Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) The Stand
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call 'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home.
Past Stephen King reviews:
Review
This is one of King’s most ambitious works; it depicts a world ravaged by a deadly virus and different survivors try to survive in the post-pandemic world. The book depicts an epic of biblical proportions with very religious undertones. The core conflict is between that of good and evil. On one hand is a group of survivors who follow the saintly Mother Abigail while on another is the group ruled by the evil and chaotic Randall Flagg.
Like many epics, the story depicts heroic acts of bravery and sacrifice. Unlike many epics, however, is King’s characterizations of the many characters he creates. While there are some absolutes (such as Mother Abigail being a force for “good”), most of the characters King creates are nuanced and multi-dimensional, both for the villains and for the heroes. The characters feel human and thus feel realistic.
The setting is very dark and grim, and there’s almost a macabre thrill when learning about the universe that King creates, especially learning about Flagg’s settlement in Las Vegas. I would recommend the uncut version of the novel, as when King first published the book, his publisher insisted that he cut around 400 pages, not for editorial purposes, but to keep the cost of the book low.
Conclusion
A highly ambitious story that's expertly executed; it's extra chilling because I read it during COVID.