Group Discussion III: The Stand (40th Anniversary)

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do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
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Gaa!! Somehow in my mind, I had this discussion being tonight instead of Tuesday night! So very sorry that I missed the live chat!!:down:

This has always been a favorite of mine. I first read the edited version in paperback form, but then was gifted a hard cover of the un-cut version by a friend who was moving and getting rid of things. To me, this is my preferred version, simply because we get to see some of the gaps filled in. Frannie's mom and The Kid both have larger parts to play than just a dead body and they build insight into Frannie and Trashy that I feel is missing in the edited version.

As others have mentioned, I have been known to get the sniffles and sometimes a full blown cold during re-reads. :rolleyes:

It's hard to comprehend how Flagg didn't sense Dayna Jurgens was a spy. He had the power of sending out "The Eye" but perhaps his power was limited or it was a human limitation. It was Lloyd who discovered she was a spy, correct?

What do you guys think of Lloyd? He was a criminal and had a past but I didn't view him as evil. He cried when he shot Glen and I believe he had true remorse. Thoughts?

I'm pretty sure that Flagg did discover her eventually. Lloyd had just left her sleeping, and the others came in to get her and she ran to get her weapon from the bathroom. Lloyd was a character that I felt pity for and while he did have chances for redemption, his loyalty to Flagg for saving him would not let him move on. I agree that he felt he deserved whatever happened to him because of that loyalty.
Yes, exactly. I rooted for Lloyd's redemption even more than I did for Harold's. :(
Speaking of Harold- didn't Stu find his body and bury it (him)?
I don't think he buried him, rather took the gun from his mouth. I also had the feeling Stu wanted to avenge Harold as much as the other when he met Flagg.
Yes!! That's it!

Thanks very much, Doc, for hosting us in our journey! I hope to do better next time in participation!! Stand strong, everyone!!:love_heart:
 

Tery

Say hello to my fishy buddy
Moderator
Apr 12, 2006
15,304
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Bremerton, Washington, United States
Lloyd was a character that I felt pity for and while he did have chances for redemption, his loyalty to Flagg for saving him would not let him move on. I agree that he felt he deserved whatever happened to him because of that loyalty.
Absolutely! Lloyd is one of my favorite characters. His arc was one of the more interesting; you could tell at the end that part of him regretted not just dying in that jail. And Miguel Ferrer's portrayal is amazing.
 

cat in a bag

Well-Known Member
Aug 28, 2010
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wyoming
Missed this discussion, too. Say sorry.

Everyone has had great points!

It is hard to decide which part is the best. But for me, I think part 2 is the least interesting. Still good, don't get me wrong. But the immediate danger of part 1 is past, and the marching towards a conclusion, one way or another as in part 3 still ahead, I think part 2 lags just a little bit.
 

Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
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Missed this discussion, too. Say sorry.

Everyone has had great points!

It is hard to decide which part is the best. But for me, I think part 2 is the least interesting. Still good, don't get me wrong. But the immediate danger of part 1 is past, and the marching towards a conclusion, one way or another as in part 3 still ahead, I think part 2 lags just a little bit.
Yeah, the whole setting up the government of the free zone dragged on a bit
 

RichardX

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2006
1,737
4,434
I'm almost done re-reading The Stand and its one of the few King books that I found disappointing in retrospect. It's certainly an epic classic that laid the groundwork for many of the post-apocalyptic novels and movies that came later. But the characters don't resonate and many fizzle out. Even many of the good guys are not particularly likable or interesting. In contrast to IT, for example, which is somewhat similar in scope, I don't really have much empathy with any of them except perhaps Tom (whose character feels dated and a bit silly even if still memorable). It's certainly a classic and I understand why it is held in such high regard, but flawed on closer inspection. I think that McCammon's "Swan Song" is the better book while owing a great deal to The Stand. I had the exact opposite reaction on re-reading Misery. That book was much better than I remembered.
 

Joseph Burdette

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2018
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The Stand is and always will be my favorite Stephen King book. It was the first 'horror' book I ever read that could match The Lord of the Rings in scale and weight. King was on the ball with this one, he managed to create an epic where even the villains were likable characters. Some of it drug around the middle, but it never fully stopped and once it started going again you never realized just how long this book was. I never wanted it to be over, of all of King's books this is the one I thought needed a sequel. I was happy to see the connection to the fourth Dark Tower book, although I was surprised to see him go along with the original edition's timeline rather than the uncut version.
 

César Hernández-Meraz

Wants to be Nick, ends up as Larry
May 19, 2015
605
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Aguascalientes, Mexico
My main question about The Stand is not related to the Hand of God, but rather, to the hand of Ralph. Which fingers did he lose? That question has been driving me crazier for quite some time... :eyebrow:

Absolutely! Lloyd is one of my favorite characters. His arc was one of the more interesting; you could tell at the end that part of him regretted not just dying in that jail. And Miguel Ferrer's portrayal is amazing.

It seems Lloyd has quite a few fans in this thread. I did like Mr. Ferrer's performance (I think I have liked him in everything I've seen him in), although I imagine a 29 year old Tom Felton as the baby-faced murderer with a little overbite. Sadly, Tom has gotten very old in just two years and no longer looks like I imagine Lloyd...
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
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Just north of Duma Key
My main question about The Stand is not related to the Hand of God, but rather, to the hand of Ralph. Which fingers did he lose? That question has been driving me crazier for quite some time... :eyebrow:



It seems Lloyd has quite a few fans in this thread. I did like Mr. Ferrer's performance (I think I have liked him in everything I've seen him in), although I imagine a 29 year old Tom Felton as the baby-faced murderer with a little overbite. Sadly, Tom has gotten very old in just two years and no longer looks like I imagine Lloyd...

The house Ralph shares with Nick Andros is destroyed by Harold Lauder’s bomb. He survives the assassination attempt, but the explosion costs him the third and fourth fingers on his left hand.
 

César Hernández-Meraz

Wants to be Nick, ends up as Larry
May 19, 2015
605
4,416
44
Aguascalientes, Mexico
The house Ralph shares with Nick Andros is destroyed by Harold Lauder’s bomb. He survives the assassination attempt, but the explosion costs him the third and fourth fingers on his left hand.

Thanks.

The problem, though, is that "third" and "fourth" fingers mean different things to different people (in English, as some people count "thumb" as its own thing).
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
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Cambridge, Ohio
Thanks.

The problem, though, is that "third" and "fourth" fingers mean different things to different people (in English, as some people count "thumb" as its own thing).
...the thumb is indeed to be counted as the first finger....at least the way I was educated in anatomy and physiology.....