This is my vote. You *have* to experience his short stories—despite his brilliance with character development and world building in longer works, I think he’s at his very very best in short form.
Different Seasons is the best place for a new reader to start. If you want more after those, I’m partial to Everything’s Eventual and Nightmares & Dreamscapes, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of the anthologies.
When I was working my way through his catalog for the first time, I liked to swap between the long books where he has room to sprawl out, and the short story collections. Very different experiences, but both are necessary to get a rounded idea of him as an author.
Have you read Joe Hill? There’s one short story of his called In the Rundown—it’s one of the best shorts I’ve ever read. The first time I read it I was just completely sucked in. It’s one of those where you watch a character on a collision course with absolute disaster. You know what’s going to happen before the main character does. It filled me with so much dread and tension, something I only feel with the best of the best short fiction. So good.
I haven't seen many film adaptations of his novels simply because they never do the novel justice in my opinion. Shawshank Redemption was so well done. Loved Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. The Stand miniseries was not bad but so much was left out from novel. Let's see I've seen The Stand, The Shining, Salem's Lot (still freaks me out), IT, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Misery and Shawshank Redemption. I always tried to read the book before I saw it on film because I didnt want to picture the movie characters when I read it.
There’s just so much material in The Stand, I think it would merit two 10 or 12 episode seasons to really give it the thorough treatment. A couple bits I’d like to see brought to screen are the kid, the ambush scene on the highway and the tornado scene with Tom and Nick.
This one would easily be in the top 5 essentials. I’m proud to say I came across a first edition hardback still in plastic for $20 this year! It’s one of my prized possessions.
Along with Different Seasons, I would wager The Long Walk. It’s pretty short, accessible, haunting, well paced, and really gets in the heads of the characters, which is a staple in most of SKs writing
This is my favorite book *of all time*, I love the story, I love the characters, the narration on the audiobook is immaculate. This is an unskippable read.
I’m going to answer this in a specific way. I won’t give you the absolute must for a King reader, but the absolute must for someone to first get into King as an author. Sure, The Stand and IT are iconic and probably two of the most loved King books there are, but they’re also very long and they have connections to other works in his bibliography that make them better appreciated after you’ve already got some other King books under your belt.
I would say there are two books that are must-reads for a new King reader. Misery and Pet Sematary. They’re not amongst his longer books, they’re both easily digestible and have most of the fat trimmed out. (King sometimes… meanders in his longer books.) Both have very easy to get premises and at the heart of them are about very real and relatable fears. Pet Sematary is supernatural, but that’s not really where the true horror of the book lies, that’s more or less just a vehicle to unleash the real terror. So both books can appeal to a wide audience and both move at a decent pace, delivering quite the mounting tension and brilliant payoffs. They’re the books I recommend regularly to people who aren’t into King yet. They aren’t as bogged down as many other titles are to the in-universe greater meta narrative, so they’re perfect for beginners to get a good taste of what King has to offer, and then if you enjoy them you’re perfectly poised to springboard into some of his longer deeper dives.
*Misery*, *Pet Sematary*, and *The Shining* were my first three King books, and they absolutely cemented my obsession right away. Definitely ideal places for a new reader to start. Great suggestion!
Thank you! I personally slept on Misery and Pet Sematary way too long, I didn’t read them until I was an actual adult. I read The Stand and IT when I was fairly young because of the TV miniseries’ that came out when I was still pretty young. Since reading them though I love them and always think of them as some of the best places to get a new fan started. Obviously you did a great job of picking your first King novels.
Thank you so much, i really appreciate your thoughts on this! I feel like a lot of Stephens books are connected somehow and i don’t want to miss out or start in the wrong end of things.
I don't think you can start out anywhere that's wrong. The connections in Kings written "universe" aren't necessarily linear, you just notice them as you read, and go "huh, so THAT'S where that came from". Also, Cujo is a LOT darker than you'd think it is.
Yes, upon consideration, you’re right. There’s no real “wrong” place to start with King, the connections in the larger universe are mostly just neat Easter eggs in the majority of his novels.
