When it comes to Stephen King fans, some have a penchant for Pennywise, while others have a secret love for Tommyknockers. even if Stephen King himself isn't a fan. However, after Goodreads conducted a poll, one book took first place after earning an average score of 4.35 out of 5. Published in 1978, The Stand is King's epic tale of a virus that wipes out most of the Earth's population, leaving those who remain to fight on the side of good or evil. Like some of King's most engaging work, the wild tapestry unfolds with a multitude of different characters treading their own paths. Eventually, all roads lead to a final showdown with the mysterious Randall Flagg, who arrives just in time to throw what's left of America into even greater chaos, ending with humanity's fate being gambled away in Las Vegas.

In this 1,153-page nightmare, the greatest terror in King's massive story chronicling the end of humanity is not Flagg, but the virus, called Captain Trips, that allows him safe passage into the apocalypse. When Captain Trips is released, it is the spread that creates the most chills for both the infected and those left behind to deal with him. That's what made the 1994 TV movie adaptation such a great watch and one of the the best adaptations of Stephen King's works (the 2020 miniseries, not so much). It also became even more relatable in 2020 when fans noticed that reality was starting to look like one of the most disturbing parts of King's book.

As the world went into lockdown following the spread of COVID-19, parts of pop culture eerily began mirroring the events in real time. In addition to the likes of Contagion (which ended up in the top 10 on iTunes at the time) and "28 Days Later," people looked to King's "The Stand" to compare the spread of the disease that brought the planet to a standstill. The author even referred to a chapter of the book about X (then Twitter) chronicles the spread of the story of the end world bug. "Chapter 8 of STAND. This is how it works. Be careful. (But remember, COVID-19 is not as deadly as superflu.)"

In a book of nightmarish visions and otherworldly entities, the part of King's mammoth page-turner that stands out as the scariest is Captain Trips' spread. Described at one point as a "chain letter that really worked" being circulated among police patrols, restaurant workers and families returning from vacation, it all felt more unnerving than before 2020. During the video appearance of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," King admitted he was still apologizing for the book decades later, when we can only assume there was a spike in his number of "sorries." "People will come up and say through their little masks, 'I feel like I'm living in a Stephen King story.' My answer is, "I'm sorry about that."