Bracket #2: The Stand (1978)

[Jean]

The Stand, 1978

Please vote for The Stand using the following scale:

5: I loved it
4: It was good
3: Average
2: Only so-so
1: I didn't like it

If you haven't read this book yet, please vote Never Read. Feel free to discuss your votes in this thread.

You may base your vote on the 1990 uncut version as well as the 1978 original.

[mae]

Vote on either the original or the uncut, it's all good.

[Odetta]

Favortite book... ever

[frik]

Favorite King since read almost four decades ago.

sk

[skyofcrack]

The original has always been my favorite book of any author.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Second favorite.

[mae]

Not sure why this one gets such considerable high praise. It's good, certainly. But I rated this a four.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Ummm....because its awesome.

[Merlin1958]

Not sure why this one gets such considerable high praise. It's good, certainly. But I rated this a four.

I agree with you.

Spoiler:

Loved it until the last scene in Vegas. The "Hand of God" thing turned me off. Come to think of it UTD was a lot similar!! Hmmmmm............................................ ...............

[mae]

Feel free to badmouth me, but I think The Stand is way overrated. Maybe I'm missing something.

[skyofcrack]

Let's try to be mindful of spoilers and those that haven't yet read these.

[Merlin1958]

Let's try to be mindful of spoilers and those that haven't yet read these.

All due respect, but if you haven't read it yet, you shouldn't be here. It's a review vote, no? It gets done annually. Am I off base here? If so, my apologies.

[skyofcrack]

Let's try to be mindful of spoilers and those that haven't yet read these.

All due respect, but if you haven't read it yet, you shouldn't be here. It's a review vote, no? It gets done annually. Am I off base here? If so, my apologies.

There's a selection in the poll for 'never read.'

[Merlin1958]

Let's try to be mindful of spoilers and those that haven't yet read these.

All due respect, but if you haven't read it yet, you shouldn't be here. It's a review vote, no? It gets done annually. Am I off base here? If so, my apologies.

There's a selection in the poll for 'never read.'

Still, "common sense" should prevail, no? W/E have the Mod put "spoilers" in the title if it makes you more comfortable. 88 posts and you're dictating protocol? This has been going on for years!!! No offense meant, but ................................ Nevermind me. Sorry to have offended anyone, my bad. I'll go back and "spoilerize" my posts for Sky's benefit and well-being.

[skyofcrack]

It's just common sense not to discuss the endings of books because there's always someone that hasn't read it yet.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I wouldn't have considered his post a spoiler, actually. The "hand of god thing" is pretty vague.

[Girlystevedave]

I didn't finish this.

[Jean]

Second favorite.

Mine too, the first being It.

Not sure why this one gets such considerable high praise. It's good, certainly. But I rated this a four.

I agree with you.

Spoiler:

Loved it until the last scene in Vegas. The "Hand of God" thing turned me off. Come to think of it UTD was a lot similar!! Hmmmmm............................................ ...............

Feel free to badmouth me, but I think The Stand is way overrated. Maybe I'm missing something.

See guys? And bears, in their turn, are not crazy about Bag of Bones, Green Mile, etc.

Let's try to be mindful of spoilers and those that haven't yet read these.

All due respect, but if you haven't read it yet, you shouldn't be here. It's a review vote, no? It gets done annually. Am I off base here? If so, my apologies.

There's a selection in the poll for 'never read.'

Still, "common sense" should prevail, no? W/E have the Mod put "spoilers" in the title if it makes you more comfortable. 88 posts and you're dictating protocol? This has been going on for years!!! No offense meant, but ................................ Nevermind me. Sorry to have offended anyone, my bad. I'll go back and "spoilerize" my posts for Sky's benefit and well-being.

Guys, when a book is discussed, there will be spoilers. Those who vote "never read" should be careful enough not to hang around these threads too much. Bill, you can spoiler-tag that part if you must, but there's no need. Only when we'll be voting the Appended Categories (in May) spoiler tags will be needed (like, the saddest moment, the best death etc) - because a few books will be discussed at once, and there'll be no way for anyone to know which is going to be spoiled.

[skyofcrack]

Guys, when a book is discussed, there will be spoilers. Those who vote "never read" should be careful enough not to hang around these threads too much. Bill, you can spoiler-tag that part if you must, but there's no need. Only when we'll be voting the Appended Categories (in May) spoiler tags will be needed (like, the saddest moment, the best death etc) - because a few books will be discussed at once, and there'll be no way for anyone to know which is going to be spoiled.

I always stay away from threads/posts of books/stories that I haven't read yet and so far I've read everything in these polls so I was only thinking about others but if they want to look/read it should be up to them.

In other words, disregard what I said.

[candy]

I loved the Stand, I loved the HUGENESS of the thing, the whole epic - I think it was the first book I read that started as one thing and then slowly turned into another
the whole flu thing, followed by good vs evil. All set in the great sprawl of America

[The Road Virus]

Hands-down favorite non-DT SK book.

[Nonline]

I'm quite sure the first half of the book is my favorite part ever written and the complete book also is top 3 :-)

[Odetta]

To be honest, most Stephen King ENDINGS leave me a little disappointed. Even The Stand. I HATED the end of IT but I liked the book. The only ending in fact, that I liked was the end of The Dark Tower series. I think it is because the books are just so damn good and the climactic scenes are so exciting that any ending that finishes everything off is just a big fat letdown.

[Jean]

I HATED the end of IT.

Now you've surprised a bear...

[divemaster]

The Stand was the first Stephen King book I ever read, and still my all-time favorite book regardless of author. I had never even heard of Stephen King when I received a paperback copy of The Stand as a gift for my 15th birthday. Obviously, a 5 for me.

I re-read it about every year or so. Like visiting old friends.

A few comments:

1) I don't think folks should have to tread lightly with regard to spoilers for a 35-year-old book. Especially in a thread dedicated to said book. If you haven't read it, vote and move on.

2) The "hand of God" is not the end of the book. There's a LOT that happens after that.

3) For those the didn't like the hand of God--think about it. The entire story is based on the fact that God has a plan and is using special people to realize that plan. How can you be shocked when God asserts His presence? I would have been extremely disappointed if after all the Mother Abagail, and the visions, and other God-directed happenings, if the end would have been just randomness or the cleverness of Man. It was Man who got the world into the mess of the story! The "hand of God" fits perfectly into the story-world that King created for this tale.