Stephen King's Novels

I've never been much of a horror fan but when I was still in high school, for some reason, my mom bought me the first book in Stephen King's then seven part series called 'The Dark Tower'. I never got through all seven, now eight, novels partially because they weren't all available until a year or so after I had caught up.

Now I've decided to dive back into the series and reread all seven, maybe eight, novels once again. For those who don't know The Dark Tower often ties into King's other works bringing in characters, settings, and tying in plots that all hinge on these seven books.

So I was wondering which of Stephen King's books you all had read and which you would recommend? I have Eye of The Dragon sitting on my shelf because I knew it tied right into the Dark Tower series, but any other recommendations of his work would be appreciated.

Dark Tower aside I really prefer his short story collections like Full Dark No Stars or just short stories like Blockade Billy.

Something about that condensed format just speaks to me. Not to say that I didn't enjoy Under The Dome, for example.

I've read The Shining, It, Carrie, and Doctor Sleep. All read in elementary through high school.

"It" was my favorite book of all time for the longest time until I read American Psycho. Amazing book with really interesting themes. I hope the new film adaptation delivers. That mini series adaptation is so horrible. I don't know why some people have an admiration for it or find it scary still.

I read Pet Sematary for the first time (also my first Stephen King book) last summer and had a good time. It was just a fun read for me--junk food for my eyes and brain--but very enjoyable. I didn't think it was scary at all, or even all that unsettling until the very end, but as I thought on it for the next couple of weeks after finishing it, it did get a lot more disturbing for me. Pretty sure it's one of the more famous books of his, so check that one out if you're gonna get into him.

salems lot

all the adaptations of the book suck and the book is a great, fun vampire story

I like Stephen King but I actually haven't read many of his books. The ones I have read are Bag of Bones, The Talisman, the first Dark Tower novel, and The Dark Half. I have also read parts of Salem's Lot, the second Dark Tower book, and Under the Dome.

I remember really enjoying The Talisman and Bag of Bones at the time but don't remember much about them, The Dark Half is also good. I do have plans to get back into The Dark Tower series.

Dark Tower is King's magnum opus. For me it's far eclipsed anything else in the fantasy genre just for how utterly novel a lot of its concepts are. For a series that evolved over 30+ years it's remarkably consistent. It also has the balls to go in directions most authors would shy away from but King doesn't, because fuck you he's Stephen King.

The Wind Through the Keyhole isn't really part eight, though. The canon consists of seven novels, and outside of that lie a few short stories about Roland and The Wind Through the Keyhole, which is a side story about Roland set shortly after Wizard and Glass. It's not really necessary to read, and ultimately doesn't add anything to the overall work, but it is a nice read for nostalgia purposes. I know that isn't what this thread is all about, but whenever I've got the opportunity to gush over DT I'll just say thankee sai for the opportunity.

Aside from Dark Tower I've read a lot of his other work. Not so much his 00s output because eh, aside from Duma Key and the first half of Cell I didn't really find it that interesting. I'd say a few standouts for me are The Stand, IT, 'Salem's Lot, Needful Things, Hearts in Atlantis, Skeleton Crew, The Talisman, Black House, and, I'm probably alone in this, but I thought Dreamcatcher was pretty good.

That probably doesn't sound like a few standouts but considering how many damn books King has written, it's still not really covering half of his bibliography.

Tim Curry. Whenever he's on the screen, magic happens.

Still haven't gotten around to The Dark Tower myself, but I know I need to read that at some point.
I haven't read that many of Kings work actually, but I have absolutely loved those I have read. Under the Dome is excellent, and his short story collections like Skeleton Crew is a must. King is a weird author I think, as he either writes great stuff or really bad stuff. And he writes a lot, so it doesn't really matter that some of it sucks.

If you like his writing you should probably check out some of his sons books as well. Horns and NOS4R2 are brilliant books in my opinion.

I really liked Joyland, his attempt at an old-school crime thriller. Really well-written, a cool subject matter (old carnivals), and some decent moments. I also really liked 11/22/63, the story of a guy who goes back in time and decides to save Kennedy from his assassination. It's a remarkably well-researched book with a great deal of interesting ties to that period in history and a focus on normal life instead of the supernatural.

A lot of his books can be pretty similar, with the same types of characters and plot points, but there's still not many duds in the bunch. I recommend books like the two I pointed out above which aren't the typical horror he's written countless times or his short story collections, which are always excellent.

