The Stand

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.

And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides - or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abagail - and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.

In 1978, Stephen King published The Stand, the novel that is now considered to be one of his finest works. But as it was first published, The Stand was incomplete, since more than 150,000 words had been cut from the original manuscript.

Now Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle between good and evil has been restored to its entirety. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition includes material previously deleted, along with new material that King added as he reworked the manuscript for a new generation. It gives us new characters and endows familiar ones with new depths. It has a new beginning and a new ending. What emerges is a gripping work with the scope and moral complexity of a true epic.

For hundreds of thousands of fans who heard The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are listening to The Stand for the first time will discover a triumphant and eerily plausible work of the imagination that takes on the issues that will determine our survival.

Cover artwork ©2020 CBS Interactive Inc.

©1978 Stephen King (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"A master storyteller." (Los Angeles Times)

"[The Stand] has everything. Adventure. Romance. Prophecy. Allegory. Satire. Fantasy. Realism. Apocalypse. Great!" (The New York Times Book Review)

"As brilliant a dark dream as has ever been dreamed in this century." (Palm Beach Post)

wonderful book

fantastic narration, awesome story. so much better than the original abridged version. listened through it for the third time.

excellent performance to s great story

iconic Stephen King. slower in the middle but a master class first part and great end.

I love this book!

There are no words for how much I love this book! I’ve listened to it several times and the narratives is perfect!

incredible

I experienced every emotion through this book, even fill in sobbing at times. great one

That was intense

What a story, many similarities to LOTR, Harry Potter, the classic good vs evil books we all love. Great narration, very clear performance and easy to recognize voices. 48 hours long but only a few brief moments the story dragged out a little too much.

One of Stephen King's masterpieces

Listen to Kingslingers podcast and follow along, you won't regret it! They do a deep dive into every chapter and I really appreciate the analysis. The Stand isn't a perfect book, but there is so much in here to love. Unforgettable characters, and a realistic look at what the end of the world (or rather USA) could look like. again, not perfect, but so satisfying nonetheless.

An accidental wonder with words

Good versus evil… Very common for a J.R.R. Tolkien lord of the rings Bilbo Baggins style off story yet so many archaeological discoveries verify all of its authenticity

Worthwhile - surprising, some issues

I don’t regret having spent one Audible credit and nearly 48 hours with this book. Book One gave a surprisingly accurate rendering of a pandemic. Stephen King, whom I have never read before, develops a myriad of characters with more nuance than I thought a book of popular fiction would. (Apologies for the snobbery.) Book Two built the tension and was my favorite part of the book. Book Three was a bit unsatisfying to me. It fell a bit flat for me, I was anxious only towards the end to have it over with because I could see it wasn’t going to be amazing, just good enough. Like a song building with a crescendo that resolves with a little “ba-dum-di-bump” and finishes instead of grabbing your heart and destroying you like a masterpiece does.

I will grade on a curve on some of the narrative which veers towards some things many of us avoid today. Race, sexuality, and the way female characters are rendered are all set in the context of King’s rewrite of potions of this work over 30 years ago. If that’s going to set you off, let me steer you clear right now. And I love the re- added text, but why Stephen, the update for 80s cultural references? I assume that part was marketing and kind of a sad set of changes.

In sum, despite issues outlined above I see why this book became beloved by many and felt it is worthy of a positive review.

On of my favorites

This book is storytelling at its best. Fantastic world building. Deep characters that you truly care about. It is king but I look at that as a huge plus as well.

An Epic Journey

This book isn’t what you think it is. Stick with it - it grows and you realize that there’s so much more than what was initially presented. It’s a slow-growing, steadily-evolving, masterfully written story. I read it when I needed it. It’s one of my most favorite books. M-o-o-n that spells favorite books.