I was a teenager when Stephen King’s The Stand was released. At that time, I liked to read long books that I could sink my teeth in. Books like Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear and Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds. The fact that The Stand was horror made it all the more alluring. I devoured that book, on the edge of my seat the entire time. Years later, when the book was re-released as ‘The Complete & Uncut Edition’, I ignored it. After all, I’d already read it and didn’t know if I wanted to slog through an additional 400 pages. But last year, I decided to give it a go. I’m glad I did. Not only was it a great way to become reacquainted with a book I’d loved back in high school, but it also developed a few characters that I hadn’t understood quite as well before.
Not Everything about the Re-release was Good
To be clear, I did enjoy the newer version very much, but one thing that kept annoying me was the fact that the dates were changed. It’s a minor nitpick, I know, but I was ready to delve back into the year 1980 (the original setting of The Stand) and not 1990 (the re-release’s setting). I felt jolted out of the story every time this happened. Some of the cultural references in the book also seemed off. Again, I was expecting to read a book that had taken place ten years before. Again, this is minor, but my expectations kept me from fully enjoying it.
Stephen King’s The Stand Re-release was also very, very Long
I started reading it in the summer and found that I couldn’t put the book down. Since I was reading on my Kindle (to save my wrists from the heavy, physical copy), I wasn’t always sure how far along in the book I was. But after a month of solid reading, I was only halfway through. So I took a break and went back to it in December. This helped refresh my mind. I finished the book a month later. Splitting it in half this way aided my enjoyment and helped me not get bogged down with all of the details.
Overall, I’m Glad I Read It
The biggest change between Stephen King’s The Stand and the re-release was the backstories of the characters, especially the Trashcan Man. Trashcan Man was one of the most heartbreaking timelines in the story. In the re-released novel, there is a section in which Trash Can Man travels through the mountains with a villainous companion who sexually assaults him with a firearm. This was one of the worst, most tragic events in the entire book. It’s a scene I will never be able to erase from my memory. I always thought of the Trashcan Man as a tragic figure (despite his destructive actions), but this scene really underscored that idea.
I also liked all of the details surrounding the other characters. Yes, there were times when I felt devoured by the descriptions, but at the same time, those details pulled me into the story and kept me there. I knew what I was getting into when I started the book, so I was prepared.
If you haven’t read Stephen King’s The Stand, I recommend that you do. Even if you choose the original version, you’ll be reading a horror literary masterpiece. It’s one of those amazing books that you should roll up your sleeves and get to work on.
Have you read The Complete & Uncut Edition of The Stand? Let me know in the comments.
