frank@scorplx.UUCP (Frank Pavelski) (08/29/84)
--- --- There probably aren't many out there that haven't read this one but since I've just finished reading "The Stand" I'll give a my commentary. First, I would recommend it to anyone who is a King fan. It is by far his best piece. It is rather lengthy however, roughly 800 pages. The story tells about what might happen if a geneticly (sp?) engineered "bug" gets out of the labortory. This bug is a shifting antigen flu virus. This means that it mutates and becomes resistent to vaccines as fast as they can be developed. The virus is also 99.9 percent communicable (sp?) and since there is no cure, it's 99.9 percent fatal. As you might anticipate, the consequences are devestating. Among the surviors arise two omnipotent powers, those of good and evil, Mother Abagail and Randall Flagg respectively. These survivors group the remainder of the american population on either side of the rocky mountains, to prepare for the final conflict. Their methods of contacting their followers are paranormal, implementing dreams and visions. The people take sides, the anti-christ or the new found messanger of God. As both sides prepare to destroy each other, tensions mount, and what little social structure that remains begins to break down. "The Stand" is a masterpiece of suspense and forshadowing. It makes one reconsider the "great potential" of genetic engineeging and realize that judgement day might not come riding in on the nose of an ICBM, but rather float out of some careless technician's test tube.