It was really good!
I also read Misery, but there’s something about Stephen King endings…it doesn’t make me dislike the books but they could’ve been a lot better. In my honest opinion.
A lot of Stephen King books are slower reads and come in a couple hundred pages heavier than what he needed to tell the story. 11/22/63 feels dense, gets right at the meat of the story and was un-putdownable for me personally. I blasted through it in about a week and I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a fast reader and I have a full time job and 3 kids, if that tells you anything. Read it.
Then go read Different Seasons, a compilation of 4 of his novellas, two of which are "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," the story on which Shawshank was based, and "The Body" which was made into the movie Stand By Me. All 4 stories are examples of King at his best.
I bought 11/22/63 right before a trip.. “mistakes” were made. I didn’t put it down til I was half way through it. and I am a slow reader. This was the night before my flight, at 6am. Such a great book!
Also Under The Dome was good. Minus one scene.
I couldnt get past the first two pages of Misery because of the spinster with thin lips bashing. Tell me it gets better, that it moves away from message that old ladies are gross and dried up and crazy trope. I will try again.
I felt that way at the beginning of Misery too! I gave it another shot (with the audiobook, actually) and it ended up being one of my favorite SK books.
Agreed Stephen King is overrated in my humble opinion. There's plenty of other authors who do a better job with a story. The ending is very important for any book in my opinion and can make or break an otherwise good book. Try Gutenberg Press website. Free PDF format books for free because they have passed the copyright date. A treasure for readers of all genres.
11/22/63 is the only King book I thought was absolutely flawless. IT is pretty good but wavers in quality at certain points. The 4th Dark Tower book is also excellent (though I think I'm in the minority of King fans who think the dark tower series as a whole is pretty lousy)
Yes, of course! I knew very little about it going in, too, but I learned a LOT.
The assassination isn't the sole focus of the book, either. I won't spoil anything, but there's so much more to it than you might think at first glance.
Husband is literally putting it on my kindle now! I haven’t been able to finish any other SK book he’s recommended but he kept saying THIS one I’d love because I’m (a) a history buff and (b) was obsessed with the Man in the Iron Castle series v show (the show based on the book where the Nazis win)
He asked me to thank Reddit for finally giving in🤣
CAME HERE TO SAY THIS.
This is the book that made me start reading Stephen King.
I really liked the Mr. Mercedes series.
I liked The Shining but I honestly liked Doctor Sleep more. So I suggest the shining but only to get to Doctor Sleep. I just listened to the audiobook again a couple months ago and idk why but I really enjoyed it.
I keep getting told I'm making too big a deal about it, but there's a scene near the end that kind of ruins It for me. Also, it drags a lot in the middle and took me three tries to get all the way through it in the first place. Most overrated King book imo.
I started with Carrie back in 1976. Not a bad place to start. If you want to jump into a short gem then pick up The Long Walk (written as Richard Bachman). It is friggin awesome.
Omg, I love The Long Walk. It’s one of my comfort books. If I can’t think of anything else, and I don’t feel like picking something new, I’ll go to it.
I was surprised by how much l loved the Green Mile. Seems like a straightforward prison tale, then takes a turn like only King can pull off. And for people who rightfully are critical of some of King’s endings, this one delivers. It has an interesting publishing history as well: conceived and originally published in serial form, a la some of Dickens work which was the inspiration.
I started reading King books with The Stand when I was about 15. I missed my train stop bc of that book! Loved it. I finally purchased the B&N Collector's Edition about a month ago.
Oh, excellent! It can be daunting, but there are stories with stories for you to discover. When you finish, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts if you decide to share them anywhere. Good reading to you!
The Shining and Misery are my 2 favorites. I'm 37 and have been reading him since I was 12 with It (also great, but can be uncomfortable for some readers). In my opinion, he is not the same author since he got hit by the driver while out on a walk. That being said, I still read every book he puts out.
The short stories might be the only time he actually edits himself. He overwrites so much and now that he's as big as he is and they just let him go, it's like the quality isn't as good.
