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Recommend me a Stephen King book please

78 replies

Hathall · 12/01/2012 11:59

I have a new kindle. Yay!

I used to read lots of Stephen King when I was younger (Carrie, Salems Lot, Pet Sematary etc) but haven't read any of his newer stuff (er from 20 yrs or so) so if someone could be so kind and let me know which is a must have, I'd be very grateful.

OP posts:
BendyBob · 17/01/2012 20:26

I read Bag of Bones last year and loved it. I go through phases with SK. I'll go years without reading him then do a few in a row.

Agree NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes (fab name!) re Insomnia taking some getting into; I also nearly gave it up. The initial chapters dragged a bit, but it got a lot better.

I always love it when he occasionally refers to characters from other his stories in his books; like familiar faces in the background.

CheerfulYank · 17/01/2012 20:28

I love, love, love the Stand.

Dolores Claiborne is very good and not as big a commitment.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 17/01/2012 20:31

I re-read, 'Bag Of Bones' over the weekend. It's excellent. The little girl is so well realised and the scene with the bath is genuinely terrifying. Oh and the bit where we find out what happened to Sara - shudder.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 17/01/2012 20:32

So do I BendyBob. When I read 11.22.63 and a couple of characters I really liked in another book showed up I was so pleased I emailed my friend (another SK fan) to tell her.

You might like a look at this. It's a series of photos and a commentary about the making of the Bag of Bones (not one of my favourites) mini series. The photos have a lot of references to other books and characters in them and I've had a lot of fun spotting things in them.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 17/01/2012 20:34

I don't really rate, 'Dolores Claiborn' because it's all done as recount, rather than as happening 'now' and therefore loses impact, imho. She's a great character but I think as a novel it's pretty thin. Nowhere near as bad as, 'Needful Things' or 'Dreamcatcher' though, which I think are appallingly bad (and I say that as somebody who would happily read King's shopping lists!).

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 17/01/2012 20:37

Ooh yes to Richie and Beverley turning up in the recent one - I shouted dp to tell him all about it, as if I'd just bumped into old friends in the street! He failed to understand my excitement though.

BendyBob · 17/01/2012 20:37

I just couldn't click with the Dark Tower book I tried. Maybe I should try again ,as you are all saying they're so good.

Am I right in thinking they're sort of historical/fantasy type stories? I just didn't get itBlush they didn't seem Stephen King-ish to me.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 17/01/2012 21:12

Not really historical, but very hard to describe.

The story covers parallel worlds and the one we start in, Roland's world, seems to be a cross between something from King Arthur and an American western. But as Roland searches for the Dark Tower he crosses over into our world (or worlds like it) and modern people (from the 1960's and 1980's) cross back into his. There are lots of characters from other books, or references to other books that crop up. Father Callahan from Salem's Lot is in it and some characters from Hearts in Atlantis and Everything's Eventual (another great book OP) and they even visit a version of America from The Stand.

So rather than historical, I think Roland's world is in our future. I didn't like the first book either, when I first picked it up (and I think I was still in early teens then) but later on when I decided to give it a go I couldn't put it down. Wizard and Glass was just out then, so I got to read the first four all together and loved them.

CheerfulYank · 17/01/2012 22:19

I read one of Tabitha King's books and one of the characters talks about Dick Halloran...you know, from the Shining? One of the next lines was the character saying "Of course, Dick's dead now." I started to cry. Blush

BendyBob · 18/01/2012 09:40

Aww CheerfulYank that is lovelyGrin Ikwym though; the characters do feel like people you know in rl.

Thanks for the Dark Tower details NoOnes.. I'm clearing missing something good here and need to revisit this.

pollywollydoodle · 27/01/2012 23:01

rose madder is fab, really draws you in before the madness begins
ditto insomnia

lildevon · 28/01/2012 00:00

Misery every time... Forget the film

Michiem · 28/01/2012 14:46

Def Cell! Loved it and it makes you feel differently about your mobile phone Wink

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 28/01/2012 16:34

This thread has made me get Cell back out for a reread. I've only just started it, and I don't think it's ever going to be my favourite but it is fun in a kind of Dawn of the Dead / War of the Worlds disaster kind of a way.

Misery is very, very good.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/01/2012 10:47

I've just bought The Talisman and Different Seasons, which I haven't re-read since they came out. I'm hoping I'm in for a treat!

Tortoise · 29/01/2012 10:50

I've got a huge box full of SK books. I'm stuck between keeping to re-read one day or trying to sell because I need the money.

NoOnesGoingToEatYourEyes · 29/01/2012 11:57

Keep them. Will they make much money if you sell them? And is it worth the risk of selling them and then wanting them back afterwards?

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/01/2012 12:06

I don't think they'd make much if you sold them. Keep them. (Or give any to me that I haven't got!!! :) )

Tortoise · 29/01/2012 13:14

Probably only a couple of quid each. Been in the loft for at least 5 years untouched.

BenderBendingRodriguez · 13/02/2012 12:38

Just finished Duma Key, inspired by this thread. What a mixed bag; it felt great to be reading a SK novel that was new to me, and I loved the evocation of middle age fears about health, security, talent etc. But why did he have to ruin it with such a derivative, tired plot tie-up about external evil? It would have been so much stronger had the weirdness come from within (trying not to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet).

PinkPanther27 · 13/02/2012 13:14

Not sure how old it is but Needful Things is my favourite book EVER

MateyMooo · 13/02/2012 13:35

have you read any of Dean R Koontz books?

I avoid the frankenstien ones but the others are great

Nakeshahendry · 31/05/2013 07:25

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JackieTheFart · 02/06/2013 23:33

The Dark Tower series - is there a man and a woman that are having an affair, the man gets beaten up by the husband, and is presumed dead. He comes back made whole by supernatural squid beings?

I really don't know if I'm remembering something else, but if it's the same thing, is it worth persevering? I didn't even finish it but I'm willing to try again - it's probably been 10 years.

I really liked Firestarter - seemed to move a bit faster than most. I tried re-reading Cujo a few months ago, couldn't do it. I knew what was going to happen and sobbed Grin

I love The Stand as well, but I don't read most of it tbh.

I love Dean Koontz (well, most). Intensity is fabulous - was made into a pretty goof tv movie as well.

spex11 · 03/06/2013 10:40

I'd also recommend Misery -- more chilling suspense than horror!