Saturday, September 30, 1978

Stephen King's The Stand published this month

First posted 6/11/2020; updated 7/6/2020.

The Stand

Stephen King

First Publication: September 1978


Category: post apocalyptic novel


Sales: ?

Accolades:

About the Book:

The Stand expanded on “Night Surf,” a short story by American horror author Stephen King. He outlined “the total breakdown of society after the accidental release of a strain of influenza that had been modified for biological warfare causes an apocalyptic pandemic which kills off the majority of the world’s human population.” WK

“Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge – Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious ‘Dark Man,’ who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them – and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.” AZ

“King’s apocalyptic vision of a world…tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting and eerily plausible as when it was first published.” AZ When it first came out in 1978, it had a 1980 setting, but by its paperback release the setting date changed to 1985. After a 1990 re-release, the book was set in 1990. WK

The Stand was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1979 and was adapted into both a television miniseries for ABC and a graphic novel published by Marvel Comics.” WK


Resources and Related Links:

In July 2018, I became the organizer of the Classic Novels Book Club. Check out the Book Club tab here or Meetup for more information. This is our October 2020 book.