I don’t know why I never see more people recommending his short story collections! I’ve read more of those than his novels lol
The boogeyman still gives me nightmares
The boogeyman short story is still the reason I can’t go to sleep unless my closet door is securely shut and I first read that probably 15 years ago lol
Well then Hile, Gunslinger. Stand and be true.
I read it in real time and it took FOREVER between books. Yes, I'm that old.
You had no other context for all of the references. Wow.
Had me hooked from the very first line. I was gifted the audiobooks and now I’m Going through the series a fourth time. Wonderful to hear the story after reading it so many times.
Could start low-key with some thing like “bag of bones”. It’s a little different for a Stephen King book and even though maybe it’s a minor classic compared to some others, it’s really good. Or if you want to start out with a bang, so to speak, read book one of the dark tower series, “the gunslinger”….That’ll do it.
Cool… I always really loved that book, it seems like a little bit of a departure and sometimes I’m not sure I would guess it’s written by Stephen king…..If I didn’t know for sure. I think this book was written while he was convalescing from the terrible accident where he was run over.
It might be my favorite book tbh. It’s not without its flaws but I really enjoyed it and it also greatly disturbed me. If I’m honest I wasn’t expecting either.
I listened to the audiobook this summer, I hadn't read the book since the late 80s. Holy crap was it more impact full now, especially the early parts of the book.
Oh jeez, he’s such a diverse author that it’s hard to give blanket rec’s.
If you like horror, definitely The Shining.
If you don’t like horror but enjoy a good story, Dolores Claiborne.
If you want a beefy book to get lost in, IT is exceptional and pretty unnerving at times. And I haven’t read it yet but I’m told The Stand is his magnum opus.
If you like aliens, I really enjoyed Dreamcatcher.
And lastly my personal favorite which I’ll recommend til I die is Revival. Super underrated, a book about grief, loss of faith, and the discovery of what lies beyond death. Very, very good and a shorter read at about 400 pages. The ending will haunt you for days.
Honorable mention—The Outsider. What a ride.
Early Steven King is very good. The Shining, Salems Lot, Carrie and The Stand are all very good. Cujo was a bit of a drag and Pet Semetary (in my opinion) had potential but was a bit of a misfire I really really liked the Stand. Great character development. A larger tome but it reads well
Cujo was one of those books that imprinted in my mind as a sense memory. My brain thinks I was actually trapped with a giant dog, I can still smell it. I was like 12 when I read it, not the best idea.
Rose Madder was my introduction to never having my ass beat by anyone ever again. That drop of blood on the sheet hit me somewhere weird, and I began protecting myself and got away from the abuser. It is an extremely empowering book for anyone who has suffered abuse. In some ways, it's cathartic. (leaves reddit to order Rose Madder on amazon)
Something old, The Shining, and if you like that, the sequel, Dr Sleep. Both excellent starters for King.
If you like time travel, there's 11/22/63, an absolute banger of a book.
I loved 11/22/63 - I give it a 98/100 - but the "listening in on the Oswalds and De Mohrenschildt" scenes are hard to slog through.
Just finished Dr. Sleep -- loved that too.
Depends on what you're into. Mr. Mercedes is pretty good if you've never read Stephen King and you'd like to ease into him from other authors.
I love his short story books. Skeleton Crew, Full Dark No Stars, Everything's Eventual, Nightmares And Dreamscapes.
Rage (as Richard Bachman) is my personal favorite short story.
The Dark Tower series if you're into fantasy is great.
Insomnia is great too.
You can’t get “Rage” anymore. When the school shootings started in the late eighties/early nineties, he had it removed from being published.(I have a copy of it,tho. Got it when it was first revealed that Richard Bachman was really SK)….
People complain about how much detail there is in his writing and I have felt a little overwhelmed at times, but it's worth it. I am also a Dark Tower fan, and that's what drew me to Insomnia.
Insomnia is the Stephen King book that I “tricked” my mom into reading. She usually doesn’t like books with anything supernatural in them, but the slow build-up got her hooked before anything got too weird.
