The Stand
One man escapes from a biological weapon facility after an accident, carrying with him the deadly virus known as Captain Tripps, a rapidly mutating flu that - in the ensuing weeks - wipes out most of the world's population. In the aftermath, survivors choose between following an elderly black woman to Boulder or the dark man, Randall Flagg, who has set up his command post in Las Vegas. The two factions prepare for a confrontation between the forces of good and evil.
Where The Stand keeps showing up
Three of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Also by Stephen King
Books in conversation with The Stand
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about The Stand
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
When a weaponized superflu nicknamed Captain Trips escapes a California Army base, more than ninety-nine percent of the country dies in two weeks. The survivors begin to dream, some of an old Black woman in Nebraska named Mother Abagail and some of a dark man named Randall Flagg in Las Vegas.
The original 1978 publication of The Stand was around 800 pages. Stephen King later released The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition in 1990, restoring around 400 pages cut from the original. The complete edition is around 1,200 pages.
Yes, twice. ABC produced a 1994 miniseries; CBS All Access (now Paramount+) released a 2020 limited series. Both adapt the novel; the 1994 version is widely considered the more faithful.
The Stand was written by Stephen King, published in 1978 by Anchor Books.
The Stand is 1153 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Stand takes most readers 17 to 25 hours to finish.
The Stand is a standalone novel by Stephen King, not part of a series.
The Stand is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
