The Stand - Stephen King

This post has 9 comments with rating of 5/59

• 
  CaptainZero
  June 15th, 2020
  

  I’ve read this book a few times. This version is very different. It reads like a trashy romance novel at certain points. It’s not as good as the original, and I swear there are some scenes from the original missing.

  Maybe the editor did a good job on the original after all. Maybe this was written during a point in time when King was drinking and doing tons of cocaine. Also: His writing has improved drastically over the years. He got to the point where he was a really good story teller and a very good writer. IMO this is not a great version.

  But! The pandemic related stuff, and government reaction stuff is spooky. Eerily familiar from recent events.

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  caesar963
  June 15th, 2020
  

  At one point, his beleaguered family had to conceal the mouth wash from his majesty, due to its alcohol content. He can’t even remember writing Cujo (nor can I recall reading it).

  Wasn’t his “golden age” really the first 10 years of published stories? The ending of Pet Sematary being inordinately effective. He may of course have become a technically better writer, as he honed the craft.

  The Stand has always been a literary oddity/anomaly for me, no matter how much of the breeze block I consumed, I was only ever half way through. Something of a horror story in itself…

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  jack_eichel
  June 15th, 2020
  

  

  “Tonight all is silence in the world/As we take our stand/Down in Jungleland.” - The Boss !

  King’s writing is best when the fat is trimmed. Thank God for a good editor.The Man tends to go on and on and on, 300 pages of extra Fat added to this Ver., besides a few scenes it’s unnecessary. Feels more like self-indulgence, and it doesn’t add enough to the story. IMO the Original is the best version for the pure enjoyment of the book ! Read/listen to them both, and find out for yourself. This version is the most popular, however.

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  borgg
  June 15th, 2020
  

  

  The Stand holds a special place in my heart as my favorite Stephen King book of all time. Thanks for posting this!

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  suburbansteve
  June 16th, 2020
  

  

  Well aside from all the negative comments I really enjoyed the book all 47 hours (if it’s the same as the version I’ve just listened to) not a huge King fan but the guy can definitely spin a good tale..

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  DanielGlad
  June 16th, 2020
  

  

  CaptainZero, what do you mean, not as good as the original? The Stand was never released as a remake/remix? This seems to be the standard recent recording by Grover Gardner, as available on Amazon, Audible, BN, and in your local library?

  King’s writing has deteriorated into lunatic ramblings in the past few years. The first ten or so years of his work seem to be the only novels that retain any value - novels from 1976 to 1990.

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  Gripper
  February 27th, 2021
  

  @DanielGlad, I think CaptainZero was referring to the fact that… “In 1990, The Stand was reprinted as a Complete and Uncut Edition. King restored some fragments of text that were initially reduced, revised the order of the chapters, shifted the novel’s setting from 1980 to 10 years forward, and accordingly corrected a number of cultural references.” [from wikipedia] I have heard several people say they preferred the original release.

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  Longrain
  April 24th, 2021
  

  I would put King’s downfall in 1987 when he became sober and drug-free. Up until then I could start out disliking his stories, but gradually enjoying them by the end. Not so after he began writing completely clean. He never seemed to get his magic touch back.

  The Stand - Stephen King
• 
  loicmacron
  October 5th, 2021
  

  Fully agreed. There is only one way to rectify this: Stephen King should go back to his cocaine addiction.

  The Stand - Stephen King

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