M-O-O-N, and that spells 'crap'.

[Guest Ozymandias]

*SPOILERS* if you haven't read the book (don't).

 

 

Really now, I must be blind because I don't really understand what the big deal about this book is. I've read 4 King books total and this is #3 in terms of quality to me (and that's only because I also happened to read the amateurish Rage).

I even hear folks saying this is the best book they ever read. Que? There were some really wonderful parts and characters but, by and large, the book just sucked. Once they got to Boulder I had to FORCE myself to get to the end because things got so boring.

 

Complaint #1: Who the fuck cared about Stu & Fran? Okay, I didn't actively HATE their characters but I didn't like them either. Neither was particularly interesting and both seemed like card-board cut-outs next the infinitely superior "side" characers (Larry, Glen, Tom, Harold, Dayna, "Joe", Mother Abigail, Lloyd, Trashcan, Flagg etc.). So who does King make the focus of the book once everyone makes it to Boulder? Stu and Fran. Ya-fucking-wn.

 

Complaint #2: The "Climax"(*snicker*). 'Nuff said.

 

Complaint #3: Vegas? Really now, what exact motivation do all the characters in Vegas have for following Flagg? What were THEIR dreams like? What possessed them to head to Vegas? They weren't ALL killers (Lloyd) or mentally unbalanced (Harold & Nadine) or retarded (Trashcan), so why not a bit on exactly WHY so many normal people would go there and not even bat an eye at public crucifixions or the idea of nuking Boulder? These aren't exactly complex esoteric questions, and it SHOULD have been answered if King is going to fucking write a 1150 page book.

 

Complaint #4: No Nick in Boulder. This is fucking unforgivable, Nick was the book's best character throught he first 400 pages and after that is just an extra waiting around to be killed. Buy hey, we got LOTS & LOTS of Stu and Frannie and that's all that matters.

 

Complaint #5: The length. Yeah yeah, if you're going to buy and read a 1150 page book then you shouldn't complain about the length, right? Wrong. The book had to be long to cover all the events properly but 1150 is fucking obcene. 500 pages of fascinating civic meetings in Boulder? 50 pages on Stu & Tom getting back to Boulder? Bullshit. I don't know what was and wasn't put into the Uncut version and I'm sure some of it was good, but most of the "expository" dialogue was like watching paint dry.

 

Comlaint #6: The transition between America suffering from a horrible flu epidemic to a deserted ghost country is about one of the sloppiest transitions ever done. At one point there are military factions breaking off left and right, and the next chapter the country is deserted. While, it may have been realistic that people would just seem to have disappeared to the survivors, it's boring to read and a cop-out - especially after the wonderful detail that had preceded it until then.

 

Complaint #6.5 Larry's trip through the Lincoln Tunnel should have been terrifying and the most memorable section of the book. It was dead boring.

 

Fuck it, I've gone on long enough.

 

Like I said, there were many wonderful things about the book: most of the characters - particularly Larry & Nick and their experiences; the chapters on the military's attempted stifling of the media; the truly terrifying, chilling "Game Show" sequence with the psychotic black soldiers slaughtering white soldiers; the "second epidemic" chapter which read like The Darwin Awards; etc.

But that's all lost in the filler that King slops on like inches of spackle.

 

If you've made it this far (God bless you if you have) can you please tell me what was so great about this book. Because all that I loved about it was lost in a sea of filler.

[Guest Ozymandias]

EDIT: Whoops, ignore this reply.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I loved the book in spite of it's problems, I will reread it when I track down the movie.

 

Complaint #1: Who the fuck cared about Stu & Fran? Okay, I didn't actively HATE their characters but I didn't like them either. Neither was particularly interesting and both seemed like card-board cut-outs next the infinitely superior "side" characers (Larry, Glen, Tom, Harold, Dayna, "Joe", Mother Abigail, Lloyd, Trashcan, Flagg etc.). So who does King make the focus of the book once everyone makes it to Boulder? Stu and Fran. Ya-fucking-wn.

 

Them falling in love so quickly wasn't realistic, then again it was an apoclyptic time. Their relationship did get tedious but I didn't find their characters uninteresting.

 

Complaint #2: The "Climax"(*snicker*). 'Nuff said.

 

I was like WTF, that's it? It was certainly a letdown.

 

Complaint #3: Vegas? Really now, what exact motivation do all the characters in Vegas have for following Flagg? What were THEIR dreams like? What possessed them to head to Vegas? They weren't ALL killers (Lloyd) or mentally unbalanced (Harold & Nadine) or retarded (Trashcan), so why not a bit on exactly WHY so many normal people would go there and not even bat an eye at public crucifixions or the idea of nuking Boulder? These aren't exactly complex esoteric questions, and it SHOULD have been answered if King is going to fucking write a 1150 page book.

 

It was based out of fear I guess. They must of had dreams that scared them to the point where they didn't want to go against Flagg who looked like he would win the upcoming battle. If anyone spoke out against Flagg then they would be the one getting crusified. It wasn't that most of the Vegas people were evil, they were scared shitless.

