By David Knuth, staff writer
This is the way the world ends: A weaponized strain of influenza is accidently released into the public by a U.S. Defense Department laboratory. Soon after, the world falls into complete chaos, and 99.4 percent of the world’s human popula- tion is eliminated.
The Stand, written by American author Stephen King, is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel that follows the story of multiple characters throughout the entire novel. It goes through each character’s experiences as society drastically and rapidly crumbles around the characters. Eventually, most fall and very few survive.
Many of the characters are forced to deal with the emotional toll that is brought upon them by this disastrous super flu. Each and every character plays a signifi- cant role in either the revival and restoration, or the destruction and corruption of humanity. These characters, who you will come to know as the survivors of their plague-torn world, choose — or are chosen — on the sides of either good or evil. Both sides of good and evil have their own leadership figures. Good rides on the shoulders of 108-year-old Mother Abigail, who is seen as a spiritual leader by the survivors who now occupy the area known as the “Free Zone.” The embodi- ment of evil is known to be Randall Flagg or the “Dark Man,”who leads those survivors that were drawn to the city of Las Vegas. Together these two groups clash in the epic struggle between good and evil.
The Stand is an absolute thrilling novel that is destined to give any reader an exhilarating ride. This novel focuses greatly on the concepts of good and evil, and executes the ideas of both flawlessly. The story hooks the reader with its endless switching of character views of the conflict. There are two versions of The Stand that which one could read: the original edition, which comes to 823 pages, or an even lengthier uncut edition, which comes to 1,168 pages. The un- cut edition is the one I read. The lengthier version can feel drawn out at times, but nevertheless, the writing and story keeps you digging deeper and deeper into the book’s pages. Of course a cut version of the novel may be more preferred by others, which by no means will eliminate any of the story’s charm.
At its finish, The Stand was exceedingly promising. This epic delivers in various ways that will satisfy each and every reader. The Stand is undoubtedly one of Stephen King’s finest works, and is nothing short of a masterpiece. I rate this novel a 4.3 out of 5 stars. I strongly recommend this novel to every young adult reader out there.