Some do spoil each other though. Like, I’m *pretty* sure that Needful Things spoils parts of Cujo and The Dark Half? It’s been a while, but I seem to think they get mentioned by Alan Pangborn at some point. I feel like Misery and Pet Sematary are both good solid books that don’t spoil any other books and that have some of the most relatable terror. IT is amazing, and probably my favourite book, but IT as a creature doesn’t scare me in the same visceral way >!Annie Wilkes!< does. Cujo is another good call though of books worth a read if a person is trying to get into King, it’s not a huge part of any overarching narrative, and is a very grounded realistic horror… and you sure aren’t kidding that it gets dark. I feel like people who haven’t read it sometimes dismiss it as just the >!killer dog!< book, but it’s much more than that.
Both the titles I recommended are not really important titles in the overall connected universe, so you definitely won’t be starting off in the wrong end. If you read them and like them I would recommend just starting to read his books in the order they came out. There are certain towns and places that he gradually builds up the history of, like Castle Rock and Derry, and if you just read in the order they were written you’ll do fine. There are plenty of books that aren’t a big part of the mythology, like Firestarter, The Shining, or Cujo, so you can decide whether or not you even care about the way some of the books are interconnected.
(I should mention, Cujo is technically a *little* connected because it takes place in one of King’s main towns, but plot wise it’s got nothing to do with the overarching narrative.)
Audiobooks are not a thing in my country.
I have never even read a book on Kindle.
Nothing beats physical books for me and King's books are the ideal style for reading, I always thought they would lose their charm in audio form.
Audio books take training. Just like you have to practice reading to get your attention span up, etc. But audiobooks can be great. Frank Muller has done many of kings books, and he is one of the best narrators. It helps so you can read while driving or walking the dog, cleaning. Def worth a try!
IT all the way. Brilliant coming up age story with an iconic villain and a deeply disturbing/compelling town setting in Derry. Unbelievable world building from King and wonderfully structured novel. His masterpiece.
Thank you for your suggestions! Seems like IT is a big must, will dive into it! I’m moving next week and will be driving 10-12 hours for three days straight, might get a hold of the audiobook! But i must admit, nothing beats hearing the king himself read his own works. Listened to Needful Things last year, loved hearing him!
I came to the comments looking and hoping someone would’ve mentioned The Tommyknockers.
Definitely one of his books that doesn’t, at least it’s been my experience, get the kind of attention or recommendations that most of his other work does.
Reading is very personal. With that in mind, here are my personal recs:
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Stand
(if you want be really scared) It
(if you have a lot of time) The Dark Tower Series
Hearts in Atlantis; Uncle Steve is a storyteller not a gore monger. His tales have horrific elements and unpleasant/ unsettling themes but are ultimately about the people. I’m a Constant Reader of 40 years, I’ve not tackled the Dark Tower branch, but have read and enjoyed pretty much everything else. Try some short stories? Skeleton Crew will definitely help 💀😂
May I suggest going back and reading the short story (which was written later) “Jerusalem’s Lot.” The prequel makes the novel a better read.
As for where to start, I read CARRIE at fifteen, and was sucked in for life. My favorite, however, remains IT. This book has everything — giant predatory birds, a homicidal statue, a werewolf, a mummy, subterranean tunnels, plus a town rotting from the inside out. The town itself takes on its own personality, as it does in SALEMS LOT and NEEDFUL THINGS, which is a King thing.
But mostly, it’s about kids and the shit they put up with just trying to survive and grow up. Love this book. ❤️
I guess it depends who you ask. Do you want his most iconic books, that's Salem's Lot, It, and The Stand. Do you want what most people believe is Kings' best books, that's Duma Key, Carrie, and 11-22-63. Do you want oldie but goodie The Long Walk.
The books I always recommend for King are The Long Walk, 11-22-63, Needful Things
I know this is a hot take, but Fairy Tale is also a great read. A must probably not.
The Long Walk is actually at the very top of my list. The Stand will always be my favorite but it’s long and meandering and The Long Walk is just short, brutal and you have to sit with that when it’s done. Every time I read it I’m just struck by how compelling it is.
The Outsider, it’s a newer one but still has a lot of what makes Stephen King amazing, supernatural horror, gut wrenching twists and just captivating writing!
