I’m very excited to be beginning my Genre Writing Master’s Degree this summer. Our first reading assignment, The Stand by Stephen King.

Here’s the thing, despite being a long time science fiction and fantasy reader, I never, not once, have read a book by Stephen King. Surprising, perhaps. In a recent survey of short story writers by Clarkesworld Magazine, Stephen King was the number one author cited as an influence by short story writers. Number one! Also, the only author on the full list that I have never read. So maybe this assignment is not only apt, but overdue. If King is who everyone else wants to be, maybe I should see what the fuss is.

Since this is the one of the few times in my life I get to be a student, after being a teacher for over a dozen years now, I thought I would do this up right. Take some time and really delve into this book and see what I’ve been missing. Thus begins this series of blog posts that document my reading and my thoughts on The Stand by Stephen King.

Full Disclosure: I did watch and enjoy the 90s television mini-series of The Stand, starring, among others, TV’s Parker Lewis, Corin Nemec. Will this prior exposure taint my reading experience? Synchronize swatches to find out.