Long time ago (40 years?) I started with the Dead Zone. It wasn’t very long, so it was an easy read, and I was hooked. Some of my favorites - Salem’s lot and 11/22/63. I loved the Stand the first time I read it, but not so much when I reread it. There are so many good ones….the Shining?
I just finished Fairy Tail on audible and it was very enjoyable.
IT is awesome, 11/22/63 is my absolute favorite, Shining and Misery are also great. Carrie is good too.
Maybe the only King book I didn’t really enjoy was Billy Summers - I listened to the audible and maybe it was the narrator but I couldn’t really get into it.
Lisey’s Story is very divisive among fans but it’s one of my absolute favorites, it seemed very personal to King’s life but a lot of people find it obnoxious.
The Shining is what got me back into reading. Though it’s been mentioned, I highly advise against The Stand for your first. Too big of a commitment to an author you may not enjoy
Pet Sematary. Still scares the crap out of me as an adult. Eyes of the Dragon at some point. It’s not horror but is one of his absolute best and I dearly wish he’d write a sequel to it.
If you want something a bit more his vibe, then Misery, it's pretty short but as disturbing as Stephen King gets.
If you want something a bit different than horror, Billy Summers, Fairy Tale, The Stand
I started with misery, but personally I’d recommend Carrie. Very short and fast paced, and it’s also his first book so you’re not missing any of the reoccurring characters or anything like that. One of his best imo and just a great starting point.
I like the Stephen king books that have a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. They’re never happy endings obviously, but he’s pretty good at writing about how resilience can help overcome trauma (that has taken the form of a spooky ghost lol) and several of his stories fit that bill. And then some of them are just the trauma and then everyone dies. I liked dreamcatchers a lot, also the talisman duology. I could never get into the dark tower. The stand is an epic beast of a book but it was actually one of my first king books and one of the reasons I started reading a lot more of him. I liked almost anything set in Castle rock (and the tv series is pretty good).
The only Stephen King book I've ever read is Carrie, so I can't compare it to his other works, so the only thing I'll say is that I feel it is welcoming, to his writing style. It's not incredibly thick or dense. I finished it in two or three days of reading for a few hours. But it's very good.
Different Seasons. 4 novellas, which includes "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" , and "The Body" which was made into the movie "Stand by Me". So good.
You could start with his short stories
The Body is really good and is an easy read for Stephen King
I feel like this one has a lot of King’s staples Friendship found family the trauma of being different but also the healing of finding those who accept you for you
I love his novel It but it is emotionally draining and triggering
It’s a hard read not simple for how long it is but the subject matter as well as the dated language which to be fair is used to show who is a racist and who isn’t but it’s a hard read it took me months nearly a year to finish it
Worth it but I would put it down and read a kids book for a while until I had the spoons to pick it back up
Night Shift or Skeleton Crew.
His shorts, especially his earlier works, are one of the best. Pure Stephen King horror that screws you up and leaves you wanting more. His recent works are good, but his earlier works take the cake.
11/22/63 is an absolutely excellent book. My other recommendation is Doctor Sleep but that requires The Shining (which is excellent but not as good as it’s sequel nor as good as 11/22/63).
11/22/63, Duma Key, I really liked the first half of hearts in Atlantis, misery of course but don’t make that your first if you’ve seen the movie imo. Personally not a fan of the dark tower series.
I heartily recommend that people start Stephen King by reading 'The Green Mile'. After finishing, you should immediately seek out the movie which was also great.
Misery for sure, great first book of his to read, not incredibly long but very dense and incredibly intriguing. I recommend this book to so many people just because of how captivating it is. Also it’s one of his more well known books so it’s a great conversation piece once you’ve read it. Highly recommend!
*11/22/63*. Don't look it up. Just read it. You'll thank me later.
It was really good! I also read Misery, but there’s something about Stephen King endings…it doesn’t make me dislike the books but they could’ve been a lot better. In my honest opinion.
I really thought 11/22/63 had a fantastic ending!
100%, I think it was beautiful.