Salem's Lot and Skeleton Crew (which includes the novella "The Mist", so you should read that) are probably the best two works that I've read from him. Actually, The Gunslinger was probably my favorite - such an excellent atmosphere and world! - but I didn't like The Drawing of the Three much at all so I haven't read any more Dark Tower books. I might pick it up again later but I had little interest in the characters of Eddie or Odetta and they appear to be major characters for the rest of the story.

I've made it two thirds of the way through The Stand (Unabridged, revised, whatever you want to call it) twice in my life and both times I've lost interest. It's still sitting on my shelf, bookmarked where I was. I think the first half of that book is vastly more interesting than the last half, it kinda feels like society restructures itself maybe a wee bit too conveniently.

I finished Under the Dome. That book is dumb. I didn't hate it, but there were just so many ridiculous conveniences and contrivances that brought me out of it. I wouldn't recommend it.

I have a copy of 11/22/63 sitting in my shelf that I've yet to dive into, but I've heard good things about it so hopefully I'll walk away from it feeling better about King than I did when I finished Under the Dome and put The Stand down so close to the end.

So... yeah. Read Salem's Lot and Skeleton Crew.

I have not read much more King than what I've listed here. He's certainly an interesting author but I think he's a bit hit or miss. I read his "On Writing" book and, from what I remember, he doesn't really plan his books out. He kinda just writes them and lets them flow wherever they'll go and sometimes it really shows.

The Long Walk is arguably the best thing he's done. The Mist and The Stand are close second/third.

I'll admit i still have to read some more of his grounded fare like shawshank and the body (what stand by me is based on)

As far as recent-ish stuff goes i loved Under the Dome. It's not high art or anything but it's a surprisingly fun and suspenseful read. Kinda funny how it doesn't take long for things to go to shit.

It's occurred to me kind of recently that i really am a pretty big fan; in my opinion he can suffer from verbal diarrhea but i also think he doesn't get enough credit for his writing, especially when it comes to characterization. I'm sure tons here are bigger fans, better able to articulate their love, and can give some better suggestions.

Opinions on Doctor Sleep? Always meant to pick it up.

@oldirtybearon: hey don't worry about dreamcatcher. I kinda liked Tommyknockers.

I restarted the Dark Tower this year. I've read it a couple of times already, but it's been a while since I last did. I'll be starting book 3 sometime soon. Book 1 and 7 are most favourite, with book 5 close behind(It reminds me of the 7 Samurai, or Magnificient 7, which is neat)

As for other Kings book I've read, There is so many, so I've just collapsed them into this spoiler tag to keep this post small in general.

King has built his own universe, which is neat and fills his stories with Easter Eggs. A character from The Dead Zone shows up in Cujo. The main character from 11/22/63 bumps into the kids from It. The Dark Town is the culmination of all that. You've already mentioned The Eyes of the Dragon. I'll try and order the other books for their level of importance in the Dark Tower series, but not tell you how or why they fit in.

The Stand
Salem's Lot
Hearts in Atlantis(Specifically the story Low Men in Yellow Coats)
Black House
Insomnia
IT
Rose Madder

IT barely offers anything other than a "That's neat" sort of connection and Rose Madder doesn't get referenced in the Dark Tower, but rather the other way around. Same thing, a "That's neat!" moment.

Black House is the sequel to The Talisman. I didn't really care for The Talisman too much, but it would provide provide a stronger bond with the main character. Almost like a necessary evil

My favourite King books in general are The Dead Zone, Duma Key and Blaze. Oh and also Different Seasons(Specifically Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption)

Phew, it's been a while since I've had a chance to talk some King! I'm saving Carrie to be the final King book I read, provided he doesn't put out dozens of books posthumously.

I find his writing pretty engrossing, even when I don't necessarily love the actual plot or certain story beats and there's basically always something really creative that you can latch onto, so between that and his prolificacy, it makes it hard for me to pin down what my favourites actually are. Lots of his stories can go off the rails and get super dumb, but I've probably still enjoyed all that I've read.

I'm really fond of Pet Sematary. It has all these very overt supernatural elements, but the seed of the horror is something very real. It all feels like it's built on something honest and personal. It might not be my favourite, but I just want to mention it because, while not obscure, it's probably not going to get as many mentions as his best known stuff.

Tim Curry is the sole redeeming quality of the It miniseries. It would be nice if the new movies end up being good, but I feel like the scope and depth of that story lends itself better to a longer miniseries, maybe about 10 hours or so. Oh well, we'll see.

