M-o-o-n, that spells return. This week, we’re returning to the plague-ridden world that hosted the ultimate showdown between good and evil with The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales from Stephen King's The Stand.
The 800-page anthology is a collection of 34 short stories set during and after the events of The Stand, Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic epic originally published in 1978 and re-released with 400 additional, unedited pages in 1990. The sprawling dark fantasy centers on the events that unfold after an engineered virus known as Captain Trips escapes a government lab, wiping out over 90% of the global population. The immune survivors, guided by dreams of two mysterious figures named Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg, diverge into different factions and set the stage for an Earth-inheriting confrontation between good and evil.
It is regarded as one of King’s most acclaimed novels, and became my favorite book four years ago. His dedication to dozens of character arcs and their journeys has never been paralleled. I’m confident and excited for the new journeys we’ll be treated to in The End of the World as We Know It.
The book comes edited by authors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, and features stories written by over 30 of the most recognized names in contemporary horror, including Paul Tremblay (The Cabin at the End of the World, Horror Movie), Josh Malerman (Bird Box, Incidents Around the House), and Caroline Kepnes (You, Hidden Bodies). Two of the authors I’m most looking forward to are Catriona Ward, whose 2021 novel The Last House on Needless Street contained the most mind-bending twists I’ve read, and Nat Cassidy, whose recent release When the Wolf Comes Home is one of my favorite reads of 2025.
Since its original release, The Stand has been a major influence in horror and post-apocalyptic media, inspiring the works of many writers. It's only fitting that the new generation of writers will cement their voices into the world of the legendary novel that inspired so many of them. With so many authors contributing their unique talents, readers of the original should expect a feast. The original novel has a wealth of interesting characters; the pyromaniac servant Trash Can Man, sociology professor Glen Bateman, and deceptive teenager Harold Lauder. I'm looking forward to reading how the authors further enrich the material with their own unique characters.
Amongst numerous unproduced projects, The Stand has been adapted twice for television in 1994 and 2020, the latter ironically being released during the Covid-19 pandemic. A feature length film adaptation was announced in June 2025, with The Bourne Identity’s Doug Himan set to direct.