I say start from the beginning with Carrie and just read them in chronological order. This is how my journey has been and I just finished Under the Dome. It’s been a wild ride.
“The Stand.” I love that book so much! I read it again every year throughout the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. It’s such a stressful time of year for me, and my favorite book is the perfect antidote for it.
No love for needful things? Scrolled pretty far and didn't see it. Has some references and callbacks to other works, but works well by itself. Also not encyclopedic in length
Commenters have given a lot of great options, but if you’re not dead set on a classic or horror novel from him, check out Billy Summers. You won’t be able to put it down, I promise.
The Long Walk - Unbelievable how quickly you can become attached to such great characters, even knowing from the start this novel will not have a happy ending.
I adore the short story collections and the novellas I’ve read so far. I’ve only read a few of his novels which I think are great. But I think as someone who is not that interested in short stories to loving his - makes me always want to recommend them!!
If only one it is "Misery" if you can have 3 picks it is "Misery" , "Pet Symetary" , "Joyland" ..I started on "Duma Key" myself ..that one is also a great choice ..but for a full King Scare ..go "Revival"
Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut is a phenomenal author and used his own experiences surviving the firebombing of Dresden in WW2 and mixes it with a unique time travel scifi angle to make a really engaging story. It's arguably his greatest piece of work and is one I cannot possibly endorse enough.
I have read every single comment, love seeing all of your recommendations! I have watched both Misery and The Shining, is the books totally different? Is it still «worth» reading even though i know the whole plot ?
Thank you all for your answers!
The lack of Gunslinger being mentioned! \*clutches pearls\*
I have read 90% of SK's works. The Gunslinger is my favorite of his. The Stand was for a long time. Then Wizard and Glass (the fourth Dark Tower book) was my favorite for a LONG time. I re-read books 1-4 recently, each one is a 10/10 and 1 - The Gunslinger - is just \*chef's kiss\*.
Edit to add: When I say favorite of his, I also mean favorite book of all time.
I’m surprised no one mentioned “On Writing”! It’s a cross between his autobiography and an inspirational “how to” book for writers or anyone interested in writing. Highly recommend this one!
The Stand and It imo are peak King. Dark Tower series is wild and entertaining , great characters and some unforgettable moments, but the narrative is not super coherent unfortunately.
It's not even horror, but in Nightmares and Dreamscapes, the final story is actually an article he wrote for The New Yorker called "Head Down."
It chronicles his son Owen's little league baseball team as they represent Bangor in the 1989 Maine state baseball Tournament.
It's such a phenomenol piece of writing.
Different Seasons. Four novellas, two of them made into classic movies. The body is my favorite King story (it was made into the movie Stand by Me).
This is my vote. You *have* to experience his short stories—despite his brilliance with character development and world building in longer works, I think he’s at his very very best in short form. Different Seasons is the best place for a new reader to start. If you want more after those, I’m partial to Everything’s Eventual and Nightmares & Dreamscapes, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of the anthologies. When I was working my way through his catalog for the first time, I liked to swap between the long books where he has room to sprawl out, and the short story collections. Very different experiences, but both are necessary to get a rounded idea of him as an author.
His newest one, You Like It Darker, is one of his best works in years. I think he is at his best writing short stories as well
Have you read Joe Hill? There’s one short story of his called In the Rundown—it’s one of the best shorts I’ve ever read. The first time I read it I was just completely sucked in. It’s one of those where you watch a character on a collision course with absolute disaster. You know what’s going to happen before the main character does. It filled me with so much dread and tension, something I only feel with the best of the best short fiction. So good.
You can't leave Skeleton Crew out of this conversation.
Second this all the way. Apt pupil is also a movie worth mentioning, although not a classic I guess? (I’m not from US)
Stand by Me was awesome but loved The Shawshank Redemption as well. Different Seasons is one my favorites as well.
Funnily enough I didn’t much care for the movie Stand by Me, but the Shawshank redemption is one of my favorite movies
I haven't seen many film adaptations of his novels simply because they never do the novel justice in my opinion. Shawshank Redemption was so well done. Loved Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. The Stand miniseries was not bad but so much was left out from novel. Let's see I've seen The Stand, The Shining, Salem's Lot (still freaks me out), IT, Stand by Me, The Green Mile, Misery and Shawshank Redemption. I always tried to read the book before I saw it on film because I didnt want to picture the movie characters when I read it.
