The Stand is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which some of the few surviving humans gather into factions that are each led by a personification of either good or evil and seem fated to clash with each other. King started writing the story in February , [ 1 ] seeking to create an epic in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings.
The book was difficult for him to write because of the large number of characters and storylines. The novel marks the first appearance of Randall Flagg , King's recurring antagonist, whom King would bring back several times in his later writings.
King restored over pages of text that had been removed from his original manuscript , revised the order of the chapters, shifted the novel's setting 10 years forward from to , and accordingly corrected a number of cultural references. The book became a 1 bestseller and sold 4. The Stand was highly acclaimed by critics and is considered one of King's best novels.
A television miniseries of the same name based on the novel was broadcast on ABC in An extremely contagious and lethal strain of influenza , resistant to antibodies and vaccines, is developed as a biological weapon within a secret Department of Defense installation in the Mojave Desert , and is accidentally released.
The book's extended edition includes a prologue detailing the development of the virus and the security breach that causes its release. The laboratory staff die, but security guard Charles Campion manages to escape and takes his family out of state.