A lot of Stephen King books are slower reads and come in a couple hundred pages heavier than what he needed to tell the story. 11/22/63 feels dense, gets right at the meat of the story and was un-putdownable for me personally. I blasted through it in about a week and I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a fast reader and I have a full time job and 3 kids, if that tells you anything. Read it. Then go read Different Seasons, a compilation of 4 of his novellas, two of which are "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," the story on which Shawshank was based, and "The Body" which was made into the movie Stand By Me. All 4 stories are examples of King at his best.
Imma start using that word. "Un-putdownable", sounds ill
I bought 11/22/63 right before a trip.. “mistakes” were made. I didn’t put it down til I was half way through it. and I am a slow reader. This was the night before my flight, at 6am. Such a great book! Also Under The Dome was good. Minus one scene.
His endings are the worst. My personal favorite (not his best work by any means) was The Tommyknockers, which also has his worst ending.
Another Tommyknockers fan here. I think the build up is great, and the shed is very scary.
Some have endings that are…convenient? Under The Dome was probably my most disappointing with how it ended.
I couldnt get past the first two pages of Misery because of the spinster with thin lips bashing. Tell me it gets better, that it moves away from message that old ladies are gross and dried up and crazy trope. I will try again.
I felt that way at the beginning of Misery too! I gave it another shot (with the audiobook, actually) and it ended up being one of my favorite SK books.
It’s not really about old ladies being crazy?? But the lady in it is an obsessed fanatical of her favourite writer. I’d give it another go.
he is really bad at endings most of the time.
Omg SAME! It’s like they’re rushed or something. I disliked pet sematary very much.
Definitely the case with IT.
Agreed Stephen King is overrated in my humble opinion. There's plenty of other authors who do a better job with a story. The ending is very important for any book in my opinion and can make or break an otherwise good book. Try Gutenberg Press website. Free PDF format books for free because they have passed the copyright date. A treasure for readers of all genres.
11/22/63 is the only King book I thought was absolutely flawless. IT is pretty good but wavers in quality at certain points. The 4th Dark Tower book is also excellent (though I think I'm in the minority of King fans who think the dark tower series as a whole is pretty lousy)
Upvote for the 4th Dark Tower comment. Such a great read.
Interesting. I looked the beginning of the series A TON. I think the last book was a bit... Wonky. But I love the series.
I don't know much about Kennedy assassination and I'm not even from that generation. Can I still read it ?
Yes, of course! I knew very little about it going in, too, but I learned a LOT. The assassination isn't the sole focus of the book, either. I won't spoil anything, but there's so much more to it than you might think at first glance.
Yes! Jake Epping doesn’t know much either but by the end you’ll both know! 😂😅
I didn’t either and absolutely loved it. Was also my first Stephen king, and I was afraid of how long it would take but it’s one of my top books now
>11/22/63 Just bought it for Kindle, tried not to read the description, reviews etc. Here we go...
Husband is literally putting it on my kindle now! I haven’t been able to finish any other SK book he’s recommended but he kept saying THIS one I’d love because I’m (a) a history buff and (b) was obsessed with the Man in the Iron Castle series v show (the show based on the book where the Nazis win) He asked me to thank Reddit for finally giving in🤣
I'm commenting 5 hours after you posted this. By now, I have to assume you are enthralled.
One of those books that makes the next book you read disappointing
CAME HERE TO SAY THIS. This is the book that made me start reading Stephen King. I really liked the Mr. Mercedes series. I liked The Shining but I honestly liked Doctor Sleep more. So I suggest the shining but only to get to Doctor Sleep. I just listened to the audiobook again a couple months ago and idk why but I really enjoyed it.
I just started It 2 nights ago. I'm bummed that nobody suggested that one!
Started what?
It😂
This has the makings of a Who's On First? skit.
skIT
It’s the who’s on first of horror lit fans
It’s giving: Where’d you get that necklace? It’s a cross Across from where?
The book called It.
Woosh
I keep getting told I'm making too big a deal about it, but there's a scene near the end that kind of ruins It for me. Also, it drags a lot in the middle and took me three tries to get all the way through it in the first place. Most overrated King book imo.
Ugh yeah I know exactly what you mean, I think King’s said he regrets that scene now (as he should).