There’s just so much material in The Stand, I think it would merit two 10 or 12 episode seasons to really give it the thorough treatment. A couple bits I’d like to see brought to screen are the kid, the ambush scene on the highway and the tornado scene with Tom and Nick.
Yes 9 episodes just wasn't enough. Way too many details left out. I read the book (and have several times) before I saw the miniseries.
This one would easily be in the top 5 essentials. I’m proud to say I came across a first edition hardback still in plastic for $20 this year! It’s one of my prized possessions. Along with Different Seasons, I would wager The Long Walk. It’s pretty short, accessible, haunting, well paced, and really gets in the heads of the characters, which is a staple in most of SKs writing
I must give that one a read
The Stand. It begins on June 16th, so tomorrow is a good day to start.
Ohhh good point!
11/22/63.
I'm not what you'd call a jimla
F*ck off, Jimla!
This is my favorite book *of all time*, I love the story, I love the characters, the narration on the audiobook is immaculate. This is an unskippable read.
This one and Dolores Claiborne just hit different for me for those same reasons.
I loved it but hated the ending
This might be my favorite of all of his that I've read. Really good stuff.
One of my favorites
I will shout this from the rooftops forever.
I read this every single year, it’s my favorite book. Amazing time travel story.
The Stand.
It really is his masterpiece in my opinion.
I think of it as King’s take on his version of LOTR. The whole good vs evil.
my choice as well!
THIS X1000
Just started reading it, the length discouraged me at first but it’s pretty good so far, excited for where it goes
Journey before destination my friend.
Life before Death Strength before weakness Journey before destination
IT
Just started it and I’m going to watch the movie when I’m finished
Seconded
Thirded
A story for the ages.
That’s how long it took me to read
I’m going to answer this in a specific way. I won’t give you the absolute must for a King reader, but the absolute must for someone to first get into King as an author. Sure, The Stand and IT are iconic and probably two of the most loved King books there are, but they’re also very long and they have connections to other works in his bibliography that make them better appreciated after you’ve already got some other King books under your belt. I would say there are two books that are must-reads for a new King reader. Misery and Pet Sematary. They’re not amongst his longer books, they’re both easily digestible and have most of the fat trimmed out. (King sometimes… meanders in his longer books.) Both have very easy to get premises and at the heart of them are about very real and relatable fears. Pet Sematary is supernatural, but that’s not really where the true horror of the book lies, that’s more or less just a vehicle to unleash the real terror. So both books can appeal to a wide audience and both move at a decent pace, delivering quite the mounting tension and brilliant payoffs. They’re the books I recommend regularly to people who aren’t into King yet. They aren’t as bogged down as many other titles are to the in-universe greater meta narrative, so they’re perfect for beginners to get a good taste of what King has to offer, and then if you enjoy them you’re perfectly poised to springboard into some of his longer deeper dives.
*Misery*, *Pet Sematary*, and *The Shining* were my first three King books, and they absolutely cemented my obsession right away. Definitely ideal places for a new reader to start. Great suggestion!
Thank you! I personally slept on Misery and Pet Sematary way too long, I didn’t read them until I was an actual adult. I read The Stand and IT when I was fairly young because of the TV miniseries’ that came out when I was still pretty young. Since reading them though I love them and always think of them as some of the best places to get a new fan started. Obviously you did a great job of picking your first King novels.
Thank you so much, i really appreciate your thoughts on this! I feel like a lot of Stephens books are connected somehow and i don’t want to miss out or start in the wrong end of things.
I don't think you can start out anywhere that's wrong. The connections in Kings written "universe" aren't necessarily linear, you just notice them as you read, and go "huh, so THAT'S where that came from". Also, Cujo is a LOT darker than you'd think it is.
