Stephen King

[madeupmummy2012]

Hi Ladies,
Planning a trip to the library and fancied a horror/thriller. Heard of Stephen King, anyone got any recommendations?

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

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

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.

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

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....

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.

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)

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.