

Thank you. My sentiments exactly.

I read it - it’s one of the longest books I’ve ever read