Yes, upon consideration, you’re right. There’s no real “wrong” place to start with King, the connections in the larger universe are mostly just neat Easter eggs in the majority of his novels. Some do spoil each other though. Like, I’m *pretty* sure that Needful Things spoils parts of Cujo and The Dark Half? It’s been a while, but I seem to think they get mentioned by Alan Pangborn at some point. I feel like Misery and Pet Sematary are both good solid books that don’t spoil any other books and that have some of the most relatable terror. IT is amazing, and probably my favourite book, but IT as a creature doesn’t scare me in the same visceral way >!Annie Wilkes!< does. Cujo is another good call though of books worth a read if a person is trying to get into King, it’s not a huge part of any overarching narrative, and is a very grounded realistic horror… and you sure aren’t kidding that it gets dark. I feel like people who haven’t read it sometimes dismiss it as just the >!killer dog!< book, but it’s much more than that.
One of the stories in You Like it Darker spoils Cujo.
And also spoils Duma Key.
Good to know. I’m on the reserved book list at my library waiting for my turn to read You Like it Darker.
Both the titles I recommended are not really important titles in the overall connected universe, so you definitely won’t be starting off in the wrong end. If you read them and like them I would recommend just starting to read his books in the order they came out. There are certain towns and places that he gradually builds up the history of, like Castle Rock and Derry, and if you just read in the order they were written you’ll do fine. There are plenty of books that aren’t a big part of the mythology, like Firestarter, The Shining, or Cujo, so you can decide whether or not you even care about the way some of the books are interconnected. (I should mention, Cujo is technically a *little* connected because it takes place in one of King’s main towns, but plot wise it’s got nothing to do with the overarching narrative.)
100% agree with this, seeing IT and the stand as the top comments but they definitely might be intimidating to newer readers with their length
Misery for someone new to SK.
I couldn't put it down. Love it!
The Shining
Night Shift.
Pet Sematary.
I started with Pet Sematary when I was 12 and scared the bejeezus out of myself! 😆
Me too. It was weird, because my ultra Christian cousin gave it to me.
Desperation 💯 my friend. Dark, brutal, total madness from the very first pages, my favorite King's book!
I agree! It starts out fast and is a very quick read.
The first encounter with the cop and the specific words he says so casually was an epic first chapter!
I have to read this one. I listened to the audiobook but I can tell it doesn't do it justice.
Audiobooks are not a thing in my country. I have never even read a book on Kindle. Nothing beats physical books for me and King's books are the ideal style for reading, I always thought they would lose their charm in audio form.
Audio books take training. Just like you have to practice reading to get your attention span up, etc. But audiobooks can be great. Frank Muller has done many of kings books, and he is one of the best narrators. It helps so you can read while driving or walking the dog, cleaning. Def worth a try!
IT all the way. Brilliant coming up age story with an iconic villain and a deeply disturbing/compelling town setting in Derry. Unbelievable world building from King and wonderfully structured novel. His masterpiece.
My favorite book that I've ever read. I'll be shocked if/when I see the day something takes its place!
Thank you for your suggestions! Seems like IT is a big must, will dive into it! I’m moving next week and will be driving 10-12 hours for three days straight, might get a hold of the audiobook! But i must admit, nothing beats hearing the king himself read his own works. Listened to Needful Things last year, loved hearing him!
Tommyknockers. Underrated and so good!!!
I came to the comments looking and hoping someone would’ve mentioned The Tommyknockers. Definitely one of his books that doesn’t, at least it’s been my experience, get the kind of attention or recommendations that most of his other work does.
It's one of my favorites! Creepy, exciting, lovable characters, and feels so real even though it's not!
Salem’s Lot
Duma Key or Black House
Hot Takes! We got your Hot Takes right here, folks!
Reading is very personal. With that in mind, here are my personal recs: The Eyes of the Dragon The Stand (if you want be really scared) It (if you have a lot of time) The Dark Tower Series
Eyes of the Dragon doesn’t get enough love imo
Misery
The Dark Tower
The Last Dark Tower book is on par with The Stand. 1000% agree with you.
All of them.
