Book Review: The Stand

By Alex Child

The Stand by Stephen King follows a group of survivors as society collapses from a fatally contagious disease, wiping out nearly all of humanity. Masterfully written, the reader watches as infrastructure crumbles, and humanity is left to fill in the absence of power, for better or worse.

Two communities form from the ashes, rallying around opposing figures Randall Flagg, “The Dark Man,” and Mother Abigail, a 108-year-old woman receiving divine visions. It quickly becomes clear that only one can stand.

Faced with the threat of a new power structure built on enslavement and bloodshed, King’s characters are thrust from their dull, regular lives with humanity’s future placed on their shoulders. Filled with equal measures of wondrous triumph and heart-rending defeat, this isn’t your typical battle between good and evil.

No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.

Or you don’t.

Each character carries their own identity and confronts obstacles that feel horrifyingly believable (especially in the time of COVID-19). Stirring yet dark, both hopeful and tragic, the book manages to weave a narrative rare in its ability to accurately depict the contradictions of human behavior. 

Every one of the 1,100+ pages is easy to turn. Delightfully macabre and surprisingly human, King proves he is capable of writing memorable work outside of horror. The Stand is essential reading for any who enjoys apocalyptic fiction.

If you want to hear more about The Stand, listen to the What About Stories podcast review by Elizabeth Suggs and Brandon Prows. 

Writing has a unique power, and Alex Child is just smart enough to know that he's nowhere near smart enough to accurately describe it. Between working half as hard as he should and twice as hard as required at his day job, he continues pursuing that indescribable emotional swell from relating to a literary character and sharing their experiences. He hopes his story brings you even just a portion of that rush.