Finally

I know that it has taken me a little longer to post this newest review, but consider for a moment the fact that it is Stephen King I am talking about here, and that the book I have finished is none other than the completed, unedited version of The Stand, which is over 1,000 pages long. And those letters weren't exactly typed in your average-sized print, either.

Imagine a world where humans have determined their own fate, where one man and his family can spread a highly communicable disease that takes over the world, destroying millions of people in a painful and quick fashion. Only a few are immune, and those few start to gather. But there are two sides to this story: Some gather in the East, and some gather in the West. Those who gather with the Dark Man are themselves loaded with evil, and those who gather with Mother Abigail have to consider that there is, in fact, a God, and that he has decided to help the human race to stand against evil, before that evil can obliterate all that is good.

In this world not far off from our own, you meet some pretty good characters, and some pretty twisted characters. No one is safe from the scythe of death either, to my annoyance, but such is the way of King, I suppose. This is one of those books that will get you thinking, wondering about the significance of this, and marveling at how neatly that ties together. A good read, if you can handle Stephen King's dark and ruthless writing.