I have read Shining, Doctor Sleep, and some of his shorter stories in a compilation book of his stuff that became movies, which included stuff like Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and 1408 (both excellent), and that one about the corn kids and the evil sewing machine (less excellent).
Also Full Dark, No Stars, which features probably the best work by him I have read, with 1922 being a standout, and Fair Extension just being some seriously creepy shit.
I have also read Mr. Mercedes. It had it's moments, but I felt as though that it was tonally inconsistent (I know, as a fan of MGS, I really shouldn't have a leg to stand on with regards to this, but the ending of Mr. Mercedes would be like if Drebin or his monkey are the ones that eventually take out Liquid).
In his longer horror novels, I feel as though he has too much of a habit of upping the scale by the end, taking away a lot of tension and scare factor that the first half spent establishing. I mean, in the Shining, it ends with the hotel just straight up exploding and being blown sky high.
I honestly think that movie version of The Shining is superior to the book because of this. The film keeps the scale small and constantly creepy.

I have tried multiple times to begin reading The Dark Tower books, but I always fall off after a while. I have no idea why either, the concept and setting are all super intriguing to me, because at the very least it seems to be a fantasy setting that does not fall on old tropes.

I thought the Dark Tower series had its moments, but was overall fucking terrible. Especially the later books. Complete stinkers.

I haven't read a whole lot of King's stuff, but of what I've read, I definitely preferred his short stories. His regular sized books are full of too many mundane details to make everything seem quaint and normal before the shit hits the fan. Clive Barker is a much more interesting horror author.

Wizard and Glass is by a solid margin the best Dark Tower book, with Gunslinger 2nd. Maybe i'm boring, though, as it most feels like your standard fantasy novel. I'll be nice and say Song of Susannah is a necessary evil.

Pretty much them all. Well about 50% I have listened to on audiobook, so some people will discount that.

I really like the new one, 11/22/63, its well done. There are a few I have started and not finished though, he has as tendency to come out strong and finish less so. Insomnia and Under The Dome comes to mind.

Haven't read Salem's Lot so I can't speak to how faithful it is but I really like the 1979 made for tv adaptation by Tobe Hooper. Hooper was also the directer of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre so the movie definitely has some pedigree behind it. It's way better than a made for tv movie has any right to be and a few of the scenes, and the vampires, are still somewhat creepy. It's also 3 hours long so it's probably more faithful than most other King adaptations just given it's runtime alone.

I read IT and Cell. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I recently tried to read the Dark Tower. I made it through the 3rd book and lost all interest. I doubt I'll ever finish the series.

I'd definitely recommend Needful Things, Mr. Mercedes and 11/22/63

I've read every single book from him until 2007, from the newer ones I've only read Dr. Sleep and The Wind Through The Keyhole. Definitely enjoy him a lot, but after a while his formula gets a bit old.

My absolute favourite is The Stand, which is one of the best post apocalypse stories of all time in my opinion. "It" is of course great, as are Salem's Lot, Firestarter, Pet Semetary, The Talisman, The Long Walk, Misery and a few others.

The Dark Tower is also really great (my second favourite Fantasy series next to The Wheel Of Time), so good choice in reading through those books. If you really get into it and want to understand everything and potentially read all the other books tying into it (a bit of a fool's errand almost, but worth it mostly) there's separate books by other authors about the universe and all the connections.

The Shining is by far his best work to me, I like Salem's Lot and The Stand as well.

I think his short stories are excellent as well, Night Shift and Skeleton Crew both collections are good. Jaunt and Survivor Type especially good.

Eyes of the Dragon is great. I read it as a stand alone book, not because it tied into the Dark Tower series, and loved it. Very brisk too, I read it in a few days.

Let's see, I've read The Shining, Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone, Desperation, The Regulators, Dolores Claiborne, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, The Green Mile, Needful Things, The Eyes of the Dragon, Thinner, Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, The Bachman Books (which are The Long Walk, Rage, Roadwork and The Running Man) and Four Past Midnight. I own pretty much all of his books, I just haven't had a chance to read them all, especially the newer ones.

My personal favorites are Dolores Claiborne, The Dead Zone, The Shining and all of his short story collections, especially Night Shift. Thinner, which he wrote as Richard Bachman, is also fantastic in a real campy way. Still disturbing though, but a real silly premise.

@oldirtybearon:That's good to hear about Wind Through the Keyhole. King spoke about how the series would only be six or seven books and then when I dove back in there was an eighth. I doubt after all seven I'll be willing to go back for another but we'll see.

