10 Endings Stephen King Actually Got Right

2. The Stand

Stephen King The Stand
Doubleday

The Stand rivals The Dark Tower for Stephen King's Magnum Opus, detailing the epic showdown between good and evil, told in the landscape of a virus ravaged USA. When first published, it was missing an enormous chunk, which was restored in the '90s (thankfully).

The ending of the story details the sacrifice in the name of good by some characters, the destruction of others and an ever-existing form of evil. Stephen King is nothing if not a visionary, with his depiction of the Kingdom of the Beast being Las Vegas. This Kingdom, the height of decadence in America, is leveled and Flagg, one of King's greatest villains, survives the destruction of Hell.

He instead rises again with a savage tribe, arriving on their shores as a new Messiah, ready to share his dark gospel again. It is a downbeat ending to what is, oddly, a sort of upbeat ending to the epic.

The Stand remains one of King's best works and the new series coming (whenever any new series can) is greatly anticipated!

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"