First Stephen King Book I should read

[lostintime17]

I've been thinking about starting to read horror books. I love horror films and I love reading so it makes sense. I've heard Stephen King is pretty good. Which would be your top 3 Stephen King books? And why?

Carrie
It
Stand by Me

Can't say why....other than just brilliant.

The Stand

Don't let the length of it put you off, it's fantastic! I've read it about 3 times over the past 20-odd years

I haven’t read them all but I did like Pet Cemetery and The Shining was fantastic

Pet semetary
The shining
Salem’s lot

Christine is my favourite!

Fantastic thanks for the recommendations everyone! I'm stupidly excited to read my first one.. :)

Depends how scary you want to go! I've read all his books and would say -

• Gerald's Game - Brilliant and so creepy, i slept with a light on for about a week after reading it this one.
• IT - Pennywise is still one of the most terrifying horror characters ever and it's an amazing coming of age story. It's epic though so takes a while to read!
• Pet Semetary - apparently even King himself locked this one in a drawer after he wrote it, he thought it was so terrifying!

Also well worth checking out some of his short story collections.. Different Seasons has the novellas of the films Stand by Me (called 'The Body') and The Shawshank Redemption (called 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption'). Just brilliant - he is an incredible writer.

I'd probably go for either Salem's lot or the Deadzone.

I wouldn't really call Stephen King Horror - obviously some of his books definitely are.... but most (for me) are more just properly creepy thrillers.... I adore his books.

Favourites....
Duma Key - Newer one
Geralds Game
The Shining
Love the Dark Tower series, but quite different to the rest of his work I'd say.

Carrie was the first I read as a teen (oops)

The stand is my favourite. I love walking dead and similar films and you can see how this novel influenced them all.

Personally, I really liked The Shining, Misery and It. All absorbing, twisty stories with something to say about the inhumanity of the human condition.

Stephen King's writing is unique; it's like being comforted and scared witless at the same time.

I love Stephen King.

Mine would be

The Stand
The Shining
Duma Key

Enjoy!

Pet Semetary is one of his best, I always thought. After The Shining of course (but not the recent Shining sequel!)
Then possibly It.

I started The Stand (if that's the one about disease) but didn't get very far into it. Might have to try again.

Stephen King's writing is unique; it's like being comforted and scared witless at the same time

This is so true!!

I can't believe nobody else has said Carrie! It's a genius novel. It's so freaking well observed! It's like a snapshot of high school in America in the 70s.

Not horror but The Green Mile is wonderful. And devastating

Carrie
Cujo
The Shining

And because I love SK and can't choose

Mr Mercedes
Under The Dome (didn't like the ending but the rest was great)
Pet Cemetery
The Tommyknockers
The Dead Zone
Firestarter

If I absolutely had to pick three it would be The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, IT and (cheating a little) The Dark Tower series.

I also love Rose Madder, Duma Key, The Shining, Lisey’s Story and loads of his short stories/novellas.

TGWLTG is a good introduction to SK I think, not too “out there” in terms of style and fairly short. It’s a fantastic book, the first time I read it I did it all in one go as I literally could not put it down.

Cornflake I love the girl who loved tom Gordon, doesn't often get a mention!

I've been reading virtually nothing but King for the last 18 months, so I'm a bit obsessed. My favourite is the Dark Tower series, but as a PP said, that's a bit different from his other works, and a huge prospect to boot.

Of the stand-alones, I loved The Shining. I had seen the film, but the book is something else. It got right under my skin. Incredibly creepy and terrifying, and it wasn't really the supernatural elements that were the scariest, it was the human ones. You could take all of the ghosts out of that book and it would still be chilling as hell.

I also really recommend his short story collections, they're a great way to start. I love a well-turned short story, and SK has written some fantastic ones.

Most of Stephen kings books are not really "horror". They are more supernatural with great characters

Stephen King’s writing is amazing. He just pulls me into the story and I’m absorbed.
I don’t get that feeling from books much anymore, since having kids being programmed to be semi alert all the time.
I’ve been enjoying some of his short stories in Full Dark, No Stars at the moment.
My favourites have been Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Pet Sematary and 11.22.63 which isn’t horror but brilliant.

The first I read was Misery when I was 14. Loved it.

Recently read The Long Walk (King writing under the Bachman pseudonym.) Really good.

They’re all easy to read and most really hook you in.

Misery
The shining
Pet cemetery

On Writing.

I know it's not what you meant, but it gave me a much better insight into his work.

I have just started reading needful things. I started it years ago but didn't finish it. I am actually quite scared although I hope it doesn't finish as I suspect it well.

If you want disturbing heart wrenching horror then Pet Semetary is spot on. I read it as a teenager and I'm still disturbed by it - I'm 47! I wouldn't be able to read it again.

I do like his writing style but never really get the endings.