Reading the Stand (***Expect Spoilers***)
Moderator: lucimay
Think about it.....an infectious disease has wiped out most of mankind. I would want to stay far, far away from anyone after that.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Orlion
- The Gap Into Spam
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*Sigh* Nick is dead along with eight other people who weren't nearly as awesome as Nick. I gotta admit, I'm kinda pissed off. Not the, 'You suck King, and so does this book' pissed off, but rather the 'Son of a bi+c#, I really liked that character' pissed off. I just always hoped that Nick would be one of the main, if not THE main agent in kicking Flagg's ass.... so once again, *sigh*. But, before he left, he set up Tom going to the west... I'll have to see how that developes... M-O-O-N, that spells come-uppins...
'Tis dream to think that Reason can
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
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Orlion
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 6666
- Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:30 am
- Location: Getting there...
- Been thanked: 1 time
*sigh* I left my copy of The Stand in a friends car, so I was unable to go on a final reading rampage like I wanted to...so, instead, I read one of King's short stories from Night Shift entitled "Jerusalem's Lot". And I have only a couple things to say about it:
1) It was [insert preferred expletive] amazing!
2) I rather enjoyed the Lovecraftian atmosphere... reminded me simultaneously of "Dreams in the Witch House" and "The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward"... not in the, 'oh, he totally ripped off Lovecraft' way, but the 'huh, he must have been inspired by Lovecraft' way. It really was a perfect Lovecraftian tale.
3) As a result (together with what I've read of the Stand) I have forgiven Stephen King for the travesty he called It and look forward to reading more of his work.
Next post should be my final impressions of "The Stand."
1) It was [insert preferred expletive] amazing!
2) I rather enjoyed the Lovecraftian atmosphere... reminded me simultaneously of "Dreams in the Witch House" and "The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward"... not in the, 'oh, he totally ripped off Lovecraft' way, but the 'huh, he must have been inspired by Lovecraft' way. It really was a perfect Lovecraftian tale.
3) As a result (together with what I've read of the Stand) I have forgiven Stephen King for the travesty he called It and look forward to reading more of his work.
Next post should be my final impressions of "The Stand."
'Tis dream to think that Reason can
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Definitely worth the read. Really creepy ending IIRC.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
-
Orlion
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 6666
- Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 12:30 am
- Location: Getting there...
- Been thanked: 1 time
Well, the ride is over. Stu survived whilst more deserving folk perished, but at least they took out Las Vegas with them. Overall, I liked the wrap-up in this novel, gave a nice conclusion to everything. Kinda reminded me of Tolkein's LotR, in that the book kept going after the main conflict was resolved. I, of course, do not mind this, as it helped to see where civilization was going and I got what I felt were good conclusions to individual character lines that remained. It seems mankind may survive... at least until Richard Farraday civilizes his group of savages... and until humanity repeats its vicious cycle.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable read, glad I read it. Glad I read Tommyknockers beforehand to (that book would have been considerably harder to read after the Stand). The main question I have is more of a poll then anything explaining the book. My roommate didn't enjoy the ending too much because "it involved God". I interpret this as meaning that he views the ending as being a literal dues ex machina where God directly blasts Flagg to bits. However, I don't view it this way. Yes, God was involved...but more in a Lord Foul way... he understood the characters involved and manipulated them into a situation that he wished... in this case, Larry, Glen, and Richard show up in Las Vegas, Flagg tries to demonstrate his power with a ball of electricity, and, shocked by the appearance of Trash Can Man, loses control of the ball of electricity which ultimately ends Las Vegas. The characters' calling this "the Hand of God" is just a recognization of this Foul-like manipulation, not saying that God reached down with his actual hand and set off the bomb.
Next (as far as King is concerned): Nightshift and Hearts in Atlantis.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable read, glad I read it. Glad I read Tommyknockers beforehand to (that book would have been considerably harder to read after the Stand). The main question I have is more of a poll then anything explaining the book. My roommate didn't enjoy the ending too much because "it involved God". I interpret this as meaning that he views the ending as being a literal dues ex machina where God directly blasts Flagg to bits. However, I don't view it this way. Yes, God was involved...but more in a Lord Foul way... he understood the characters involved and manipulated them into a situation that he wished... in this case, Larry, Glen, and Richard show up in Las Vegas, Flagg tries to demonstrate his power with a ball of electricity, and, shocked by the appearance of Trash Can Man, loses control of the ball of electricity which ultimately ends Las Vegas. The characters' calling this "the Hand of God" is just a recognization of this Foul-like manipulation, not saying that God reached down with his actual hand and set off the bomb.
Next (as far as King is concerned): Nightshift and Hearts in Atlantis.
'Tis dream to think that Reason can
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley