Stephen King's The Stand
or Stephen King Rules
In 2015, I picked up my copy of Stephen King’s The Stand, read one chapter, fell asleep, had nightmares, and gave the book away. My copy looked like this
From that one chapter, I understood it to be about a world-ending epidemic. From the title, I assumed there was some kind of great battle with the ones who were left. All of these things were correct, but in the end, it wasn’t anything like I imagined.
Between that first chapter and the last one passed eight years and many other novels, including several about world-ending diseases. I read The Passage Trilogy which is one of my favorite stories of all time. It’s about an ancient virus that is unleashed by a group of scientists researching a super drug. Instead of a cure-all, it turns humans into zombie vampires. An epic battle for humanity unfolds over three books.
The Passage was an off-brand choice for me at the time. Two thousand nineteen Natalie was a scaredy cat and I mostly hate zombie stuff - you could not pay me to watch The Walking Dead. But somehow I ended up enthralled. It’s deeply psychological and also action-packed. It sets the bar for compelling storytelling, and I continually seek out more experiences like it.
Now I know what you are thinking, I thought this was a newsletter about Stephen King. But sometimes the book you read is as much about the book itself as your entire reading life. My preconceived notions about The Stand were seriously swayed by my experience with The Passage.
The Passage and The Stand are both about world-ending viruses. Both include a hero’s journey, the deserts of Nevada, and what happens when society crumbles and rebuilds itself.
And for some reason, I thought that because I had read one, I had basically read the other.
Obviously, Justin Cronin did not plagiarize King without anyone saying a word, so why I thought this is beyond. But sometimes we hold these associations that don’t fully form but we can’t shake, like double-exposed film.
Because of this, I was surprised at the world I found in the pages of The Stand: a kaleidoscope cast of characters that are real and true; a huge build-up of the “before” times so that we witnessed what was at stake; how many committees are really required to start a democratic society; people that could simply walk around from place to place finding supplies or shelter without fear of being eaten alive. Much different than The Passage but in such a great way.
The Stand is a study of human nature. You could argue it’s the battle between the Dark Man and Mother Abigail as a representation of good versus evil that drives the plot. But I say the real battle happens within every character. They fight against their natures, their pasts, and who they want to be in the new world. I loved that for 75% of the book I couldn’t be sure who our hero was.
I loved to see the radio and media men of integrity fight a government unwilling to tell the truth. I loved the military men behind the disaster, watching them crumble and succumb to an enemy they could no longer control. It’s so satisfying to see behind that particular kind of glass.
I loved the vignettes of all those who perished of the secondary plague. King was blessed with the ability to tell you exactly who someone is in 140 characters or less. I did at times struggle to keep everyone straight though. We meet so many characters on the road to Denver and Las Vegas that I needed a character Thomas Guide.
I was also a bit disappointed in the devilness of the devil, the Dark Man. From the set-up, it was confusing what his limitations were as a creature on earth but not of it. Perhaps he simply fed off the evilness of humans, not unlimited in power, but I was expecting something a bit less - guru-ish.
I did, however, love his evil eye traveling over the earth to spy on his enemies like some warped version of the Nomes in Return to Oz.
This was a long book that didn’t feel long. King relies on dialogue and physical movement in his texts so that you never feel the weight of the pages like you might with tons of descriptions or introspective thoughts. I believed in this story and cared deeply about each character’s fate.
I believed in the people and the people believed in me.
Stephen King rules.
🖤 For Fans Of: Stephen King 🙃
⭐ Verdict: A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
******
I wrote this newsletter during a week of COVID brain fog, so if I sound crazy or like I’m channeling Hemingway it’s because my brain chemistry has been inexorably altered and everything feels slightly underwater. Luckily, I’m on the mend and for what it’s worth, had a lot of fun writing this review from the depths.
Hope you are healthy and thriving my friends - January is over and now everything is covered in hearts.
If you have any opinions on The Stand, please hit me with them in the comments.
Cheers!
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
