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The End of the World as We Know It

The instant New York Times bestseller (Aug 2025): New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand

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The End of the World as We Know It

By: Brian Keene - editor, Christopher Golden - editor, Stephen King - introduction, Christopher Golden and Brian Keene
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Sean Patrick Hopkins
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About this listen

 *** THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES TOP FIVE BESTSELLER ***

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered No. 1 bestselling author and master storyteller Stephen King's seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraor­dinary works exploring the unravelling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel - with generations of writers impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of unforgettable characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today's greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World as We Know It fea­tures remarkable, all-new stories set during and after the events of The Stand - brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the clas­sic bestselling novel.©2025 Christopher Golden and Brian Keene Editors Select Genre Fiction Horror Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Scary

Editorial Review

The world of The Stand expands!
Stephen King’s 1978 classic The Stand is one of his longest, clocking in at nearly 48 hours. Get ready for an additional 28 hours from some of the most-gifted minds of modern horror storytelling in this well-crafted anthology. Featuring stories from visionary authors—including S.A. Cosby, Caroline Kepnes, Tananarive Due, Nat Cassidy, Josh Malerman—it’s performed by award-winning narrators Sean Patrick Hopkins and Adenrele Ojo. The terrifying tales ensnared me immediately, and King multiverse fans are in for a real treat with these diverse, horrifying happenings set within this specific universe.—Nicole R., Audible Editor

Critic reviews

One of the buzziest horror books of the year . . . a sprawling, epic continuation of Stephen King's The Stand through the lens of some of the best writers in horror. Whether the horror prowess of editors Brian Keene and Christopher Golden gets you in the door, or you just can't pass up that table of contents, you won't be let down by this towering collection
A perfectly edited and consciously constructed anthology inspired by [Stephen King's] 1978 post-apocalyptic novel The Stand . . . Each story stands on its own, but laid out together, they effortlessly immerse readers in a connected world . . . An incredibly achievement that manages to expand, enrich, and improve its source material . . . A must-buy . . . This is a spectacular tribute to the ultimate epic horror novel of the 20th Century
Stories vary from visceral and violent to philosophical, and the breadth and diversity of the included authors add depth to King's world . . . With a star-studded list of authors, including some outside the realm of the horror genre, this highly anticipated collection will garner a wide audience . . . Captivating
[A] chilling post-apocalyptic anthology . . . the contributors approach this eerie setting with creativity and curiosity . . . Even readers unfamiliar with The Stand will find much to enjoy here, while fans will be pleased by the attention to detail. Every entry hits the mark, a tribute both to the editors' selection process and King's original worldbuilding
All stars
Most relevant
Half way through and while the stories are generally excellent, the female narrator has such a gushy, overblown delivery that it sadly drags me out of the tale. What a shame. Unlistenable.

Great stories, poor narration

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I was glued to my headphones for the entire book. King has very talented "deciples" that I hope will be able to build on his universe for a long time.

Innline with King's own storytelling

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I absolutely adore The Stand and most of these stories sit so well within its universe. As many others are saying though, the female narrator led me to skip some stories because I couldn’t stick it out with her over the top narration. Otherwise this a great addition to the world of The Stand - may be better to read instead of listening to it.

Worth Reading

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I loved the stand and was looking forward to this book, unfortunately I could only listen to about 50% as the female narrator is by far the worst narrator of any book I’ve listened too, the rest of it was great and the male narrator was one of the best.

Who decides the narrator? Massive loss and hopefully audible and the writers do something about this, I will buy the book to read in the meantime until another narrator reads.

Excellent book though (50%)

Ruined by female narrator

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I loved the stories, although some of them are a bit more horrific than I generally like. The male narrator is 5* but the female narrator is just dreadful. Zero stars. Her delivery is inconsistent, her mispronunciation of certain words is irritating, and her accents are awful. I ended up skipping her stories which is a damn shame for the authors. I will have to buy the book.

Great stories

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