Hearts in Atlantis; Uncle Steve is a storyteller not a gore monger. His tales have horrific elements and unpleasant/ unsettling themes but are ultimately about the people. I’m a Constant Reader of 40 years, I’ve not tackled the Dark Tower branch, but have read and enjoyed pretty much everything else. Try some short stories? Skeleton Crew will definitely help 💀😂
11/22/63
The shining. Imo his best book, not overly long. Relentless
The Stand
11/22/63 Pet sematary
May I suggest going back and reading the short story (which was written later) “Jerusalem’s Lot.” The prequel makes the novel a better read. As for where to start, I read CARRIE at fifteen, and was sucked in for life. My favorite, however, remains IT. This book has everything — giant predatory birds, a homicidal statue, a werewolf, a mummy, subterranean tunnels, plus a town rotting from the inside out. The town itself takes on its own personality, as it does in SALEMS LOT and NEEDFUL THINGS, which is a King thing. But mostly, it’s about kids and the shit they put up with just trying to survive and grow up. Love this book. ❤️
The Stand for me, followed by The Long Walk and It.
IT, its long af but one of the 3 most popular for a reason.
Bag of Bones and Insomnia. My favs.
The Stand
King’s short stories should not be overlooked- ‘Different Seasons’ may be one of his strongest short story collections.
Rose Madder
Oh, I loved that one!
The Talisman
The Shining and IT
IT
IT
Misery
IT and The Stand, I can’t choose between them.
The Talisman!
Duma Key, muchacho
Best work I would say Dark Tower series, best individual book: the Stand. Final Answer.
Another vote for The Stand.
The Stand IMHO His best work.
I’d say the complete works of Howard Phillip Lovecraft
Wizard and glass
11.22.63. Just re-read for the second time, one of his more modern classics.
Revival
the stand and pet sematary
Misery, hands down.
It
I always go with 11/22/63 or IT but give a warning for IT getting a little weird at a certain point.
Salems lot, cujo, pet sematary
Duma Key. The Dead Zone
It. Probably my favorite book of all-time, period.
Misery. I hadn’t read fiction in over twenty years and three years ago, that book turned me into an avid reader.
Wizard and Glass
The Stand. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Colorado Kid /s
The Green Mile
11/22/63
The Shining, Pet Semitary, Cujo.
IT and the Stand
If it’s a quick read, Pet Cemetery or The Dead Zone work
I think Bag of Bones is underrated...great book. But obviously, The Stand is his masterpiece.
Damn near his whole catalog.
Misery and Needful Things
The Stand. My favorite book ever.
I guess it depends who you ask. Do you want his most iconic books, that's Salem's Lot, It, and The Stand. Do you want what most people believe is Kings' best books, that's Duma Key, Carrie, and 11-22-63. Do you want oldie but goodie The Long Walk. The books I always recommend for King are The Long Walk, 11-22-63, Needful Things I know this is a hot take, but Fairy Tale is also a great read. A must probably not.
The Long Walk is actually at the very top of my list. The Stand will always be my favorite but it’s long and meandering and The Long Walk is just short, brutal and you have to sit with that when it’s done. Every time I read it I’m just struck by how compelling it is.
The Long Walk.
Revival is the one for me. It's the scariest of his and the one that I, personally, feel is the most literary.
FWIW, Salem’s Lot is not only my favorite King, but my favorite book of all time. Stick with it to the end, it will be worth your while.
The Shining and Pet Sematary.
The Outsider, it’s a newer one but still has a lot of what makes Stephen King amazing, supernatural horror, gut wrenching twists and just captivating writing!
Everything's eventual compilation 🙌
It, Needful Things, and Pet Semetary are always books that stood out the most for me.
Fairy Tale is also excellent, and the audio book is as well.
Not one book but I’m absolutely obsessed with the Dark Tower series and they are my favourite works of SK (that I’ve read).
The Shining
Misery
Dead Zone
11/22/63
Pet Semetary is my favorite King book
11/22/63, Revival, Bag of Bones (essentials for me that I feel are overshadowed by his earlier classics)
The Stand.
I say start from the beginning with Carrie and just read them in chronological order. This is how my journey has been and I just finished Under the Dome. It’s been a wild ride.
The Stand is an absolute odyssey, truly a timeless classic.
