2017 Reading Challenge discussion

The original was over 1100 pages. This is a new "uncut" edition. It could have used some editing. Great characters, though - King's storytelling skills were already well developed by the time he wrote this.

I remember this book - loved it - until he got to the end. Like so many of his books he ends with a whimper instead of a bang. (Except Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.(

The Stand is one of my favorite Stephen King novels, but I don't really remember how it ended. I guess that is the whimper part.

I watched the 4 part series on TV - I do remember being dissapointed at the ending - it was definitly a "whimper."

Omg! I loved that book. Although it is not my favorite King novel. It is definitely worth reading. I read both the abridged and unabridged version and compared the two. I agree with you that some things could have been left out of the novel. There were quite a few passages where I agreed that the editor's choice to cut was right on. I preferred the longer version myself, but my favorite authors are King, Dickens and Tolstoy who write massive tomes, so to speak. As a result, my opinion is most likely a little biased.

For a long time The Stand was my favorite King book, until I read 11/22/63 and The Green Mile. They were really fantastic! I reread The Stand last summer and I think it is still the best of the post-apocalyptic genre. Kind of sets the standard for the many end of the world books out there now.

I am not a horror fan, so I haven't read any other books by Mr. King. I read this one at my cousin's insistence during the summer of 1978. It was sooooooo good. I couldn't out it down. As good as it was, it didn't talk me into any other books written by Mr. King though.