Any Stephen king fans who can advise on book for teen son?

[pollycazalet]

In my never ending quest to find books for my son to read Stephen King has been suggested. Son is 13. Can anyone advise on a good one for him to start with? have never read any so feel free to advise that they are completely inapproriate. I had Cujo in mind - only because I remember the film vaguely....

[Itsjustafleshwound]

Different Seasons - 4 short stories - filmed as 'stand by Me' and 'Shawshank Redemption'

[OhMyNoReally]

I think I started reading them about then. Let your ds have a look online for a one he likes. I think the dark tower series could be a good pace to start or stand by me the film I watched that at around that age. There are also some good books of short stories.
They are quite gory but I can't think of any that are over sexual, there's also a lot of morality in them.
Honestly though let him pick one out, it will be good to develop that relationship under his own terms. I loved choosing a book that felt like it was just for me, still do. :)

[tillyfernackerpants]

I started reading SK when I was 12/13, probably some of them were inappropriate but not overly so. I would definitely say:

Different Seasons
Eye of the Dragon
The Talisman
Nightmares and Dreamscapes (short stories)
The Dark Tower series (starting with The Gunslinger)
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon

Others which might be ok (just depends on your son really)
Christine
Carrie
The Shining
The Stand (this is v long though!)
Thinner
The Dead Zone

That's just a list to start with - it might be worth looking them up on Amazon so you can get an idea?

[NoMoreMarbles]

My favourite Stephen King book is called 'Through the Eye of the Dragon' and features some of the same characters as th 'Dark Tower' series but is easier to read and might be a good place to start. It is medieval and i LOVE it and have read it about 10 times myself :)

What kind of books does he go for? is he an anything and everything reader?

there are a number of 'softer' books (i find some of the language used in SK books quite hard) that he could read by Dean Koontz too which are brilliant! Phantoms and the Watchers being two that i have loved off the top of my head :)

[marissab]

I would recommend the shining. Great and not too adult themes. I would avoid the stand as it's quite deep and avoid geralds game as there are adult themes. Pet semetary is a great horror story too without being too adult. Don't get him james herbert books. They are 'very' adult!

[marissab]

Yes to dean koontz. Very good also

[CoteDAzur]

Cujo wasn't my favourite as a teen.

I would recommend:

The Dead Zone
Carrie
Firestarter
The Stand
The Shining

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I'd recommend either 'The Green Mile' or 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon' as a starting point, or yes to Cujo, or maybe 'Christine' which isn't his best but might well appeal to a teenage boy.

Carrie hasn't aged terribly well and 'The Stand' is quite a challenge in its sheer scale, so better to save until he knows he likes King.

Herbert books are v rude and not v good, and I think Koontz is vastly inferior to King.

[CoteDAzur]

"I think Koontz is vastly inferior to King"

Very true.

[TheOrchardKeeper]

the girl who loved tom gordon is a very good, not too graphic starter

Salem's Lot is a good one too.

Dean koontz novels seem to start off with a little more oomph if you're looking for something engaging (as lots of stephen king novels are brilliant but slow burners).

the face or life expectancy are both quite easy but very engrossing, exciting reads

[CredulousThicko]

(no advice but marking place, very useful thread!)

[Badvoc]

The green mile
Carrie
Thinner
Misery
My fave is IT but I was about 15 when I read that one.

[ScentedNappyHag]

Cell is brilliant, and if he's the type of thirteen year old always attached to a mobile it might make him think

[colditz]

Not Gerald's game, it is overtly sexual and quite disturbing. Christine is brilliant, and Tommyknockers, ooooooh he'd never sleep again!

[LegArmpits]

The Long Walk (possibly a Bachman one) is about a troop of teenage boys who have to er..keep walking. Very very good.

[CoteDAzur]

Cell is the exact opposite of brilliant. It is a moronic zombie story that makes no sense, doesn't even come together properly, and is, afaik, the only Stephen King book to have only 3 stars on Amazon.

I have no idea how the same man wrote Duma Key and Cell.

Maybe Cell is an experiment. To see if people will buy whatever he writes.

[nars]

definitely the short story collections, brilliant, to the point and scary

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

See, I loved Cell and hated Duma Key.

I'm watching with interest as my Ds is also itching to get his paws on my horror collection.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

'The Long Walk' is superb but maybe too subtle for a generation used to the drivel that is The Hunger Games.

'Cell' is poor BUT it might well appeal to a 13 year old boy in a way that I suspect 'Dumas Key' really wouldn't. 'Cell' has pretty much instant blood and guts and a couple of interesting teenage characters. 'Under The Dome' also has some key cool teenagers (but lots and lots of people die, if that matters - and the ending is stupid).

Gerald's Game is pretty rubbish imho and The Tommyknockers is one of his weakest.

I love King and really would buy anything he wrote, even a shopping list, but that doesn't mean I think he's always brilliant. At his best, he is absolutely out of this world and at his worst he writes mindless schluck.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Pmsl at 'Dumas Key' - I suspect that's something else entirely! :)

[OzmaofOz]

I read Cujo when I was around the same age as your Ds, in the book the little boy dies which I found really hard to take on board. I have re read it a couple of times and still don't really like it.
The shining, Misery and Salems lot are all good to start with. The Stand is his best book in my opinion, although I haven't started on the dark tower series yet.
Yes, I also didn't get on with Duma key or Cell. I thought the idea for Cell was brilliant but it just didnt really come together.

[CoteDAzur]

I downloaded Under The Dome to my Kindle recently, when it was the deal of the day but haven't read it read. Is it good? Apart from the teenage characters who generally just piss me off these days, I mean. God help me when DC become teenagers.

[OzmaofOz]

I couldn't get in to under the dome, maybe I was just going through a tired couldn't focus phase - Dts may have been teething. It just didnt grip me but felt like it should. I gave up halfway and re read The TommyKnockers instead.

[OzmaofOz]

I couldn't get in to under the dome, maybe I was just going through a tired couldn't focus phase - Dts may have been teething. It just didnt grip me but felt like it should. I gave up halfway and re read The TommyKnockers instead.

[AmberLeaf]

Another vote for different seasons, I think I read it at about the same age.