“The Stand.” I love that book so much! I read it again every year throughout the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. It’s such a stressful time of year for me, and my favorite book is the perfect antidote for it.
The Dark Tower Series. While not one book it’s one story.
No love for needful things? Scrolled pretty far and didn't see it. Has some references and callbacks to other works, but works well by itself. Also not encyclopedic in length
11/22/63
Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary
Commenters have given a lot of great options, but if you’re not dead set on a classic or horror novel from him, check out Billy Summers. You won’t be able to put it down, I promise.
I know it's not his most popular, but I really loved Fairytale!
Different Seasons. Or the book that has Carrie/Salem’s Lot/Shining in it.
Revival.
The Jaunt
For me, The Dead Zone is just an obsessive read. I can’t read any of it without spending every waking moment tearing through it.
IT
Any Love for Mr. Mercedes?
Yhe talisman
11/22/63
Hearts In Atlantis
For me it’s always Salem’s Lot. The Talisman is rough because it’s wordy but it’s so good
Pet Cematary of course
Four Past Midnight: specifically, The Sun Dog. That story sticks with me to this day.
The Long Walk - Unbelievable how quickly you can become attached to such great characters, even knowing from the start this novel will not have a happy ending.
A confederacy of Dunces. It will make you laugh and feel good about whatever place in life you've found yourself in. 12 out of 10
I adore the short story collections and the novellas I’ve read so far. I’ve only read a few of his novels which I think are great. But I think as someone who is not that interested in short stories to loving his - makes me always want to recommend them!!
The Stand and The Dark Tower series
Night Shift, clocking in.
The Stand 11.23.63 IT Dark Tower series Pet Semetary The Shining
Talisman
If only one it is "Misery" if you can have 3 picks it is "Misery" , "Pet Symetary" , "Joyland" ..I started on "Duma Key" myself ..that one is also a great choice ..but for a full King Scare ..go "Revival"
Insomnia, which I feel like isn’t talked about nearly enough.
Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut is a phenomenal author and used his own experiences surviving the firebombing of Dresden in WW2 and mixes it with a unique time travel scifi angle to make a really engaging story. It's arguably his greatest piece of work and is one I cannot possibly endorse enough.
The Stand. Or if you're not willing to commit to that the short story collection Different Seasons, which is NOTHING but hits.
Salems Lot
11/22/63 and Fairy Tale are my two favorites.
I think the most long term effective work is Pet Semetary, but I feel like his best work as an all around story is 11/22/63
I have read every single comment, love seeing all of your recommendations! I have watched both Misery and The Shining, is the books totally different? Is it still «worth» reading even though i know the whole plot ? Thank you all for your answers!
The Stand get the complete uncut version on audiobook. It's riveting!
The dead zone. I feel this book doesnt get the recognition it deserves.
Skeleton Crew
"The Shining," "It," "The Stand," "Misery," "11/22/63," and "The Dark Tower" series.
The Talisman
11/22/1963
"one" lol
The Bachman Books
The Anti Mary Exposed by Carrie Gress
The lack of Gunslinger being mentioned! \*clutches pearls\* I have read 90% of SK's works. The Gunslinger is my favorite of his. The Stand was for a long time. Then Wizard and Glass (the fourth Dark Tower book) was my favorite for a LONG time. I re-read books 1-4 recently, each one is a 10/10 and 1 - The Gunslinger - is just \*chef's kiss\*. Edit to add: When I say favorite of his, I also mean favorite book of all time.
I’m surprised no one mentioned “On Writing”! It’s a cross between his autobiography and an inspirational “how to” book for writers or anyone interested in writing. Highly recommend this one!
The Stand and It imo are peak King. Dark Tower series is wild and entertaining , great characters and some unforgettable moments, but the narrative is not super coherent unfortunately.
The Shining. It's so different from the movie.
It. That to me is his Magnum Opus. 7 distinct characters fully fledged out in two different timelines.
I love the body from SK
It's not even horror, but in Nightmares and Dreamscapes, the final story is actually an article he wrote for The New Yorker called "Head Down." It chronicles his son Owen's little league baseball team as they represent Bangor in the 1989 Maine state baseball Tournament. It's such a phenomenol piece of writing.