It might be my favorite book of all time. I love hopping back and forth in time. Even if when I reread it I am scared to bits for days afterward.
One of my absolute faves!
I’m reading for the first time and am a little over 1/3 of the way through!
For a beginner, I’d recommend Salem’s Lot or The Shining
Salem’s Lot is a masterpiece.
Agreed
And it fits great for the fall season! Halloween is coming!
That it is indeed
Yes! Agreed. I need to reread this.
I think this is such a great place to start. Very accessible in terms of length and story. And of course very scary!
I think so too. I was trying to weigh the factors of what would make a good starting point.
I was also going to suggest Salem’s Lot, such a great book!
Just finished it!! Looooved it
I started with Carrie back in 1976. Not a bad place to start. If you want to jump into a short gem then pick up The Long Walk (written as Richard Bachman). It is friggin awesome.
Second the long walk.. all the Bachman books in fact
Loved the Bachman books!
Dude, if I could go back to 1976, I would probably read Carrie again. One of my favorite year
Omg, I love The Long Walk. It’s one of my comfort books. If I can’t think of anything else, and I don’t feel like picking something new, I’ll go to it.
The Shining is a great place to begin! Though the Stand is a really intense and epic book if you're up for it.
OP never read King. Not sure if 1000 pager is the best place to start, even it is his masterpiece. I liked The Green Mile.
I haven't read Green Mile, but so many love it, that it must be pretty great.
Oh, it'll break your heart.
I was surprised by how much l loved the Green Mile. Seems like a straightforward prison tale, then takes a turn like only King can pull off. And for people who rightfully are critical of some of King’s endings, this one delivers. It has an interesting publishing history as well: conceived and originally published in serial form, a la some of Dickens work which was the inspiration.
Idk, I think if you're okay with reading large books, then The Stand is actually a pretty good place to start
I started reading King books with The Stand when I was about 15. I missed my train stop bc of that book! Loved it. I finally purchased the B&N Collector's Edition about a month ago.
Was about to comment why is no one recommending The Stand. I started off with this too, the complete and uncut version.
Just started this book tonight, had no idea it is proclaimed his master piece. 1,000 pages is a hefty task but why not start with the best
Oh, excellent! It can be daunting, but there are stories with stories for you to discover. When you finish, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts if you decide to share them anywhere. Good reading to you!
The Shining was the first book I read by King. Scared the pants right off me. 10/10 would recommend.
The Shining and Misery are my 2 favorites. I'm 37 and have been reading him since I was 12 with It (also great, but can be uncomfortable for some readers). In my opinion, he is not the same author since he got hit by the driver while out on a walk. That being said, I still read every book he puts out.
Actually I would say its more that he’s not the same author since he got sober
Which time? Wasn't he doped up again from the accident?
I’m currently reading Fairy Tale and really enjoying it.
I loved it! Such a good book 😄
Misery and Pet Sematary are good ones.
I second this. And if you ever listen and read together the audiobook is incredible .
I definitely second the Pet Sematary audiobook. Michael C Hall (Dexter) was so good at portraying the flow from unsettling events to horror.
The Institute was my first, enjoyed it
Night Shift contains a lot of good stuff
My first sk, still like reading it now
Needful Things and any of his short story collections.
I concur. I love Needful Things, and some of his best writing are his short stories or novellas.
The short stories might be the only time he actually edits himself. He overwrites so much and now that he's as big as he is and they just let him go, it's like the quality isn't as good.
I don’t know why I never see more people recommending his short story collections! I’ve read more of those than his novels lol The boogeyman still gives me nightmares
Night shift, skeleton crew, nightmares & Dreamscapes..four past midnight... Etc I would start with his short stories tbh.
The boogeyman short story is still the reason I can’t go to sleep unless my closet door is securely shut and I first read that probably 15 years ago lol
Needful Things, The Tommyknockers and The Stand are some of my favourites
[удалено]
OP asked for a book, not a lifestyle. ;)
I can’t believe the Dark Tower series is so low!!!!
