What's That Stand?

Ben: Thank god that I'm reading the uncut version of the stand, with 500+ pages that were omitted from the original release, along with a new beginning and ending

Me: Where does it say that?

Ben: Did you not read any of the three forewords that tell you this?

Me: What do you mean a new ending? He didn't change any of the story's events

Ben: "...includes more than 500 pages of material deleted, along with material that king added as he reworded the manuscript for its next generation of fans. New characters were introduced and familiar ones endowed with new depths. Both the beginning and ending were changed."

Ben: "WHAT'S THAT SPELL?

WHAT'S THAT SPELL?

WHAT'S THAT SPELL?"

- Country Joe and The Fish

Me: That doesn't sound like Stephen King's foreword. Are you reading the Wikipedia entry??

Ben: That's on page -1 of the book

Me: Well the beginning and ending aren't changed, he just added stuff to them. Did you finish reading all the opening epigraphs yet?

Ben: I'm into the lower-case roman numerals now

Me: Are you excited?

Ben: And trepidatious

Me: Try to finish the first 150 pages tonight

Ben: Is that the first act?

Me: No, it's much longer. That's how long it takes before the man in black shows up.