M. O. O. N., That Spells...

...The Stand, by Stephen King. I read the unabridged version of this several times as a kid. A few weeks ago, I got an odd whim and decided to read it again.

Several thoughts have occurred to me as I re-read this (I'm about halfway through).

There are multiple places in the book where some of the characters are referred to as being "...a lot older...". The characters in question are in their early 30's. There was one lady who as 40-ish. She was referred to as being "...set in her ways..." as if she was some ancient spinster.

No wonder I thought my parents were so old when I was a kid. They were in their 30's at the time. Life's practically *over* at 30... Stephen King says so.

As for the primary plot, the idea is an apocalyptic one where over 99% of the world's population is killed by a mutated influenza outbreak. For some reason, I always seem to get the sniffles when I read this thing. Allergies, cold, whatever. It's always a little disturbing.

Most amusing (this time, anyway), is the character of Larry Underwood. He's a rock n' roll singer who had just made it big before the flu strain did its thing. His name, obviously, is very similar to that of Carrie Underwood. Since she's a singer who has (relatively) recently made it big, I can only conclude that she is a sign of the Apocalypse.

You heard it here first.