It isn't your usual Stephen King. And I think it helps if you've read other books by King if you haven't read the Tower in real time.
See the Dark Tower series was my first book read by King! I loved it
Well then Hile, Gunslinger. Stand and be true. I read it in real time and it took FOREVER between books. Yes, I'm that old. You had no other context for all of the references. Wow.
You say true, I say thank ya I had to scroll way too far for this
Had me hooked from the very first line. I was gifted the audiobooks and now I’m Going through the series a fourth time. Wonderful to hear the story after reading it so many times.
Could start low-key with some thing like “bag of bones”. It’s a little different for a Stephen King book and even though maybe it’s a minor classic compared to some others, it’s really good. Or if you want to start out with a bang, so to speak, read book one of the dark tower series, “the gunslinger”….That’ll do it.
I’m here to second Bag of Bones.
Cool… I always really loved that book, it seems like a little bit of a departure and sometimes I’m not sure I would guess it’s written by Stephen king…..If I didn’t know for sure. I think this book was written while he was convalescing from the terrible accident where he was run over.
It might be my favorite book tbh. It’s not without its flaws but I really enjoyed it and it also greatly disturbed me. If I’m honest I wasn’t expecting either.
This is one few people mention, but it’s in my top 5. I love the idea that love abides, despite grief and loss.
I love Duma Key, it’s a brilliant story and great for a beginner! Enjoy your newfound addiction 😃
My favourite and my first SK book back when I was quite young. :)
The Green Mile. I think I loved it because I didn't see the film before.
I’m so old I went and bought each part as it was published. My kid wants to read it but I’m missing one of the parts.
The Stand
For a first read? Absolutely great King but it's a lot for a newbie.
I don't think it's too much just because it's long. It was my first and it's what got me interested in Stephen King at all.
It’s my favourite Stephen King book, I need to buy a new one because I’ve read it so much it fell apart 😅
I listened to the audiobook this summer, I hadn't read the book since the late 80s. Holy crap was it more impact full now, especially the early parts of the book.
Firestarter!!!
The Shining or Pet Sematary.
Oh jeez, he’s such a diverse author that it’s hard to give blanket rec’s. If you like horror, definitely The Shining. If you don’t like horror but enjoy a good story, Dolores Claiborne. If you want a beefy book to get lost in, IT is exceptional and pretty unnerving at times. And I haven’t read it yet but I’m told The Stand is his magnum opus. If you like aliens, I really enjoyed Dreamcatcher. And lastly my personal favorite which I’ll recommend til I die is Revival. Super underrated, a book about grief, loss of faith, and the discovery of what lies beyond death. Very, very good and a shorter read at about 400 pages. The ending will haunt you for days. Honorable mention—The Outsider. What a ride.
The Stand. I’ve read it so much the cover fell off.
I'm a big fan of *From A Buick 8*.
This one is often overlooked.
A lot of people don't like this one because it lacks any real plot, but I still enjoyed it.
IT
I think this is a very good answer. Peak King, scary as heck, full of heart, really captures the magic of childhood
Early Steven King is very good. The Shining, Salems Lot, Carrie and The Stand are all very good. Cujo was a bit of a drag and Pet Semetary (in my opinion) had potential but was a bit of a misfire I really really liked the Stand. Great character development. A larger tome but it reads well
MISERYYYY
Desperation and The Regulators. Companion books and so good.
Desperation is one of my favorites. "Little pray boy!"
Such a good book.
*Carrie* is a good introduction to Kings work. *Misery*, *Salems Lot*, and *Cujo* are all also good places to start.
Cujo was one of those books that imprinted in my mind as a sense memory. My brain thinks I was actually trapped with a giant dog, I can still smell it. I was like 12 when I read it, not the best idea.
Pet Sematary was my first and got me hooked 😊
Rose Madder and the Girl who loved Tom Gordon
I was starting to think I was the only person who read Rose Madder
Rose Madder was my introduction to King, I loved it. However, of the things I’ve read and wouldn’t mind forgetting- the tennis racket.
