The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand: Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
779 pages, Hardcover
Published August 2025 by Gallery Books
I have a complicated relationship with The Stand, and don’t get me wrong, I have read it more than once. I watched the mini-series live, night by night, as it premiered. That said, I don’t love it as much as many of the authors in this book. I personally think Salem’s Lot, The Shining, and the Dead Zone are all masterpieces, but The Stand was a book I liked but thought suffered from a few major flaws. If I am also honest, I prefer Swan Song by Robert McCammon, a novel uncomfortably close to The Stand, to the point I think its 800 pages are as much of a tribute to The Stand as this one.
I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum. The funny thing as much as didn’t personally feel connected to The Stand the way Keene and Golden did from the moment this was announced, I was excited to read it. I also knew this was a big deal for Brian, who I respect and root for. The love drips off every page. I liked a few stories more than others but overall I thought the whole thing was readable, in someways it is more enjoyable than the OG novel because many stories are from writers I know and respect and I am rooting for those stories/
I won’t be breaking down every story, and to be honest, I returned it to the library, as I didn’t want anyone else to have to wait. With close to 800 pages I liked a few stories more than others. I was surprised to love stories by authors I am not fans of and in a couple cases not moved by authors I generally love.
My two absolute favorites were Tim Lebbon’s “Grace” and “Lockdown” by Bev Vincent.
Lebbon’s story might seem obvious as a favorite of mine that involves the space shuttle and takes place in orbit. It is not just the high concept but the execution of the story. Many of the besr stories gave us a point of view we didn’t get from King’s novel. What happens to the shuttle with no grounds crew? Heartbreaking little tale.
Lockdown by Bev Vincent felt the most like a lost chapter from the novel, while at the same time making subtle commentary on the events of the last few years. It shouldn’t be a surprise that a noted scholar of King would capture his voice the best. In my opinion.
Some other highlights for me:
“Wrong Fucking Place, Wrong Fucking Time” by C. Robert Cargill – Great characters and setting, a vivid piece that felt alive.
“The Africa Painted Dog” by Catriona Ward – One of the most delightfully out there weird tales that managed to experiment but also fit in just enough.
“Make Your Own Way” by Alma Katsu – Emotionally effective story.
“The Mosque at the End of the World by Usman T. Malik – of the stories that took place out of the U.S. I thought this one felt like it should’ve been it’s own novel.
Bright Light City by Meg Gardiner – I was surprised by this one.
Till Human Voices Wake Us, and We Drown by Poppy Z. Brite – The Brite stories of the 90s are super important, and this just felt great to read.
The Boat Man by Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes – Vivid story, set in a corner of the world that I enjoyed. The keys, the boats, all interesting stuff.
Abagail's Gethsermane by Wayne Brady & Maurice Broaddus – Glad this team will be writing books together going forward. I am amazed that King agreed to let anyone tell Abigail’s backstory but if you were going to two beloved artists like Brady and Broaddus. Hell yeah.
The whole book is a must-read for fans of The Stand. I personally would suggest buying a copy and reading a few stories at a time. Savoring the experience is one benefit, but also there is a little bit of repetitive themes that can’t be helped. Every author is going to want to play with the dreams of Boulder and Vegas.
The most important thing to me was this washed some of the bad taste of CBS TV, which got every single thing wrong in the storytelling. Keene and Golden have done amazing work here. This is an anthology for the ages. Even if it was not personally made for me. It is a towering achievement. Congratulations to all involved.
