The Stand by Stephen King

Stephen Kings's The Stand is a post- apocalyptic novel with a very complicated, intricate story line. After a devastating plague, illicitly engineered by the government in a secure facility, escapes and kills almost everyone, the survivors begin having dreams about two figures- "the black man" and a kindly old woman known as "Mother Abagail." The main characters of the stories are drawn to these figures- the woman seems to be a prophet of God, and the black man seems to be a demon. Each figure begins to draw a following, making small towns of survivors. The story follows these characters as they plan to infiltrate the black man's following and hopefully destroy him before they are killed by him.

I really enjoyed this novel by Stephen King. It had a very interesting premise- the idea of otherworldly forces in a post-apocalyptic setting. I think that fans of Stephen King or even fans of just apocalyptic/ post-apocalyptic books would enjoy this book very much. The entire book was suspenseful and scary, and some descriptions of the black man created an atmosphere where it seemed as if anything could happen. I was intrigued by the theological side to the book- the black man was some sort of demon or god, and the story was essentially about a conflict between good and evil. I also liked the extensive detailing that was utilized throughout the story. This book should be high on the reading list of everyone.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 10
Montrose Library