The End of the World as We Know It

The instant New York Times bestseller (Aug 2025): New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand

By: Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, Brian Keene - editor, Christopher Golden - editor, Stephen King - introduction

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Sean Patrick Hopkins

*** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER ***

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered No. 1 bestselling author and master storyteller Stephen King's seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraor­dinary works exploring the unravelling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel - with generations of writers impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of unforgettable characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today's greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World as We Know It fea­tures remarkable, all-new stories set during and after the events of The Stand - brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the clas­sic bestselling novel.©2025 Christopher Golden and Brian Keene

Critic reviews

One of the buzziest horror books of the year . . . a sprawling, epic continuation of Stephen King's The Stand through the lens of some of the best writers in horror. Whether the horror prowess of editors Brian Keene and Christopher Golden gets you in the door, or you just can't pass up that table of contents, you won't be let down by this towering collection

A perfectly edited and consciously constructed anthology inspired by [Stephen King's] 1978 post-apocalyptic novel The Stand . . . Each story stands on its own, but laid out together, they effortlessly immerse readers in a connected world . . . An incredibly achievement that manages to expand, enrich, and improve its source material . . . A must-buy . . . This is a spectacular tribute to the ultimate epic horror novel of the 20th Century

Stories vary from visceral and violent to philosophical, and the breadth and diversity of the included authors add depth to King's world . . . With a star-studded list of authors, including some outside the realm of the horror genre, this highly anticipated collection will garner a wide audience . . . Captivating

[A] chilling post-apocalyptic anthology . . . the contributors approach this eerie setting with creativity and curiosity . . . Even readers unfamiliar with The Stand will find much to enjoy here, while fans will be pleased by the attention to detail. Every entry hits the mark, a tribute both to the editors' selection process and King's original worldbuilding

This landmark anthology draws upon the imagination of 36 of horror's brightest contemporary names to map the further reaches of [Stephen King's The Stand] - and go beyond . . . A vital anthology and an invaluable time-capsule of horror in this golden era

A must-have for Stephen King fans, scores of great writers contribute stories set in the world of the author's apocalyptic masterpiece . . . Constant Readers will have a ball debating their favorite pieces

This huge book is one of 2025's most highly anticipated releases. It features over 30 narratives by leading writers of horror and crime thrillers, all based around Stephen King's 1978 opus The Stand

A great idea that didn’t really work.

I wanted to love this, I really did. I suspect that most who bought this book will be Stand Stans from way back and, like me will have read it many times. If, also like me, you were hoping to catch a glimpse of old friends and hear what might have happened to them after the events of The Stand, then you can join me in my disappointment! To be fair the book didn’t promise that, so perhaps my optimism was misguided.

What is included is an anthology of stories, some are pretty good and some IMO are not. I’m not even sure some of the authors have even read The Stand tbh. Section 3 felt the weakest, but that’s just my opinion.

On the whole perhaps a tighter edit would have made sense and returned some of the relevance to what became a bit rambling at times (not unlike this review!)

The narrators did a pretty good job, though I will say that Adenrele Ojo produced one of the least convincing British accents I’ve heard for quite some time!