katekintailbc | The Stand by Stephen King (Reply)

The Stand
by Stephen King
(Audio)

This book was a struggle and a joy.

I adore the movie version of this book SO VERY MUCH. I've seen it a dozen times, even though the beginning creeps me out and I have to watch it through fingers with hands in front of my face. I tried earreading this book about 10 years ago and only made it through about disc 1. Of something like 37 discs. It's a long book.

It was WORK to get through it this time. Not because it's long; the length was just fine (this was the completely unabridged version, mind you). The problem was that it FREAKED ME THE HELL OUT! I was shaking sometimes. And then people around me would cough or sneeze and I was be ABSOLUTELY certain that I was going to die, that the world was going to die. My boss came into work and said her sons were sick and I was sure I was about to die. Just a matter of time. OMG We're all going to die. And that was how I lived for WEEKS. Constant fear and paranoia and certainty that the world was screwed. I knew it was just a book but it's so realistically described.

I knew deep down that I would be FINE once most of the world was dead. But I learned a valuable lesson: I cannot handle modern day apocalypse stories. I can handle stories set in the distance future where the world turns to crap. I can handle post-apocalyptic stories. But watching the current world die, person by person, in a completely believable way? OMG THAT MESSES UP MY BRAAAAAAAIN!!!!!!!!

But I pushed through because I knew once everyone was dead, I'd be okay and left with a cast of fascinating characters. And, thank goodness, that was true.

I loved the sorts of details I didn't get in the movie, because there wasn't time for them. I loved meeting the new characters and seeing the new things. I cried and laughed, even though I knew what was going to happen. And I definitely fell in love with them all over again so many times.

The story of good versus evil is so very black or white, which I really adore. Even when characters themselves are gray, it's nice to be reminded that you can have some slip-ups and still be good (and vice-versa). And it's just a fascinating look at one way the world could go.

I am SO glad I finally read this book! Even if it nearly killed me.