Stephen king

[Moominfan]

So I've never read any Stephen king. Always avoided him. Had the impression he was very long winded. Currently working my way through pet cemetery and loving it. What are your SK must reads? How good is it when you find an author you love with loads of material

[iklboo]

Really enjoyed:

Salem's Lot
It
Needful Things
The Dark Tower series
Mr Mercedes trilogy
Misery
Dolores Claiborne
Insomnia
The Green Mile
The Talisman (with Peter Straub)
Most of his short story collections

[Stravapalava]

I'm really enjoying The Outsider at the moment. It starts off a crime story & then turns supernatural.

[HumphreyCobblers]

My favourites are

Doctor Sleep
It
The Stand
Dead Zone
Danse Macabre

I can't read Pet Semetary after the middle bit, far too traumatising! I have read most of his books I think, and really enjoyed the majority.

The Dark Tower series have made a permanent impression on me, but I can't say that I ENJOYED them. But I find myself thinking of them in odd moments...

I dislike Needful Things and the one about the Kennedy assassination.

[userabcname]

The Shining
His short story collections are good too - I particularly liked Four Past Midnight.
The Stand
It
Salem's Lot
Carrie

[bakedbeanzontoast]

All the older stuff, night shift is my favourite collection of stories.

[shellshock77]

Pet Semetary is my favourite book. I have read Different Seasons, Salem's Lot, It, The Stand, Misery etc. many times too.

I used to love Desperation and Rose Madder but haven't read them for a long time.

[Moominfan]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Just finished pet cemetery and abit half way through the book I was wondering when it was going to get going. Then it really does

[RJonezy]

I would suggest IT.

I have never read a book like it. It's very spooky. I never thought you could feel that way when reading a book. It does drag on in some places and sort of trails off but it's all relevant...

Bare in mind the ending is slightly different to the films... you'll have to have an open mind happy reading!!

[beguilingeyes]

The Dead Zone and Firestarter are really good.

The Dead Zone movie with Christopher Walken is excellent.

[ChessieFL]

11.22.63 is fantastic but I don’t think it’s very like his usual work. It’s the first of his I read and nothing else of his that I’ve read has been as good.

[CantstandmLMs]

The shining is my favourite book ever!

11.22.63 is one I made my friend read recently and she LOVED. It is brilliant. I loved his most recent, The Institute.

I'm a massive King fan but on a different note, I just read his son, Jo Hill's, book Nos4r2 and loved it! The little hints to his dads books were very exciting! Anyone read any of his others? I'm keen now.

[LemonScentedStickyBat]

Only read 11.22.63, The Stand and the Dark Tower series and really enjoyed them all.

[thistimelastweek]

The PP has a good list. It's not exhaustive but Stephen King's early stuff is best

[thistimelastweek]

And The Stand is a must!

[coffeeagogo]

The shining
Christine
The stand
Misery
Carrie
I loved Stephen king when I was a teenager - my dad was a huge fan so I worked his way through his collection.
I think Christine is so under-rated - even now in my 40s I am not keen on walking in front of car bonnets 😂

[TwatCat]

I've loved every King I've ever read. Currently reading Under The Dome.

Cell is a very good one. It gets going right from the first page.

I also loved Misery
And 11.22.63

Carrie and IT, read those a long time ago when I was in school but they were very good too.

[PearTreeParty]

I think SK is really under-rated, because he falls under the 'horror' genre. I have read all the early stuff and a lot of the later stuff but not all.

I think his best book is The Stand, but also particularly enjoyed Dark Tower Series, Needful Things, Dolores Claibourne, The Dark Half and all the short stores. Currently reading The Institute. DS, 12, has just read The Girl WHo Loved Tom Gordon (which is a bit different) and really enjoyed it.

[wishing4sun]

I love Stephen king and have a big collection of his books. Insomnia is my favourite but very very long. Thinner is a good one and bag of bones. His just done one with his son which I'm 1/2 way through.

[PearTreeParty]

Rose Madder - yes forgot that one.

[Puppylucky]

I love SK - and Joe Hill - would reccommend Joe Hills early collection of short stories Heart Shaped Box - very good.
My favourite Stephen Kings have mostly been mentioned already but include
Christine
Dead Zone
The Shining
The Stand
The Talisman / The Black Housr
Duma Key
Needful Things
Danse Macabre / On writing - non fiction
All short story collections
As a a PP said I think he's massively underated as a writer due to the genre perceptions. His writing about relationships and human nature is hugely perceptive. For e.g. the best friend relationship in Christine is beautifully written - he describes so well the experience of knowing a good friend is going down the wrong path but being unable to help them.

[17caterpillars1mouse]

I read Rose Madder in my mid teens and it really stuck with me. One of his lessor known books

I loved Carrie, again as a teen and the shining.

Also really loved the eyes of the dragon which isn't typical king style

[exLtEveDallas]

I am a serious King fan, the only book I didn’t get one with was Hearts in Atlantis. All the others have been read and re-read dozens of times. It, The Stand, The Talisman, Black House (stop when he tells you to stop, don’t read on - broke my bloody heart) and Dr Sleep are my favourites.

[PixieN]

‘It’ is one of my favourite books. ‘The Stand’ is also amazing.

[AnuvvaMuvva]

The Dead Zone is probably my favourite novel ever. He said (in On Writing) that it's one of the few books he's written where he knew the ending in advance. I think that matters. I LOVE the beginning and middle of all of his books, but sometimes find the endings slightly shite. Like the big spider thing...

His short stories are incredibly good.

[nearlynermal]

And some trivia: both The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me are SK stories. I think his characterisation is really good. And I know some very smart people who rate him.