I finally started my 17-book adventure to The Dark Tower with The Stand and it’s a horror masterpiece

“The Stand” by Stephen King is a novel I regret not reading sooner. I knew going into this that greatness was awaiting since many readers consider this one of King’s best books ever written and let me tell you, it delivered and then some. In case you didn’t know, I have officially decided to start my journey to The Dark Tower and wanted to do a ton of pre-reading to ensure I get the complete experience the best I can.

I am conquering The Dark Tower by reading all these books leading up to it. In case you want to know what I think the best reading route to go is, here’s how I’m reading everything after weeks of research and asking several Constant Readers for their feedback…

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything’s Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

I know, I know. 17 books. I have thousands of hours of reading ahead of me but if “The Stand” is any indication, this will easily be one of the best reading experiences of my life. I’m super excited to finally read all these books (some I have already read) and my goal is to be finished before King’s next new anthology “You Like It Darker” comes out on May 21, 2024.

Before I jump into my review, I found a ton of trigger warnings while reading as many of these are very graphic. They were…

\- Cancer
\- Suicide
\- Abortion
\- Domestic abuse (physical)
\- Racism
\- Pandemic
\- Quarantine
\- Dead animals (cars, dogs, kittens, rabbits, and rats)
\- Drugs
\- Drinking and driving
\- Parental abuse (mental and physical)
\- Vaccination
\- Rape
\- Bullying
\- Dead children
\- Burning churches
\- Homophobia
\- Death of a child
\- Self-harm
\- Cannibalism
\- Violence against women
\- Religion
\- Politics
\- Violence against animals (hens and chickens)

If any of these triggers you, please do not read this novel. “The Stand” is hands down a horror masterpiece and at this point in my life, the longest book I have ever read. This tome is 1,348 pages deep and I know is an intimidating number to many but it’s worth it.

There are two versions of “The Stand” which is the original one that was released and truncated in 1975 due to how much of a behemoth this novel was at the time and a newly re-released “complete and uncut” one in 1990. I went with the latter since King re-added over 400 pages of text that were removed and revised everything to unleash the true vision of this novel he wanted. I love how King wrote about that to start this novel off to keep it real with his Constant Readers. It is officially King’s longest stand-alone novel in his catalog and will go down in history as one of the greatest horror novels ever written.

King held nothing back in “The Stand” as the intense opening set the groundwork for one hell of a ride. I loved the tension and suspense right off the bat and instantly loved all the unique characters I met along the way.

Speaking of which, there are a ton of characters in this novel to the point where I had to take quick notes on who is who due to a lengthy list of people. I didn’t want to get confused but thanks to my notes, it was pretty easy to remember everyone and enjoy everything in stride. I also loved all the references King had in here from my hometown of Queens here in New York, Freddy Krueger, The Lord of the Rings, Shirley Jackson, Norman Bates, and many more.

This novel was divided into three books all of which contained a bunch of mini-stories in addition to the main story. It was just a brilliant way of formatting everything so you are still kept in the loop of what was going on with the main characters and also all these side characters. I loved how you never knew who could end up being one to keep an eye on as their story progressed.

There weren’t any boring parts as all the dialogue, situations, and horror were top-notch. King is the master of subtle horror that hits you and continues bringing that terrifying dread of what was ultimately going on. Needless to say, this novel hit home with me and probably many other readers since it’s eerily similar to the whole COVID-19 pandemic we dealt with a few years ago. Imagine that but taken to extreme new heights in a way only King can deliver.

All the descriptions, stories, atmosphere, and overall horror are perfection. I couldn’t put this novel down as it took me over two weeks to read and I even dedicated my days off from work to get through it because it’s such a massive and addictive novel. It’s great and I assure you if you’re one of those readers that think this book is too big or would take forever to read, it’s worth it if you chip away each day and don’t rush anything. Take your time reading this as it’s a novel you will never forget for the rest of your life.

Another nice touch was how King added graphic illustrations to this novel as you read to capture some pivotal (and creepy) moments to add to this epic reading experience. I love when authors do this since it brings me back to my teenage days of reading horror paperback books where every chapter had a graphic illustration or they were sprinkled in between chapters.

King did not hold back when it came to all the horror, gore, and creepiness. Some of which I couldn’t believe and made many weird faces while reading as I started to put the pieces together to the mystery of this disease. Once that was revealed, a whole new part of this novel opened up to situations I never read before in a horror novel.

Once all the characters were finally connected and the race to the end was on, this is where “The Stand” truly delivered. There’s even more horror including a bloodbath of an action scene that was unexpected and pretty intense with some of the main characters. Out of this impressive roster of characters, while hard to choose, I loved Frannie, Stu, Nick, and of course, Kojak the dog. I can’t also leave out the main antagonist who had some scenes that sent chills down my spine… the infamous “Man in Black” Randall Flagg.

This was the first time I’ve ever read a novel involving Flagg and wow, I can see why he is despised by so many. Some of the situations involving Flagg were insane and now that I got my introduction to him, I’m excited to see what happens in the future with such an iconic villain in King’s Dark Tower universe.

The climactic race to the end was monumental as King takes the famous “good vs. bad” angle to new horrific heights. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything for you but all the plot twists and turns led to an awesome drop-the-mic ending. It was so good that I went back to re-read the last few chapters again because they were outstanding. I never saw that coming and am beyond satisfied with how it ended. The range of emotions from sadness, laughter, rage, disbelief, hope, and heartwarming moments were just some of what I experienced while reading this novel. All of which will last a lifetime with me as it was such a powerhouse of a novel.

I give “The Stand” by Stephen King a 5/5 and would give it a 10/5 if I could because this was by far one of the best novels I’ve ever read by King and in my entire life. The incredible story, memorable characters, a villain for the ages, brutal horror that only King can deliver, and the power of hope led to such a powerful read. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for the next step in my journey to The Dark Tower as I plan to start “The Eyes of the Dragon” next.

Cough.

by LTJ81