The complete and uncut version of ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King

The Stand by Stephen King was first published as an 823 page post-apocalyptic dark fantasy set in 1980. In 1990, the book was republished as a “complete and uncut” version wherein the sequencing of some chapters changed, some segments of text were lengthened, and the setting with cultural references reflecting a dark fantasy set in 1990. The Stand in its updated release came in at 1,152 pages.

(Stephen King is the author of The Stand).

The complete and uncut edition of The Stand includes the development of an influenza virus as a biological weapon in what the story has as a secret United States Department of Defense. An accidental release combined with a security breach at the secret facility allows a security guard to leave the northern California facility. The guard drives to Texas, ultimately succumbing to the virus there when he crashes his vehicle at a gas station. Thus starts the spread of the highly lethal virus that begins what Stephen King had hoped would be his epic set in contemporary America of a similar scope to J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings series.

(The Stand by Stephen King has had many different covers, including this one).

The aftermath of this virus is a nearly complete death of humanity in the United States. For every 200 people alive at the time, perhaps one person survives. The Stand tells the story of the rapid decline of the population followed by the slow migration of the community of survivors into two camps of relevance to what comes next. One camp is led by 108-year-old Mother Abigail in Boulder, Colorado. The other camp is led by the ageless, demonic Randall Flagg in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(Stephen King wrote The Stand. King is seen here with one of his dogs).

Something that I personally appreciated in the book is the notion of telling multiple personal stories of the relationships, the regrets, and making peace with the desolation, the loss, the forging of a new beginning that is a hallmark of most of King‘s better writing. What you get in The Stand, in this strict sense, is really a collection of what in our noble writer’s career novellas that logically work together towards the telling of one coherent whole. Within the larger story of The Stand, these offer the personal tales of the characters without the satire that exists in The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer; neither do you get the sense of community heritage that you get from The Lord of the Rings.

(The Stand was written by Stephen King. The book has had many covers, including this one).

You do, however, get different interpersonal stories of a more common place set of survivors intent on surviving, finding a sense of community, and some existential means. This includes the sense for how to start institutions over again, how to deal with crime, religion, and how to interact with questions of good and evil. All of this happens, more or less, at an interpersonal level without much attempt to debate the deeper questions. This, in addition to the adaptations that have made it onto television over time, have contributed something to the popularity and influence The Stand has had in establishing Stephen King‘s reputation and success.

(Stephen King wrote The Stand. King is seen here during an interview).

Some problematic points with the characters in the book when looked at with today’s sensibility is, first, a lack of diversity in the characters included the story. Of course, Mother Abigail is present and central at some critical points, though she disappears for long stretches of time during the story. Second, there are some truly shocking and gratuitous depictions of death or sexual attack for that seem to exist for merely the shock factor. Third, some of the ways people refer to Tom Cullen’s intellectual deficits simply wouldn’t fly today. While references to Cullen from were rude in the standards of forty years ago, some of the language simply wouldn’t work anymore.

(There have been many different book covers for The Stand, which was written by Stephen King. This particular cover captures the edition that I read).

By and large, the problems mentioned above have counterpoints of in-depth looks into the humanity and feelings of characters that are highly meaningful. Characters are drawn sympathetically with inner worlds that are relatable. The odds are that, should you choose to read the book, many will find one or more characters that they will like and find relatable. This overall is what makes The Stand work. I rate the complete and uncut version of The Stand by Stephen King at 4-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, December 9, 2020