The Stand

The Stand is my number four, and even though it's not higher, it's absolutely brilliant—the longest book I've read, with characters, tension, suspense, and everything you could want. It follows a plague wiping out 99% of the world, then survivors building societies in places like Colorado and Las Vegas, pitting good against evil. I saved it after reading 20 other King books because I knew I'd love it, and the audiobook is nearly 50 hours but worth every minute. If you're up for the challenge, it won't disappoint—I think about it all the time.

The Stand by Stephen King is an epic post-apocalyptic tale of a virus wiping out 99.9% of humanity, survivors drawn by dreams to battle good versus evil, tying into King's Dark Tower multiverse with masterful characters, plotting, and structure. As King's fourth novel and one of his magnum opuses, it's the greatest in dystopian fiction despite some fluff in the uncut version—Stephen King is my favorite author, excelling in any genre. It outshines similar works like Swan Song for me, standing as the pinnacle every time I think of the best book. I recommend it to understand King's lore and experience pure storytelling gold—it's essential, life-defining, and blows everything else away.