 

Complaint #5: The length. Yeah yeah, if you're going to buy and read a 1150 page book then you shouldn't complain about the length, right? Wrong. The book had to be long to cover all the events properly but 1150 is fucking obcene. 500 pages of fascinating civic meetings in Boulder? 50 pages on Stu & Tom getting back to Boulder? Bullshit. I don't know what was and wasn't put into the Uncut version and I'm sure some of it was good, but most of the "expository" dialogue was like watching paint dry.

 

I read the cut version, I am considering getting the unabridged version. I didn't mind the fact that it was so long, if it's an interesting book then the more pages the better. I didn't feel the Stand had slow parts, then again I did read the cut version.

 

I'm not going to over-analyze the book, I scorn music and movie critics who feel the need to dissect what they watch or listen to to the point where they get away from being free to be entertained.

 

I read the book and enjoyed it. There are parts that I think could have been pulled off better but while I was reading it I was hooked, when I was done with it I didn't want to leave(I will be going back.).

 

M-O-O-N that spells great story.

[Guest Cerebus The Aardvark]

I, for one, love the book, but King's Dark Tower stuff is better, IMO. I do have a couple of points to make, though:

 

Complaint #2: The "Climax"(*snicker*). 'Nuff said

 

Not sure if anyone else has read enough King to see this, but he has a problem with ending his novels, particularly the longer ones. IT is another excellent example of this. I think he feels the pressure to deliver something bigger than necessary, so he tries too hard and it comes out badly. It makes me worry about the Dark Tower stuff, though; if he ever fucking finishes it, that is.

 

I read the cut version, I am considering getting the unabridged version. I didn't mind the fact that it was so long, if it's an interesting book then the more pages the better. I didn't feel the Stand had slow parts, then again I did read the cut version.

 

Well, the biggest change I noticed was Trash's trek to Las Vegas; in the cut version, IIRC, it was barely mentioned. In the uncut, it's pretty well documented, and it's pretty interesting, IMO. The Kid is awesome; he's worth the uncut read by himself.

 

Basically, I believe the book is an essential read as far as 20th century American fiction goes; it's definitely in my top 5. Some parts do drag, yes, and some characters are infuriating (I, for one, hate Nick Andros, and always will), but the story as a whole is fascinating to me, and I don't get tired of reading it.

 

On a related note, the mini-series (or "movie", if you will) is terrible. The opening sequence, with "Don't Fear The Reaper" playing, is excellent; it's all downhill from there.

 

That is all.

[Guest J*ingus]

I never thought the book was all that great either. Way too much stuff just didn't make sense, and it was far too long. Why is it that I seem to hate King's "acclaimed" work (Stand, Dark Tower) while liking stuff that everyone else said sucked (Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, etc).

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

I maintain that the book goes to shit after he writes himself into a corner in Boulder.

 

King talks about this at length in his book On Writing. See, King's method of writing is a good one at heart, but has problems: he doesn't tend to plan things out in advance. He has an idea, and just starts writing, letting things evolve naturally...and that worked wonderfully here, for the first third of the book, where everything is fresh. But the 2nd act is spent gathering everyone in Boulder, and at the point once the two camps are divided, King realized he'd written himself into a biiig corner.

 

The heroes are in Boulder, and they're basically just starting to re-establish society...and King didn't see that getting anywhere, so he blew up half the cast. By the time he'd taken it that far, it was a lose-lose situation. After the house blows up, everything gets decidely spiritual very quickly, and the issue of faith that had remained in the background throughout the story comes to the surface with little transition, and it's executed very...well, he resorts to the actual frickin' hand of God in the end. You've read it--you know how crappy that is. I admire King's method of keeping his writing relatively pure and organic, but a little pre-planning of some goals might help prevent this sort of junk from happening.

 

I've never really read a King novel with a good ending, but his novella-length stories finish marvelously. Apt Pupil, The Running Man, The Body...magnificent endings all. The guy is one of the best short fiction writers of the 20th century, but his novels always seem to fall short in the end.

[Guest areacode212]

I didn't really mind the length of the book. I read it over the course of a month one lazy summer, and it kept my attention for most of it. It does start to tax my patience once the "good guys" begin their trip to Vegas, but overall, I enjoyed it.

 

The TV movie really wasn't *that* bad, especially if you watched it before you read the book. The first night (when the plague strikes, and society falls apart) was really cool and had everyone at school talking the next day. Yeah, it got progressively worse, but still, I enjoyed it enough to get me to buy the book that summer (I got the one w/ Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald on the cover). Plus, the awesome opening ("CAMPION!! You have to close the gate!!!" Vroom!) introduced me to "Don't Fear the Reaper", so I think it rules

 

Let me take this opportunity to plug the new Vertigo series Y: The Last Man. If you enjoyed the beginning of The Stand, you should definitely give this comic a try. It also features a plague that wipes out much of the population (in this case, all but one of the world's males), and it'll be interesting to see how the world changes. The first couple of issues are sold out in many stores, so it looks like this might end up being a hot title.