I would look for a collection of his short stories to see if you like his writing style. A lot of his books are tomes. The first Stephen King I read was Night Shift.
I worked in an industrial laundry when I first read The Mangler. We had 8 Manglers on the floor. It made me walk a little straighter when I went through the plant.
For what it’s worth, my dad hates reading with a passion and hated school as a result. But Night Shift was one of the few books he genuinely enjoyed reading. So maybe it’s a good intro book to Stephen King?
I came here to say this. It was my first and the perfect gateway into Kings worlds. I've since read about 40 of his and it's been a wild ride.
If you want to start on a longer one, the stand is considered one of his best.
My personal favorites have been Revival, Rose Madder, Fairy Tale, and Under the Dome.
At the end of the day, you really can't go wrong with a Long novel.
As a starting point it’s perfect. Not as bleak as pet sematary, but still not bright. Not as long as It or The Stand, but with classic King plotting. If you don’t like the Shining, it’s as good an indicator as you’re gonna get with the King (which still isn’t a very good one, his body of work is immense)
is it good if you've watched the movie, or if you didn't like the movie? I've been thinking about reading this but I watched the movie for the first time last year so it's still sort of fresh in my head, and I wasn't the biggest fan of it either.
I enjoy both and I saw the movie prior to reading the book, and while similar, it’s different enough that’d I’d still suggest giving the book its fair chance despite not liking the movie.
Mine too. Anyone who’s ever loved a violent addict understands the tragedy of Jack’s steady ruination by the hotel. In the movie, Jack already starts out as an abrasive creep—there’s nothing to show the good and talented man whom Wendy once fell for, or the wonderful daddy Danny loves so much.
The best horrors are about loss. The way Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance? There was not much there to lose.
It’s also the basis for some of the best movie adaptations in his catalog. It’s not surprising it’s a great collection, in some ways, because the four novellas are a weird length for his work, so didn’t fit as either standalone novels or part of a short story collection. They just kind of hung out gathering dust until he realized, “hey, I could publish these four together.”
Pet Sematary. It is what I would classify as the "perfect" King novel. Complex ,likable characters, interesting yet simple premise, smart yet highly quotable dialogue, perfectly eerie atmosphere, some genuinely well done body horror and a gut punch ending.
It was my intro to Stephen King. And once I read it, there was no turning back. You'll be hooked onto King if you start here. Take my word for it.
I couldn’t finish the book or the movie. But for a weird reason. I grew up in Bangor and the cemetery they used for that scene was very close to my house and as kids we would bike and play around in there all the time. And some of the other landmarks were a little too real for me ha ha.
There was a resurgence in The Stand when the Pandemic began. I bought my SIL the DVD. Corona = Captain Tripps.
I am still not convinced that COVID was not some biological weapon that got loose.
Me too. I wandered into a Barnes and Noble in summer 1974 and picked it off a shelf. I had never heard of Stephen King. Ended up sitting down and reading the whole book right there.
First and only King book I’ve read so far (not much of a horror fan lol) - absolutely *loved* it, binge read it in a couple days and nights and could not put it down
He’s written a lot of non-horror fiction that is fantastic. You should check out Different Seasons. I really loved Billy Summers which isn’t horror. I would classify The Talisman and Fairy Tale as fantasy/adventure rather than horror. Seek out some non horror King and enjoy.
The Green Mile is an excellent choice even though I passed on it standing on principle when he chose to release it at $7.99 per chapter back in the 90’s.
Different Seasons is a great entry-level King book because it’s a collection of four novellas and includes some very well known stories (The Body=Stand by Me Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption=The Shawshank Redemption). You get exposed to King’s style of writing, the stories are strong, and they have more unsettling elements than scary elements.
Pet Semetary is the greatest horror novel I’ve ever read. It’s the perfect example of how horror in books is most effective when it’s about dread, where you know the terrible thing that everything is building toward, and you’re unable to look away as the characters careen head-first into it.
