The Stand

DNF @ 69% (~930 pages)

I really tried with this one, y'all. I found it really compelling to start! The first third or so was interesting but had me wondering ‘where is this going?' The next third kind of answered that question, but I just didn't find the answer something I cared about. I did intentionally read the ‘uncut' version and I found it way too long for its own good. In addition to being bloated, it also contained some really disturbing imagery that I didn't find worth it. I know this is SK and I know this is horror, but there was some animal cruelty that made me downright nauseous and haunted me throughout my day even when I wasn't reading. I think this interested me so much at the start because it felt similar to Covid in a lot of ways, which I wasn't expecting! But I just could not bring myself to finish it and definitely won't be going out of my way to recommend it. I'm really glad I looked up a thorough summary of the last third because it truly wasn't going to be worth it.