Stephen king

Don't forget 'Sleeping Beauties' written with his son.
I'm a lifelong SK fan - did my disertation on him. I also love his wife's books - Tabitha King. Not sure if they're easy to get hold of anymore.

I LOVE Stephen King and am re-reading his books in order (just started Pet Semetary).

There are so many great books by him but I particularly love the following:

• The Stand
• The Dead Zone
• It
• The Green Mile
• 11/22/63
• Different Seasons
• Hearts in Atlantis

I just finished 'The Institute' it was fab. Just close enough to real life science and past events to make you wonder that somewhere someday some government will attempt this....🤔
Loved 'The Dark Tower' books cried buckets several times. Such a completely different approach to a story mixing fantasy and real life. I didn't want it to end.
Yes to The Stand too. Epic tale.
I love his books on writing / auto biographies too it's like having a conversation with friend. Man he really does "take you by the hand" into a different place.

I read 'It' in bed at night as a teen I was halfway through it one night and kept reading till 3am as I couldn't out it down.😁

I think people see the name and think "horror" but his books are all so different and many don't actually have any stereotypical "horror" scenes in them so people are missing out on great stories. They are all character driven and mainly set in ordinary every day places and people with ordinary lives which are turned upside down by chance. That's probably the scariest thing.
Long may he reign.

The Dark Tower series is my favourite. The first one, The Gunslinger is a bit of a slog (although short), but needs reading as it's referenced right the way through. My personal favourite is no. 4, Wizard and Glass.

Also loved IT, The Shining, Misery and The Green Mile. I thought Tommyknockers was utter tosh, but I did read it immediately after finishing IT, and that's a tough act to follow.

Under the Dome started well but has the worst, most ridiculous ending I have ever read. It completely ruined it for me.

Then they made it even worse for TV.

@ImportantWater I think you should delve into one of his new ones, I think you'll love them. 11.22.63 is one is like to recapture the pleasure of reading again. So exciting! Loved his latest The Institution and also The Outsider.

Thanks, Pointy. Yes, I also enjoyed both.

The Long Walk is superb. One of his most scary and depressing.

*until he'd completed them...

I adore Stephen King. I have yet to find one I didn't love and often go back to read certain novels again and again - they're like old friends. He can write a character in one sentence! I agree with a pp that Cell has one of the best opening chapters ever and there's a certain death in it that utterly breaks my heart.

The ones I think of most is 11.22.63 and The Stand. I'm currently reading The Dark Tower series which I am so happy I left he'd completed. I can't imagine how readers felt when it seemed he wouldn't ever finish them!

He is my favourite author.

The Stand is just amazing.

I read loads as a teen and they absolutely terrified me. I used to lie in bed reading them and scaring myself silly when I turned the light out. I had a massive cupboard in my room which didn’t help. I haven’t read anything published after 1995 though, maybe I should revisit King.

Has anybody mentioned The long walk yet ? My favourite SK book of all time and I've read lots. It's an absolute gem of a story and I always wished it would become a film but somebody bought the film rights and then never made it. He's such a diverse author and this isn't his usual 'style' - I've recommended it to loads of people and nobody is ever disappointed

Yep, you're mixing them up, Remus. The camper van family is Desperation, the running around in the woods is The Regulators. I really like both of them.

I can remember a family in a camper van, and various kids (maybe one of whom is aut istic?) running around in the woods like the Scooby Doo gang. It's been a long time!

Is Desperation the one with the crazy cop? I really liked it, if so. It and The Regulator s need to be read as companion pieces but I think my brain is mixing bits up from both of them. I feel a re-read coming on.

IT is one of my favourite books ever. If you can arrange to read it during a rare trip back to the town you grew up in then it's even better! This happened by coincidence to me a couple of years back and it was a great way to really relate to the book.

Isn't Desperation the weird one that was published as two novels about the same event told from 2 different points of view? One of the versions is very good and the other is rubbishm

I think The Regulators was a lost book that got rediscovered. Desperation was written new when the old book came to light. It uses the same events as a premise but they are set in completely different locations and with different characters. Least that is my understanding.

F

I think SK’s greatest talent is the way he finds the little gaps in your subconscious and fills them with stuff you didn’t know you were afraid of until he wrote about them. I’ve phrased that really badly, but agree with those upthread bothered by the Jaunt and Pet Semetary

Currently reading It.

Just been inspired by this thread to re read an SK short story that has stayed with me for years - Strawberry Spring - and happily it's as good as I remembered

I would have said The Shining, but then I read The Green Mile. I absolutely loved it. In fairness I've yet to pick up an SK book that I didn't enjoy.

Isn't Desperation the weird one that was published as two novels about the same event told from 2 different points of view? One of the versions is very good and the other is rubbishm

I did enjoy Needful Things, though I'm prepared to admit it isn't his best - a bit soap opera. I haven't read Revival, I am way behind on all my reading.

SK writes brilliantly about the art of writing.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I agree with you on Needful things and Revival. I didn't enjoy those and I am a big SK fan!