Stephen King explains how pandemics spread with excerpt from The Stand

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

I've got to hand it to COVID-19, for every day that passes during this global pandemic we're all living in, the world is slowly starting to look more and more like the start of a Stephen King novel. Is the coronavirus on King's payroll? Is this all an elaborate plot to sell an upcoming King novel? I'm onto you, Stephen. You don't fool me.

Back in 1978, Stephen King published his classic pandemic novel The Stand. The plot of the aforementioned text revolves around a pandemic of a weaponized strain of influenza that very nearly kills the world's population. Say it with me, folks. Apropos! In recent weeks, King's disease-focused tale of terror has become a hot item for sadistic readers the world over, and now the author himself has posted an audio book sample that shares the chapter in which he explains how a world-ending virus spreads. If you're looking to freak yourself out more than you already are, I highly recommend giving it a listen.

While I've yet to read The Stand for myself, I think that I can safely say that King's folksy approach to pandemic-related events is likely the stuff of nightmares. After all, the man didn't earn his reputation for being the Master of Horror by not scaring the bejesus out of his readers. I think I'll sit this one out, as I'm already wound tighter than King's classic It character, Eddie Kaspbrak, during an allergy-intensive start to the spring season.