The Stand by Stephen King

 The Stand

by Stephen King

Stephen King has a fondness for the name Sally. He uses it at least three times, if not more, in The Stand.

I've read this book twice before and it is still one of his best works. My main issue with the book is that the climax, the undoing of Randall Flagg happens so quickly; the point the whole book builds up to is over in a couple of short paragraphs, which is kind of disappointing. That and the Sally repetition are my only qualms with it.

This book is especially interesting to read right now during the Covid-19 epidemic. You imagine, "What if this is the way this all turned out?"

It's a solid 4-star effort for King. The characters are well fleshed out and memorable, the stakes are high, the descriptions are vivid and fresh, the settings alive. All of the things King does best. I'll likely not read this book again; I did so this time as I read through King's works in order (I still need to get to the Bachman books!). But I'm glad I did read it again. As the cover of the book states, he is a Master Storyteller.