Stephen King's "The Stand"
 

I picked up The Stand a few weeks ago and started reading it. I'm now a lil curious about everyone's opinion regarding if somehow an insanely contagious version of the flu were to be released upon the world. Would you run from it? Or believe the government when they told you everything would be fine?

Run like hell... I don't trust our government, so anything they tell us is subject to question.

It's not a bad book. A bit long winded... even for King, and the end was a bit anti-climactic to me. But, it's a good read nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy.

I am hopefully getting the book soon....its one I couldnt get into when I was younger...I did however just watch the miniseries last week and it was very enjoyable...(it was kind of spooky that the guy orignally slated to play the judge died of the flu during filming)

as far as the question...nope wouldnt trust the government at all although I dont know where you'd run....if it was anything like the story...you're fucked if you werent immune no matter where you were

Be sure to read the Complete and Uncut version - -it's a few hundred more pages, but it's so much better... (plus it has King's notes at the end, where IF this was to be a movie... it's pretty cool)

I wouldn't believe anyone - government or a person - if they told me everything was going to be fine... I'd get the hell out of Dodge that's for sure, not in fear of the flu, but in fear of the widespread panic that would follow...

Captain Trips was airborne. No way to run... The odds are, I would die like everybody else. I'm not special. I've got people all around me. I'd be a putrified mess on a yellowing front lawn in suburbia.

Read the unedited version. The ending is better.

Awesome book.

King is...well the King of the anti-climax. Don't get me wrong, I have read 95% of his books and loved almost all of them, but the man just can't write a good ending.

What I liked best about the stand were all the diversions and weird tangents he went off on describing in detail all the minor characters and their lives and deaths. I found it all quite fasinating.

BTW, if you have only seen the miniseries you are really missing out, I highly recommend this book to everyone. I hope to go back and read it again after I finish the Dark Tower (on page 120 of book 7), and see how the Stand ties in with Roland and his Ka-tet.

I agree with clavus; you can't run from an airborne virus. Plus, where would you go? Saturn? And how would you get there? In "The Stand," they encountered thousands of dead people still sitting in their cars waiting in colossal traffic jams as everybody tried to drive away from the virus and died there.

I read this in junior high about three or four times. Then when King released the longer version I read that about three times. Very good book. I enjoyed the beginning where King describes the effects of the plague everywhere. Maybe I'll pick it up again and read it once more.

The movie version of the opening scenes, has Blue Oyster Cults Don't Fear the Reaper has the music playing in the background, I don't think I've ever seen anything eerier on a "made for television" movie... Loved the book, loved the movie.

Great book, read it in the mid eighties for the first time and have re read it four times or so since then. And yes even though i'm a big King fan his endings sure could be better.

One of King's best. The immense cast of characters is stunning, and its amazing he was able to control it all. A part of the book's special charm is putting yourself in the dying version of America King creates; What would I do? Would I be out raping and pillaging in Vegas or would I end up in Boulder?

perfect time for the "drive my car off a cliff at 150mph with a joint in my mouth, bottle of scotch in my hand, and a chick blowing me" ending.

it WILL happen.

I would, to quote Iron Maiden, Run to the Hills. Trust the gov't, ha, thats funny, and I work for the gov't. MMM, I need my meds I think. Apologies to my government overlords.

Great book, should be required reading for the scientists who are cloning the early 1900's superflu.

yeah the book is excellent. I definitely agree with all of you on the "get the hell outta dodge" part. There's no way I'd be anywhere near any person alive. But I'd probably end up sneezing half way out the door, stop, light a cigarette and say "ah screw it I'm dead as a coffin nail. "

A King virgin! I envy you for getting to read this one for the first time. You'll also like The Talisman and then The Black House.

If you like The Stand, get Robert McCammon's Swan Song. Just as good but different.

loved it, read the book a number of time and have watched the movie a pile of times too!