Years after watching the mini-series for the first time, I've finally read the book. This is definitely the largest stand-alone (1440 pages) that I've ever read. I definitely wish that I had read it sooner. 
 King wrote the book in multiple viewpoints from the characters, which gave insight to what they were thinking, etc. I really liked that, because while the mini-series was extremely accurate, I liked learning more about certain characters, such as Frannie and Nadine. I don't see how there was a "condensed" version of this that shorted it by 300-400 pages of plot. I feel that if anything was taken out, it would take away from the story as a whole. 
 The basic story is of good vs evil in a post-apocalyptic world, with some paranormal-ness thrown in. The population is largely reduced due to a self-mutating "flu" that has escaped a highly secured facility. The people who don't die of this disease or from the aftermath, begin having dreams of an old woman in Nebraska and The Dark Man. Mother Abigail is 108 years old (and still makes her own biscuits, mind you) and is our character of good. Randall Flagg is basically the devil. People begin flocking to either one of them. Flagg is stationed in Las Vegas, while Mother Abigail & company move from a field in Nebraska, to Boulder to establish the Boulder Free Zone. 
 This book introduces us to a lot of characters. Stuart, who becomes a lead man, was one of the first people to see the flu. He was even taken to a testing center so that they could monitor him and see why he was immune. I really liked his character throughout the book. Frannie was a 21 year old, freshly pregnant woman, who had to make her way with Harold (the worst/best character ever). Harold made me so mad throughout the book, but I know that his actions were necessary to the plot. We were supposed to hate him. Larry was always struggling with himself. He wanted to be a good guy, because he never had been. I liked seeing him evolve over time. Nick Andros and Tom Cullen were possibly my favorite characters. Nick was a deaf mute and Tom was on the slow side. I loved how they got along and got to communicate eventually. Tom ended up being such an in-depth character and such a key player, even though he wasn't there 100% mentally. There are too many characters in this book to talk about, but those are probably my favorite ones. 
 Stephen King knows how to write a story. He used phrases like, "and they never saw "such and such" again" making you think that person died. You may not find out until later on if they lived or not. Writing from the viewpoints of 15+ characters and then tying it all together may seem impossible, but King does it flawlessly. Every detail was addressed and it was all interwoven beautifully. I loved the ending and I could have kept reading about what happens 20+ years from then, when there is a new generation. 
 M-O-O-N, that spells amazing!