The Stand (Unabridged)
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4.4 • 1.5K Ratings
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- $24.99
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
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 more than five hundred pages of 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 read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift. And those who are reading 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.
Customer Reviews
One of my old favorites, revisited.
“The stand” was first published in 1978 and I first read it shortly thereafter. It made a big impression on me and I kept a copy of it that eventually disintegrated on my bookshelf. In 1990, “The Stand” was republished with about 400 pages of material that had been cut from the original release . This audiobook is a reading of the 1990 version.
As vividly as I remember certain passages from the book, it’s surprising how much I’d forgotten - I must’ve blanked out the parts i didn’t like. Other than some 1980s cultural references and a lot of additional incidental material, I can’t tell the difference between this version and the 1978 original. I don’t think the additional material improves the story.
As much as I like “The Stand”, I find it a little irritating as well. It’s a huge, horrifying epic that builds slowly, suddenly acquires a weird quasi-religious element that really doesn’t go anywhere, and then - pffft - it’s done. For me, something’s missing, King presents this mind-numbing catastrophe with his usual flair, but like most authors of this kind of novel, he seems less sure about how to convey the terror and desolation of his characters to the reader. The dying part is an easy thrill, but living is hard. I suppose after killing off 99%+ of the population, an author hasn’t got much gas left to think about the survivors with anything but the most banal suppositions. Or maybe it just wasn’t his point. Unlike some of the more recent examples of the apocalyptic novel, this one isn’t militaristic, an excuse to gun up and start shooting, the characters are all just ordinary people. (Mind you, theres’ plenty of King-style gore and screaming mimis to go around, though).
“The Stand” stands up pretty well to the test of time. It’s a story written in the 70s, tweaked a bit in the 80s, set in 1990, and being read now. Some of us who’ve lived through all those dates may feel some weird time yaws, you’re liable to experience the mid 70s, late 80s and ideas that seem almost current in the same paragraph
“The Stand” remains one of my favorite King novels, (well I’ve only read about 6 of them), despite its flaws. Now this audiobook of it will sit on my iCloud until some apocalyptic event wipes out the internet.
I’d definitely recommend it - the book, I mean... well... maybe the internet thing too if it’ll get rid of Facebook and Twitter...
About Time!!!
I've been waiting for this book to come out on iTunes for what feels like forever. I've read the book, seen the mini-series and listened to the abridged version the library had. This is MUCH better. The narration, in my humble opinion, is just short of excellent. The only reason I say just short of excellent is because in places in the book, he makes the antagonist sound just a little strange. I'm not sure if that's on purpose or not. I just love this book.
The Stand
Finally!!!! Stephen King is the master story teller and this story is fantastic!