The Stand is Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic epic and it might be the most depressing book I’ve ever read. It’s very bleak and horrible things are happening constantly. That being said, it’s still an excellent story and very well-written.

It tells the story of a group of people trying to survive after certain events have killed a lot of people. However, there are supernatural, spiritual elements afoot as well. King takes disparate characters and elements from different parts of the country, and over the course of hundreds of pages, slowly brings them all together. They come closer and closer and then…well, obviously I’m not going to tell you what happens, but it’s explosive.

The Stand is a really long book – the extended version is over 1300 pages. It’s maybe the longest novel I’ve ever read. What is impressive is that it never got boring, not once. To be able to hold the reader’s attention through that many pages is the mark of a very skilled writer and storyteller. One of the things I appreciate about King is that he writes like a man drunk with the power of writing and storytelling. He understands the power of the written word and he wields it fearlessly. You can tell how much he loves to write and tell stories. He takes his craft very seriously and it definitely comes through in The Stand.

There is nothing better in a well-crafted novel than memorable characters, and there are several in The Stand that I know are going to stick with me. Some are funny, some are scary, some are very likable, and some you want to sit down and have a long chat with. People you wish you could know and talk to in real life. King did a superb job with character development in this story.

My only small issue with the narrative is the romantic relationship between two of the characters. For some reason, King can’t go more than a handful of pages without reminding the reader how completely in love with each other they are. The constant ‘I love yous’, pet names, and other reminders of how attracted to each other they are, along with how often they’re having sex, starts to feel forced. In a book this long, it can get tiresome. Yes, we know they’re still in love and care very, very deeply for each other. We haven’t forgotten. Romance isn’t necessarily the strength of the post-apocalypse.

The Stand describes itself as a tale of dark Christianity. I never took Stephen King to be someone well-read in the Bible, but there are portions in The Stand which were quite surprising. He seems to be as well-versed in the Scriptures as most Christian novelists I’ve read. He’s obviously spent time reading the Bible and definitely has more than a surface-level understanding of Bible history and Christian theology. I have no idea whether he considers himself a true Christian believer or not, but he’s anything but dismissive of it. Quite the opposite at times.

I’ve heard King mention and talk about The Stand on talk shows occasionally. You get the sense he’s really proud of it, and he should be. It’s quite an accomplishment. I guess it’s been turned into a mini-series more than once over the years. I haven’t seen them, but I can’t imagine they’re better than the novel. I really can’t recommend The Stand enough. It’s a long haul, but it’s time well-invested.