Stephen King's 'The Stand' Is Bloated, Racist, And (Somehow) Still A Masterpiece

Welovetheapocalypse.Zombieinvasions,nuclearholocausts,araggedbandofsurvivors--we'refascinatedbythesestoriesbecausethey'reasattractiveastheyareterrifying.Onthesurface,theyrepresenttheprimalhorrorofeverythingweknowdisappearing.Allofourlovedones,dead.Alltheorderandcomfortofourpreviouslives,replacedbywilderness.