@jadegl Wow, you've read a lot of King. It's like you two share the same state or something.

It seems Salem's Lot is the runaway suggestion.

I tried to read The Stand last year, but quit about 600 pages in. It was really strong for a long time while it describes the fall of society, but once it's actually the in the post apocalypse, it just drags and drags. It didn't help that some characters were just walking, talking Steven King tropes.

The Dark Tower is very erratic in quality though it's worth getting through. I loved the ending so that makes up for some rather egregious crap that comes beforehand. But it can be a slog so ymmv.

King's best shorter books are Misery and Pet Semetary. Long form go with It and The Stand (unabridged). As far as story collections, Skeleton Crew, Nigh Shift, Different Seasons, Everything's Eventual and Full Dark, No Stars are all good.

I haven't loved King's output over the last 20 years or so, but when he's on his game there's no genre writer better at crafting a story.

I got big into King in high school. And I was able to get a lot of his books cheap at local book stores.. Maybe they just had more because he's a native son. :D

I'd recommend From a Buick 8, Insomnia (especially if you like IT), and Four Past Midnight. Those are the books of his that stand out to me the most looking back at them.

I've read Dead Zone, The Stand, The Shining, Misery, Cell, and Night Shift. I like his work quite a bit, should probably read more of it.

I really loved 11/22/63

It and The Shining are two of my favorites aside from the Dark Tower series.

Fun fact, I drive by Stephen King's house almost every day on my way around town.

It always makes me happy to see Dark Tower lovin'. Such a great series.

Other than that, I've read Duma Key, Under the Dome, Joyland, 11/22/63, and Full Dark, No Stars recently. All pretty great. As for older ones, The Long Walk is really good. The Stand, Pet Semetary, The Mist, Salem's Lot, and Everything's Eventual are good too. I think that's about all I've read.

I've read From a Buick 8 too, but wasn't too keen on that one.

The Stand is great. It's not just my favorite SK book, it's one of my favorite books in general. He's pretty hit-and-miss, but when he hits, he hits hard. (at least, he used to. Haven't kept up with any of his recent stuff.)

Could never get into The Dark Tower, sadly. I know the series goes some really interesting places, but I couldn't get through the Gunslinger, it just bored me. None of the characters were even a little bit interesting.

How so?

I have read nearly everything by Stephen King, as he is my literary guilty pleasure. I would say that you can never go wrong with any of his short story collections and they are a good place to start if you want to dip your toes. My personal favorites are Skeleton Crew, Night Shift, and Nightmares and Dreamscapes but you can't go wrong with any of them. I also love his novella collections with my favorites being Different Seasons (gave us three great movies in Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and the underrated Apt Pupil) and The Bachman Books (The Long Walk is second only to The Mist as King's best novella).

Now if were going regular King novels I say his best work was from the 70' to the early 90's when he was coked out of his mind and cranking out books like a machine. Some of my favorites from that period include Tommyknockers, Firestarter, 'Salems Lot, Misery, and It.

If you're getting into The Dark Tower series I highly recommend you read The Talisman a novel he co-wrote with fellow horror author Peter Straub because it gets referenced a lot. Plus it is my favorite King novel.

Are you sure you want to go down this rabbit hole?

@theht said:

If you're really curious we should take this discussion to PM, because it's a huge damn spoiler.

the girl who loved tom gordon is pretty good if i remember right

also on writing is fantastic, but not fiction

the stand is alright, but about a billion pages long. and the first half of It is great and then it goes off the rails. there's a lot of sexual themes in king books that don't really sit well with me, and It is probably the prime example of that

I read The Stand, my first King book, relatively recently, and absolutely loved it. I was super excited about Dark Tower, but was unbelievably bored halfway through the first book, and gave up. Still wanna give it another shot sometime, though.

The Dead Zone has what is probably his best first chapter of any of his books, its just perfect creepy tone, you can feel how everything is going to shit. The Dark tower series is indeed awesome, I love the ending. The Shinning is always a good option, and if you like non fiction, his book "On Writing" is a masterpiece on the creative process.

I love The Stand, It, the first four Gunslinger novels, and to a slightly lesser extent, Bag of Bones and The Talisman. His short fiction tends to vary wildly in terms of quality, but some of it is pretty okay. For anyone new to his stuff, I'd stop reading anything he wrote after Bag of Bones.

Joe Hill, his son, is doing some fascinating writing too. I really enjoyed N0S4A2, even as silly as it was. And for anyone interested in big adventure horror in the vein of Stephen King, try Justin Cronin.