This is how the world ends: with computer error in a Defense Department lab, and a million casual connections that make up the links in a deadly chain letter.
Here is the desolate landscape the next day: a new world with all its institutions destroyed, and 99 percent of the population dead. A world where a few terrified survivors take sides—or are taken. A world in which hope survives on the fragile shoulders of 108 year old Mother Abigail—and the greatest evil of the darkest nightmares is manifested in Randall Flagg, the dark man with inconceivable power and a deadly smile.
Originally published in 1978, The Stand is widely considered among Stephen King's greatest novels. However, it was incomplete—more than 150,000 words had been edited out of the original epic manuscript.
Now King's post apocalyptic tale of a land ravaged by disease and caught in a fundamental battle between good and evil is available in its entirety for the first time. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition features more than 500 pages of previously deleted material, plus new material added by King as he reinvented his epic story for a new generation. New characters are introduced, and familiar characters are brought even more vividly to life. The beginning and ending are both new.
This new edition is King's gift to the countless fans who read or listened to the original version and wanted more. Those who are listening to The Stand for the first time will find an imaginative and haunting apocalyptic epic that tackles the issues that will determine the survival of mankind.
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty worldwide bestsellers. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives with his wife, novelist Tabitha King, in Bangor, Maine.
"This monumental work by Stephen King has many die-hard fans, maybe even we can all them a separate fandom group within the fans of Stephen King's readers. I prefer his other works, but appreciate the scope and scale of this post-apocalyptical saga. Unfortunatelly, the astonishingly huge number of characters, threads and places made it difficult for me to memorize all of them and follow when I was reading the paper version of this book years ago. In case of the audiobook, it's even more difficult. Narrator does a great job, but you need to have a truly wonderful memory (or know the story by heart) to really enjoy it. "
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Wojciech W. (4 out of 5 stars)