THE STAND by Stephen King

Narrated by Grover Gardner

     Never Flagging in its Determination

Laying claim more to being a novel of Americana than a horror story The Stand explores our way of life by setting up an apocalyptic scenario that takes away every vestige of the United States except the good and the bad that reside within us.  Soon after the man-made plague exterminates 99 and 44/100 of the population the survivors have just begun to pool their resources when they are drawn into a larger end-of-the-world conflict between good and evil. The story has some of the qualities of a gothic horror novel, namely the slow built-up of anticipation leading to a terror-filled climax. Stephen King has managed to flesh out the characters well, so while they are chiefly stereotypes of accountants, rock stars, criminals, rapists, homemakers and the like, they manage to present themselves with a sense of authenticity that is a pleasure to experience.

This is a massive brick of a novel. When you see the 45 hour run time and begin listening you know you are in for a long haul. Expecting rapid pacing for such a tome is not realistic. I approached this knowing that it would be like watching a television mini-series. I knew it would develop slowly and that I would either find a way to like the characters, and thereby the story, or I would not be able to finish it. Fortunately Stephen King has a knack for creating likable characters, or, barring that, at least interesting characters, so I was along for the ride; willing to let the story unfold at its own pace, which is slow and deliberate, not plodding mind you, but certainly not up to the pace that fans of Zombie Apocalypse or of Military Science Fiction are used to.  The feeling one gets listening to The Stand is akin to going to a small farming town to visit your Great Aunt, passing the peaceful hours on the front porch in a rocking chair watching the corn grow. Peaceful, relaxing, contemplative. The element of horror is so subdued, so secondary that it will not give anyone nightmares.

The Science Fiction fan in me kept trying to analyze the situation put forth in this novel—that of a small remnant population living off the supplies left behind by a thriving civilization. Whenever a character mentioned that they now had an unlimited supply of some commodity, be it motorcycles, clothing, canned goods, or gasoline, I could not help but think that these people are very short-sighted. I was thinking to myself, “Don’t they realize that their supply lines and transport of goods has been completely cut off?” No one is making motorcycles. No one is refining gasoline. No manufacturers are stitching clothes, making shoes or making anything. Any food crops will soon have to be grown by them and that if they don’t locate seeds they will never taste a green bean again. The canned goods will soon expire and leave even their tiny population in need. I had to consciously repress this part of my mind to enable me to enjoy the story.

In times past I have been very critical of the narration of Grover Gardner. His effort on Shelby Foote’s Civil War series was a hindrance to the enjoyment the text. He seems to be a completely difference narrator here. In this piece of fiction his expressions are much more animated and, therefore, much more\enjoyable. He does different voices for every character, and they truly seem like different people. His female voices are convincing and appropriate. True his voice still has a slightly grating quality to my ears, high-pitched and nasal, but the other components of his voice. pitch, inflection, tone and pacing are inviting. He really puts a lot of effort into this. I attribute the difference to the material. The Civil War series is non-fiction, somber and matter-of-fact. The Stand is a work of fiction, well-written, and benefits from his dramatic performance.