From among all of Stephen King's novels rises a tale of ultimate horror, his 1980 entry, The Stand. Unlike his works that deal with one specific protagonist, such as Misery and Firestarter, this novel describes the lives of multiple characters. It is a masterpiece, brilliantly written and thoroughly frightening.

The Stand depicts life in 1985 America, when 99% of the population has died of a wide-spreading superflu disease. The few survivors converge in Boulder, Colorado, and form the "Free Zone," with their own laws and government. Meanwhile, an evil spirit, the Dark Man, has assembled a city of survivors in Las Vegas. The people of the Free Zone fight and stand against the evil that has arisen.

The Stand is an excellent Stephen King novel and well worth the time spent to read this lengthy epic.n