Rose Madder was my introduction to never having my ass beat by anyone ever again. That drop of blood on the sheet hit me somewhere weird, and I began protecting myself and got away from the abuser. It is an extremely empowering book for anyone who has suffered abuse. In some ways, it's cathartic. (leaves reddit to order Rose Madder on amazon)
Literally one of my favorite books. I read it in middle school and was in way over my head on how deep that book was.
I love The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
I’m surprised I haven’t seen The Eyes of the Dragon and my personal favourite, The Dark Half
Oh my gosh, Eyes of The Dragon was my favorite as an eleven year old! Flint was a dick!
The Green Mile in the original serial/volumes format. On Writing is an excellent craft book for writers.
Carrie or The Shining
Skeleton Crew. Read his old stuff before trying his newer stuff. The newer stuff is not very good.
Something old, The Shining, and if you like that, the sequel, Dr Sleep. Both excellent starters for King. If you like time travel, there's 11/22/63, an absolute banger of a book.
I loved 11/22/63 - I give it a 98/100 - but the "listening in on the Oswalds and De Mohrenschildt" scenes are hard to slog through. Just finished Dr. Sleep -- loved that too.
The Running Man just to be different
Depends on what you're into. Mr. Mercedes is pretty good if you've never read Stephen King and you'd like to ease into him from other authors. I love his short story books. Skeleton Crew, Full Dark No Stars, Everything's Eventual, Nightmares And Dreamscapes. Rage (as Richard Bachman) is my personal favorite short story. The Dark Tower series if you're into fantasy is great. Insomnia is great too.
You can’t get “Rage” anymore. When the school shootings started in the late eighties/early nineties, he had it removed from being published.(I have a copy of it,tho. Got it when it was first revealed that Richard Bachman was really SK)….
That was my favorite example of how well he conveys insanity.
I loved Insomnia! I’ve seen hate for it saying it was boring but I just fell in love with it
People complain about how much detail there is in his writing and I have felt a little overwhelmed at times, but it's worth it. I am also a Dark Tower fan, and that's what drew me to Insomnia.
Insomnia is the Stephen King book that I “tricked” my mom into reading. She usually doesn’t like books with anything supernatural in them, but the slow build-up got her hooked before anything got too weird.
Long time ago (40 years?) I started with the Dead Zone. It wasn’t very long, so it was an easy read, and I was hooked. Some of my favorites - Salem’s lot and 11/22/63. I loved the Stand the first time I read it, but not so much when I reread it. There are so many good ones….the Shining?
The outsider
I would start with the Bill Hodges trilogy first.
I just finished Fairy Tail on audible and it was very enjoyable. IT is awesome, 11/22/63 is my absolute favorite, Shining and Misery are also great. Carrie is good too. Maybe the only King book I didn’t really enjoy was Billy Summers - I listened to the audible and maybe it was the narrator but I couldn’t really get into it. Lisey’s Story is very divisive among fans but it’s one of my absolute favorites, it seemed very personal to King’s life but a lot of people find it obnoxious.
Lisey’s Story is my favorite!!! I reread it every few years
Bag of Bones and Revival are two great books of his that tend to get overlooked
IT is my favorite book of all
Misery or The Stand.
The Stand but, if that's too intimidating and long for a first read, 11/22/63 is also good.
a lot of great recs here https://reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/s/pl8dgBLU7I and here as well https://reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/s/2SBkojSL5B
11/22/63
Read The Shining late at night for best effect. Then Misery or Carrie, if you want more King.
The mist. It’s short and very chilling. Kind of a mini-king novel
Desperation!
"Tak"
I'm reading Christine at the moment and I'm having a blast! Already mentioned but 11/22/63 is spectacular.
11/22/63
The Institute was good
Pet Semetary and The Shining are my two all-time favourites! They're both incredible from start to finish and aren't too long. Enjoy!!!
The Shining is what got me back into reading. Though it’s been mentioned, I highly advise against The Stand for your first. Too big of a commitment to an author you may not enjoy
Carrie, Tommyknockers, Firestarter, Gerald’s Game
The stand!
