The Stand (The Complete and Uncut Edition)
By Stephen King

A virus cooked up in some secret government laboratory (Mr. Tripps is the name of the disease), escapes the confines of its quarantine and begins to infect the world. By the time its viral rampage is over, Mr. Tripps has been fatal for most of the world's population. In the United States, where the events of the novel take place, those with an unexplained immunity to the virus begin to have mysterious dreams that lead them either to Las Vegas, Nevada or Boulder, Colorado. The Stand is a classic good versus evil tale. The good guys trek to Boulder and the bad to Las Vegas, where they prepare for a final, climactic showdown.

I loved this book. From start to finish I was hooked. I had read it as a teenager when it first came out, but I loved this edition. It was amazing how King could have written in so many different characters and storylines and still leaving me caring about all of them a great deal. He then manages to tie everything together in a masterful way. It was definitely a "heavy" read. It took a lot of time and attention, but I was rewarded by the wonderful story that he had put together. This book transcends the decades that have past since it was written and released.