Stand: Hardcases - BookWyrm

grahams reviewed Stand: Hardcases by Stephen King

Review of 'Stand' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I read this book, possibly in middle school, but I believe it was the earlier, abridged original release. I didn't remember it fondly... But after completing The Dark Tower series and enjoying them, I thought it was a good time to not only revisit the book but read the 'complete' version released in the 90s.

This was a very good book. Despite it's ridiculous length, it didn't feel burdensome. Perhaps I would have felt differently if I read a paper copy (as I often have difficulty with long physical books) but I just kept chugging away at this without any concern for its length. The story engaged me and mostly it didn't seem to have a ton of useless fat.

I'm not sure why I didn't like the book in the past... Perhaps the abridged version was inferior, perhaps I was just immature or not in the right place.. But …

Trygve Kalland reviewed Stand: Hardcases by Stephen King

3 stars

There are a lot of good things to be said about this book, and I am a great admirer of Stephen King's imagination. But The Stand is. Just. Too. Long.

Way. Too. Long.

Some readers may enjoy following the numerous characters on their interminable journey, filled with endless amounts of non-essential details and dialogue (oh god, the sheer amount of dialogue), and for them this will be wonderful. I prefer tighter narratives and structures, and this was not for me.

But the book's "dark christianity", as King himself calls it, was interesting, as was the nature of Randall Flagg and his role in the world of past, present and future.