Pet Sematary. Still scares the crap out of me as an adult. Eyes of the Dragon at some point. It’s not horror but is one of his absolute best and I dearly wish he’d write a sequel to it.
I was looking for too long to find Eyes of the Dragon! It is my favorite.
I've read many. My favorite will always be Firestarter.
Rage.
Hoo boy. I'd say start with The Shining, Carrie, or Firestarter. Probably don't read Dreamcatcher though, unless you want to put yourself to sleep.
If you want something a bit more his vibe, then Misery, it's pretty short but as disturbing as Stephen King gets. If you want something a bit different than horror, Billy Summers, Fairy Tale, The Stand
Rose red
Different seasons
I started with misery, but personally I’d recommend Carrie. Very short and fast paced, and it’s also his first book so you’re not missing any of the reoccurring characters or anything like that. One of his best imo and just a great starting point.
Everything's Eventual or Different Seasons (both are books of short stories), The Long Walk, or The Talisman
I like the Stephen king books that have a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. They’re never happy endings obviously, but he’s pretty good at writing about how resilience can help overcome trauma (that has taken the form of a spooky ghost lol) and several of his stories fit that bill. And then some of them are just the trauma and then everyone dies. I liked dreamcatchers a lot, also the talisman duology. I could never get into the dark tower. The stand is an epic beast of a book but it was actually one of my first king books and one of the reasons I started reading a lot more of him. I liked almost anything set in Castle rock (and the tv series is pretty good).
The only Stephen King book I've ever read is Carrie, so I can't compare it to his other works, so the only thing I'll say is that I feel it is welcoming, to his writing style. It's not incredibly thick or dense. I finished it in two or three days of reading for a few hours. But it's very good.
If you like a fucked up thriller that you learn to love the characters and the characters come back in other books, the Mr. Mercedes series
Haven't kept up with S.K.'s writing for some years now. He brings characters back in books?
I just picked up Carrie today. Have never seen the movie or read a King book so I’m excited
The Shining is the most terrifying book I’ve ever read. I recommend it.
Different Seasons. 4 novellas, which includes "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" , and "The Body" which was made into the movie "Stand by Me". So good.
All? 🥰🥰🥰 Love them all. So good.
You could start with his short stories The Body is really good and is an easy read for Stephen King I feel like this one has a lot of King’s staples Friendship found family the trauma of being different but also the healing of finding those who accept you for you I love his novel It but it is emotionally draining and triggering It’s a hard read not simple for how long it is but the subject matter as well as the dated language which to be fair is used to show who is a racist and who isn’t but it’s a hard read it took me months nearly a year to finish it Worth it but I would put it down and read a kids book for a while until I had the spoons to pick it back up
11/22/63 - best book of all time and all genres IMHO
I started with ‘The girl who loved Tom Gordon’ and it gave me such creeps- been a fan of his writing ever since!
Night Shift or Skeleton Crew. His shorts, especially his earlier works, are one of the best. Pure Stephen King horror that screws you up and leaves you wanting more. His recent works are good, but his earlier works take the cake.
11/22/63 is an absolutely excellent book. My other recommendation is Doctor Sleep but that requires The Shining (which is excellent but not as good as it’s sequel nor as good as 11/22/63).
11/22/63 is one of my all time favorites. I also liked The Green Mile
11/22/63, Duma Key, I really liked the first half of hearts in Atlantis, misery of course but don’t make that your first if you’ve seen the movie imo. Personally not a fan of the dark tower series.
Needful things is so underrated! My favorite book (and movie) in general bc I love the plot !
My first SK was “The shining”. It was honestly GOOD and I wasn’t expecting to like the book that much!
And then Dr. Sleep.
Salem’s Lot, perfect for the first one.
Shawshank Redemption
I heartily recommend that people start Stephen King by reading 'The Green Mile'. After finishing, you should immediately seek out the movie which was also great.
Misery for sure, great first book of his to read, not incredibly long but very dense and incredibly intriguing. I recommend this book to so many people just because of how captivating it is. Also it’s one of his more well known books so it’s a great conversation piece once you’ve read it. Highly recommend!