Stephen King

Duma Key is my favourite - the horror is very creepy in an out of the corner of your eye kind of way and the way he writes about recovery from serious head injury (from experience) is actually very inspiring.

I do like SK, but I think there's a lot of bits that could be cut out. I love The Stand....but I admit now I am familiar with it I do skip out huge swathes of it

Never really got on with It - maybe because it was supposed to be 'the' scary film when I was a kid and it didn't scare me much? Probably would scare me now if I'm honest. Someone lent me Needful Things when I was a young teenager - lots of dodgy sex scenes in that one as I remember - not at all suitable for a young teen!

I liked Gerald's Game and The Shining, Firestarter not like his others but I liked it a lot. I agree I prefer the short stories - the Richard Bachman books are good, includes The Long Walk, The Running Man, The Langoliers - all favourites. (Sorry I might have got the collections wrong)

I recommend the earlier stuff too. Especially The Stand, Pet Semetary, Misery, and Salem's Lot (far superior to the awful tv movie). Of his later novels the only one that really stands out for me is Gerald's Game which is a psychological thriller. It's not jumpy scary, but it's full of tension.
The Bachman books are well worth a read too.
I loved everything he wrote before The Tommyknockers, and with the exception of Gerald's Game, I didn't like anything he wrote after.
Although now I've read this thread I may have to read Bag of Bones.

Steven king for me can be either brilliant or deathly dull, my favourites:
The Shining
The Green Mile
Carrie
Misery
All of them better than the Film, especially Misery
Bag of bones is also fantastic too.
Might have to go and dust my collection off and read Misery again....

re his recent books - Duma Key is excellent. It really got under my skin.

Can't believe nobody has mentioned "Under The Dome", I think it's the best of his more recent ones!

Also loved "Insomnia" and am about to re-read it

Agree with the poster who said 11.22.63 was interesting but slow. Would probably make a good film I think that one.

I just finished "The Stand" and found myself mildly disappointed by it.

It is the best IMO.
Also you could try his less well known novellas, stand by me and Rita Hayworth and the shares hank redemption?

Lots of SK fans! I'm jealous that you've never read them coz you got lots of fun to come. SK is THE horror writer to read. I second "IT" and pet semetary but also misery. Carrie is alot better in book form than the film the creme de la creme for me though is the shining. Fantastic book i may re read myself now :) also not mentioned here and def underated is geralds game. It really gets in to someones mind when they are scared to death!

"It" is very good too. Also Thinner when writing as Richard Bachman.

I found The Tommyknockers in a charity shop yesterday.

I love Stephen King - especially The Stand, Misery, Carrie, Firestarter. The short story collections are great too, especially The Mist and The Langoliers. All of Sk's books are excellent

Full Dark No Stars - 4 long short stories very different from each other, all very haunting.

Long version of The Stand converted me, needs lots of time eg fictional bout of flu

Have just finished 11.22.63 and found it fascinating but very slow. And you would really not get it half as well if you hadn't read IT first.

I would recommend Rose Madder (even though King claims he was off his nut on cough medicine and cocaine and has forgotten writing it), The Stand, It, Christine, Insomnia and The Dead Zone. Most of the rest are OK but the ones I can't be bothered with re-reading are Dreamcatcher and Needful Things, which are just dull.

Of the Bachman books, if you can get hold of it The Long Walk is brilliantly creepy and depressing. I just bet Suzanne Collins read it at some point.

SK has written a sequel to The Shining about Danny as an adult. Called Doctor Sleep .

Hmm interesting thanks Vintage. I was dithering about reading Regulators after Desperation but I'll give it a go now

I didn't think desperation was that good, the regulators, I think, is brilliant.

Didn't really like the dome.

Love the short stories the 9'oclock people, chattery teeth, the finger, the long walk, the one with the vampire with the plane.

Haven't read 11.22.63.

Salems lot was good too and liked the bachman books.

I've read Desperation but not Regulators. Is one much better than the other? (Some same characters I understand)

I didn't love Desperation - it was ok but not a favourite.

Currently reading 11.22.63 and recently finished The Dome. I seem to be going through a phase of non ghosty SK stories atm. Really enjoying 11.22.63.

I was a bit disappointed in The Dome. Such a huge book and it took me ages to read (slow reader) but the ending ran out of steam imo.

I love his short story collections, Nightmares and Dreamscapes in particular.

Christine, Misery, The Shining and Pet Sematary are also amazing.

If you want a comparison of his genius read his book Desperation then read The Regulators he wrote as Richard Bachman. Sheer genius.

...Love "Bag of Bones". Isn't That the one where SHE says,"...It's just a Round
and Round,Sugar!"I Do tend to get my collection of 500 Horror-Sci/Fi books
Mixed up.Jill.

Bag of Bones is one of my favourites.

-" BLACK HOUSE "- by Stephen King & Peter Straub.This is a Treat for
fans of "The Talisman".
You take me to a place I never go,
You send me kisses made of gold,
I'll place a crown upon your curls,
All hail the Queen of the World !
-The Jayhawks
Read it... Right Here and Now...

Pet Sematary or The Shining

The Stand
Firestarter
Dead Zone
The Shining

The first one I tried was 'It' and I couldn't get on with 'It' at all :) Later on I did give SK another go and was glad I did. When he's good he's very good,, but he has written some stinkers.

Having said that, every book of his seems to be somebody's favourite. I''m definitely in the minority disliking 'It', but I would recommend starting with one of the shorter books. Try his short story and novella collections. That is a good way to sample the variety of his work.