The Stand

The Stand is an apocalyptic horror novel by Stephen King. The novel, originally published in 1978, remains a favorite of many King fans. The novel deals with the decimation of the human population by a mutated virus known as "Captain Trips", the cross-country odyssey of a small group of survivors who divide into camps of good and evil, and the final battle between the groups.

The novel is notable for the first published reference to what would become the Dark Tower mythos, as King über-villain Randall Flagg is introduced.

The publishing history of the book is unique in that it was re-released as The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition in 1990. This edition restored some text originally edited for brevity, added some new sections and revised others, and changed the setting of the novel from the early 1980s to the early 1990s.

A TV miniseries version of the novel first appeared in 1994. Airing on four nights, it starred Molly Ringwald, Laura San-Giacomo, Rob Lowe, Gary Sinese and Ruby Dee.