Good has prevailed...

so far...

Like any good Stephen King novel, I was up until 2am, because I could not put it down. That has happened too many times to count. The Stand is one of my ultimate favorites - but I much prefer the unabridged version. There were many places where a hazy memory of 'something more' arose. The joy of this project is that I am going to get to read this book again. If I am lucky it will be in the next 6 months.

One final comparison to Lord of the Rings:
Most people have seen The Return of the King, the end of the journey. It is fitting point out that Bilbo Baggins is writing "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale." This title tells us that we get to read the journey back home - which takes 30 minutes or so in the movie (I secretly laughed a bunch when people kept trying to get up at the end of the movie, thinking it was over).
The Stand has a similar ending [spoiler alert]

After Las Vegas goes up in a nuclear explosion, we are left with Stu in a ditch 300 miles or so from home. The eagles don't come for him, but Tom and Kojak do. The last 60 pages are devoted to Stu's journey home. There is of course the struggle for his life - he has pnemonia and a broken leg - there are high passes, wolves and snow, but he makes it home.

But in the end those last 60 pages are worth it.

Next up: The Long Walk