The Stand

Stephen King

Feb 2012 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Grover Gardner

About this audiobook

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.

Ratings and reviews

I saw the TV series, saw that people were mad that it wasn't like the book, so decided to check out the book. I read a review that referred to this book as "bloated and racist" and yep, that covers it. This has been a thoroughly unenjoyable experience, but I keep saying "it has to get better, right?! it has to get better." Cue the trash can man and The Kid's scene in the hotel room! I'm done. Im not even willing to finish this anymore. This book has aged poorly. I know it was written in 1978, but in 1978, it had to still have been offensive right? How many times is the N word in this book? I get that people consider this to be a classic, and while I do respect that, I implore you to ask yourself why you enjoy this book as much as you do if you're a super fan.

I like Kings stuff. But this? Waaaaay too long. The story idea is great. But far too much character development. And it's hard to find a really likeable character. Even the so called good guys? Are jerky characters! The lead character Franny, has to be the whineyest, selfish character in the book! A hard to stomach character. About 3/4 the way through the book? The story just got so painful, I was hoping that the whole bunch would die in one big nuclear boom! But no, the pain went on and on.

Amazing storytelling. The narrator has range and I cant stress how important that is when narrating an audiobook. This version has been updated to include original text that was removed and King has added additional text that adds extra context to elements of the story. Great story if you are new to Kings world and the added text makes coming back to it worth another listen or read through.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are Full Dark, No Stars; Under the Dome; Just After Sunset; Duma Key; Lisey's Story; Cell; and the last three novels in the Dark Tower saga: Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. His acclaimed nonfiction book On Writing is also a bestseller. In 2003, he was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.