I started and stopped reading multiple times. The Stand went on my did not finish shelf twice. I couldn't get invested but couldn't walk away either. A third of the way in I said enough is enough - one more chapter and make up your mind. You know what my choice was.

The Stand is a very slow burn for the first third but once it got going I had a raging inferno on my hands. I could not stop reading! All the time spent building the characters was well worth the wait. King built a deck of wonderfully deep and vivid characters. Nick, Tom Cullen, and Stu Redman were my favorites and felt as real as myself by the end.

Now that it's over I wish there were more. Go figure. Laws yes! So glad I read this, I can actually see myself reading it again in the future to fully appreciate the beginning. ( )