2. The Stand
The novel many consider Kings best. Voted one of the top 100 books of the twentieth century. The accolades continue to pour in for Kings 1978 novel illustrating a post apocalyptic world. A big ol door stopper this one was, one filled with a collection of fully realized, unique characters, flawed heroes and one of the greatest villains in the history of literature. Randall Flagg. The plot is as follows: A superflu wipes out most of humanity. A small group of survivors band together and attempt to recreate a democratic society. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Randall Flagg has put together his own following and is hellbent on destruction and domination of the free zone. Flagg sends spies to stop the free people and searches for nuclear weapons to accomplish his diabolical plan. A group of free people trek toward Vegas in an attempt to stop Flagg when...nope, not saying anything else. If youve read The Stand, you know. If you havent read it then you need to stop reading the silly words Im sending your way and get to it. A shockingly beautiful novel set in a harsh world, The Stand is practically unrivaled in its excellence. A book that boils down to human nature and good versus evil in its purest form, it speaks to all of us. This is the one that completely blew the doors off of Kings career.