I've been curious about this book for a long time. When I was told I should read it before the fourth Dark Tower book, I figured it was now or never. I wanted to read the original 1978 version, but a friend had the complete and uncut edition (which added about 400 pages), so I dove in. What I found was a very well-written book with engaging characters, exciting vignettes - and very little plot. Lots of things happen, but they don't always hang together as part of the same story.
The biggest disconnect for me is the essential division of the book into two stories. The first is a harrowing account of a supervirus escaping a government lab and swiftly decimating the population. Attempts at containment and cover-up disintegrate as millions die and the fabric of society crumbles away. We follow several survivors during and after the plague, as they lose everyone they love and then try to pick up the pieces, hoping they are not the last people on earth.The second story involves the survivors having the same dreams: one a comforting dream of an old woman in a Nebraska cornfield, the other a terrifying dream of a dark man in boots pursuing them, calling them west. As people start to discover everyone is having the same dream, they have a choice to make - follow the dream of love or the nightmare of fear. As people start to gather around the old woman and the dark man, it is clear the dark man means to destroy the remnant of humanity, and those who would fight his evil must make their stand.
Each of these stories is gripping, but it is unclear why they need each other. The supervirus story could stand on its own, and the psychic showdown didn't really need an apocalyptic event to work, either. Maybe if Flagg (the dark man) had caused the supervirus to escape, the two stories would be better connected, but he didn't. He just capitalizes on the opportunity to seize power and pick up the weapons lying around.
Some of the strongest moments to me are in the seemingly small details of the story. When millions die, it is easy to lose sight of the human tragedy in the face of the massive disaster, but King selects a few well-chosen, heart-wrenching details to remind us that these are real people, not just expendable extras in a story. He also successfully turns the book on the reader and puts us in his characters' shoes - I couldn't listen to my baby cough with an easy mind for quite awhile after The Stand.
He also presents several compelling pictures of imperfect faith. Mother Abagail, the old woman in the dreams, is a staunch believer in God, probably the only professing Christian of the main characters, but she succumbs to pride. The other characters struggle with what to believe after such a calamity, but they submit themselves to do what is right, even at the cost of their lives. The Stand is a very realistic portrait of people living in devastating yet miraculous times, and a chilling reminder of how easily regular people can give themselves over to evil.
Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 heart-wrenching details
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