'Epic' is the word I would use for The Stand. It is my favourite King novel but it is not the scariest (and I'm not going to spoil position number one for you!) but it is still pretty darn scary with King painting what I think is the best ever published fictional apocalyptic Illness scenario along with the portrayal of the ravages of life after the apocalypse, how society tries to build itself up from its tatters. Apocalypses are always terrifying. It is also an awesome tale of good versus evil. After an accident at a military base, a flu which is named 'Captain Tripps' kills off 99.4% of the world's population. King vividly brings the chaos and confusion of the scenario alive - particularly when it comes to major characters in the book who are resistant to the flu but must watch their loved ones die in agony. After the world is decimated, survivors are either drawn towards Mother Abigail - a 108 year old woman - who is shown by King to the the epitome of good. Survivors dream about her and go flocking to her residence in Colorado and begin a new society called The Free Zone. Meanwhile charismatic bad guy Randall Flagg draws another group of survivors to Las Vegas - in this novel, he is the epitome of evil and his reign in the city is tyrannical, based on torture but he does assemble his followers to needed roles pretty quickly. Both groups are aware of the other's existence. 'The Stand' in the title is the eventual confrontation between Abigail's goodies and Randall's baddies. I won't spoil the book for you but the ending has a dark twist.. The Stand was originally released in an abridged form in 1978. Whilst highly readable, it lacks the total cohesion of the unabridged form which was released in 1990. This version of the book is about 1000 pages long but is never dull for a second. The spread of Captain Tripps is horrific and King's portrayal of the epidemic is frighteningly realistic. He brings the scenario truly to life as people drop like flies from Captain Tripps and society goes to hell in a hand basket. The survivors of the flu, all of them shaken to the core, congregate as goodies with Mother Abigail or baddies with Randall Flagg. Mother Abigail is never portrayed as cloyingly sweet which is a possible trap King averted. Flagg, meanwhile, is wonderfully evil, a charming sociopath who could have run the Third Reich with all the gusto of Hitler and then some, he will absolutely terrify you. A fight between good and evil could have been portrayed in a boring straightforward manner, but King makes it convincing with doubters and dissenters on both sides. The final battle is awe inspiring and will have you on the edge of your seat with your fingernails bitten to the quick. We can never call an apocalyptic scenario - "Realistic" - because we have, thank goodness, never experienced an apocalypse. Stephen King takes 1000 pages to render a plausible version of how an epidemic might happen and the issues we would face after such a calamity. The good versus evil stuff is entertaining hokum, but it still makes you ponder. The ability to grip the reader consistently from page 1 to page 1000 makes The Stand one of King's most terrifying books.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
'Epic' is the word I would use for The Stand. It is my favourite King novel but it is not the scariest (and I'm not going to spoil position number one for you!) but it is still pretty darn scary with King painting what I think is the best ever published fictional apocalyptic Illness scenario along with the portrayal of the ravages of life after the apocalypse, how society tries to build itself up from its tatters. Apocalypses are always terrifying. It is also an awesome tale of good versus evil. After an accident at a military base, a flu which is named 'Captain Tripps' kills off 99.4% of the world's population. King vividly brings the chaos and confusion of the scenario alive - particularly when it comes to major characters in the book who are resistant to the flu but must watch their loved ones die in agony. After the world is decimated, survivors are either drawn towards Mother Abigail - a 108 year old woman - who is shown by King to the the epitome of good. Survivors dream about her and go flocking to her residence in Colorado and begin a new society called The Free Zone. Meanwhile charismatic bad guy Randall Flagg draws another group of survivors to Las Vegas - in this novel, he is the epitome of evil and his reign in the city is tyrannical, based on torture but he does assemble his followers to needed roles pretty quickly. Both groups are aware of the other's existence. 'The Stand' in the title is the eventual confrontation between Abigail's goodies and Randall's baddies. I won't spoil the book for you but the ending has a dark twist.. The Stand was originally released in an abridged form in 1978. Whilst highly readable, it lacks the total cohesion of the unabridged form which was released in 1990. This version of the book is about 1000 pages long but is never dull for a second. The spread of Captain Tripps is horrific and King's portrayal of the epidemic is frighteningly realistic. He brings the scenario truly to life as people drop like flies from Captain Tripps and society goes to hell in a hand basket. The survivors of the flu, all of them shaken to the core, congregate as goodies with Mother Abigail or baddies with Randall Flagg. Mother Abigail is never portrayed as cloyingly sweet which is a possible trap King averted. Flagg, meanwhile, is wonderfully evil, a charming sociopath who could have run the Third Reich with all the gusto of Hitler and then some, he will absolutely terrify you. A fight between good and evil could have been portrayed in a boring straightforward manner, but King makes it convincing with doubters and dissenters on both sides. The final battle is awe inspiring and will have you on the edge of your seat with your fingernails bitten to the quick. We can never call an apocalyptic scenario - "Realistic" - because we have, thank goodness, never experienced an apocalypse. Stephen King takes 1000 pages to render a plausible version of how an epidemic might happen and the issues we would face after such a calamity. The good versus evil stuff is entertaining hokum, but it still makes you ponder. The ability to grip the reader consistently from page 1 to page 1000 makes The Stand one of King's most terrifying books.