Legendary author Stephen King destroyed the world in his 1978 novel The Stand (which got an expanded edition in 1990), unleashing a virus that wiped out most of the population… but once society had crumbled, there was hope that the survivors would find a way to carry on. After, of course, a confrontation between good and supernatural evil decided which path would be taken. Although the entire world is affected by the pandemic, King keeps his focus on American characters because he envisioned The Stand as being an American Lord of the Rings. But if other authors had the chance to write something that takes place in the world of The Stand, they could tell the stories of what happened in other locations around the globe, as well as dig into characters that didn’t get the spotlight in King’s novel. We’ll get to find out exactly what at least thirty-six other authors would write about the world of The Stand in the upcoming anthology novel The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand, which Simon & Schuster will be publishing on August 19, 2025. Copies are available for pre-order at THIS LINK.
Here’s the information on The End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand: Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered 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 unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of 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 unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long 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.
King has written an introduction for the novel, which Golden has written a foreword and Keene an afterword. Authors who are contributing to the anthology include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.
What do you think of the idea of an anthology that takes place in the world of Stephen King’s The Stand? Will you be buying a copy of The End of the World as We Know It? Let us know by leaving a comment below.