End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's the Stand

This is a great group of side stories to the original book. Amazing authors and so far great characters and stories related to the Stand.

Stephen King’s THE STAND is one of my all time favorite books. I was lucky enough to have read it only a few months ago and it opened the door for me to what a book could do. It was EPIC so I was super excited to dive back into the world again. It did not disappoint.
The list of contributors of the thirty four stories (by thirty six authors; the book is 600+ pages, so strap in) is phenomenal, and is not limited to horror novelists (although many current greats appear here). There are also selections by writers like Michael Koryta, S.A. Cosby and Meg Gardiner. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anthology with so many heavy hitters, which speaks to writers’ admiration of THE STAND and, likely, their regard for King.
I loved this. I know that each time I review an anthology I likely use the term “mixed bag,” but I am awed at how many of these stories were great, in my opinion…people brought their A game with this one. My favorite stories (and there are a number) were “The Tripps” by Wrath James White, “Lockdown” by Bev Vincent, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” by C. Robert Cargill, Tim Lebbon’s “Grace,” “Moving Day” by Richard Chizmar, “The Africa Painted Dog” by Catriona Ward (how Captains Tripps affected a particular couple of animals - so inventive!), “Make Your Own Way” by Alma Katsu, Cosby’s “The Legion of Swine,” “The Mosque at the End of the World” by Usman T. Malik (this and several other stories take place outside the U.S., a fact I so enjoyed), and “Awaiting Orders in Flaggston” by Somer Cannon.
If you are reading, or thinking of reading, the book you should know at least the basics about THE STAND (or you’ll be lost, or miss too much). Let’s just say you’ll be humming along to your own version of “Baby, Can You Dig Your Man” a lot while reading this (and I love how we may all have an entirely different version of how this song goes). And if you’ve read THE STAND you’ll know it’s not a light, cheery book, and the stories here mirror that; so prepare for some rough stuff.
But, oh! If you love THE STAND I would be surprised if you don’t find a lot to love here. These are just great stories. King seems to be pleased with the book which really says it all.

Usually, anthologies don't do it for me. I'll buy if a few of my favorite authors are included, but I usually don't read the whole thing. This hits WAY different. Every author understood the assignment. I count 34 stories here (my math might be off). 3 of them didn't quite work for me. 31/34? For me, that's 'best anthology" in history type of success rate. So right off the bat, you have a LOT of quality writing.
Next up, the way it reads. It's absolutely seamless. There is a well-developed sense of continuity here that I thought would be impossible to achieve. This even though stories are set in multiple timelines and settings so diverse there's even a low earth orbit tale.
Finally, the references. Multiple references to "The Stand" from the dreams, to the Bateman writings, to a witness to Rita Blakemore's suicide. Nearly 100% of the authors bring something a little different to King's masterpiece while staying on message to some degree. At 800 pages in length, it is a worthy companion piece to the original novel.
My Favorites? Of course I gotta shill for my favorite authors!! Lenora by Janz, Every Dog Has His Day by Smith, and "He's a Righteous Man" by Malfi really hit for me but I really loved the stream of consciousness style of "Walk on Gilded Splinters" by David Schow. Just a monolithic work of quality.

I’ve loved Stephen King’s The Stand since its release. Like so many of his Faithful Readers, I’ve read this book many times and always find it comforting to return to those characters I’ve come to love. Fans of this book have been clamoring for a sequel for decades. This lovely long book of short stories definitely satisfies that craving. The stories are well-written and imaginative. I’m only sad that there aren’t even more of them. Perhaps we’ll get Parts Two, Three, Four…? The appetite of rabid fans of The Stand for more material based on the book is unquenchable.

The Stand was the first Stephen King book I read back in junior high school. I revisit both the novel and the miniseries on a regular basis. When I heard this was coming out, I was super excited, and it did not disappoint. It is chock full of great stories in the same world as my favorite book, written by some fantastic authors. If you enjoyed The Stand, grab this as a companion piece. You won't regret it.