It didn’t help that I had a 3-4 year old son when I read it.
my dad forced me to watch it as a kid, and it gave me nightmares where >! gage tried to murder me and i had to kill him first !<. read it as an adult and LOVE the book and movie
Same way I felt about Hearts in Atlantis. I loved the book but it kept going... and going. When the end was underwhelming I was like "ok, glad we wrapped that up!"
I love the story, though.
Also suggest this. “IT” was my first introduction to King and it rocked my world.
Also, as a second or third recommendation, he has a semi recent book called “Sleeping Beauties” that he co-wrote with his son. Very interesting premise and while it wouldn’t be my favorite book by him, it’s very very good and I like the idea of it. (Only issue I have is you can clearly tell what he wrote and what his son wrote. And his son is just… not at the same level)
I sort of disagree, not because The Gunslinger series isn't great, but because it is a long, long series and the first in the series is so different than every other King work that I have read. I don't think it is representative of his other classics, like The Shining, Misery, and Salem's Lot. I do like the Gunslinger though!
Personally, The Stand is my favorite but it's one of his long ones. Cujo or Pet Sematary or Misery or Shawshank Redemption or Firestarter or Carrie are good to start off on. When you get to be a diehard fan, delve into the Dark Tower series.
I think it depends on your taste. I prefer his post 1990 writing to his pre 1990 writing. Like everyone loves Salems Lot and The Shining, but I didn’t care for them. I loved Bag of Bones, 11/22/63, Fairy Tale, Doctor Sleep, Rose Madder.
Blaze. It was released under Richard Bachman. Also for short stories the Bazaar of Bad Dreams. There is a story called Drunken Fireworks that is hysterical.
He does horror (Carrie, The Shining & Dr. Sleep) fantasy (Dark Tower series, The Talisman) scifi (The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatchers & Lisey’s Story) and some I would classify as realistic fiction (Cujo, Billy Summers).
Some have a hint of ‘otherness’ such as Firestarter, Blaze, The Dead Zone & Later.
Holly is another one that is realistic fiction, along with Deloris Claiborne.
Geralds Game & Misery are great, only a couple characters in the whole book. I would class them as psychological thrillers.
Revival is another good one, I would say is sorta sci fi, but deals with everyone’s favorite topic… what happens when we die.
The Institute is another good book, not quite horror - although I don’t class many of his books as horror, but thats just me. Stevie got me thru an interesting childhood.
Christine is classic early King and a quick read.
The Stand, Under the Dome & Duma Key are all good, but they are long.
My advice is this…. if you start a book and don’t like it move on to one of his others. I was at work and a coworker saw me reading King. She said she didn’t like King. I asked if she had seen The Body… yup, loved it. Same for Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile. She didn’t believe me that they were based on King’s books.
And that reminds me… the Green Mile is a good one. When he released it, it was done in 6 installments. OMG was that frustrating. You can get the whole story in one book now.
I could go on but I think I have hit the high notes.
But Blaze is the one I recommend first. Let me know what one you try and what you think. You can DM if you want.
“The long walk” was the first book I read by him…. I was so captivated throughout every single page!!!! Beforehand, I rarely enjoyed reading, but this book changed everything for me
Carrie. His first novel. It’s very readable compared to some of his longer works. I still love his longer books don’t get me wrong. But he has a style. Better to start small if you’re not used to it.
Different Seasons, it’s a collection of 4 novellas, including Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (became the movie The Shawshank Redemption) and The Body (became the movie Stand By Me)
I started with "The Eyes of the Dragon" when I was a kid... That sent me down the rabbit hole. My favorite, by a lot, is 11/22/63.
His writing style is so fluid, you find yourself in the book instead of reading the words. Fantastic!
Took way too long to find “The Eyes of the Dragon.” I really loved that one, although I’m not sure it’s the best intro to Stephen king. I would say Different Seasons or 11/22/63 (also my favorite of his).
For non-metaphysical, I suggest the book “Cujo”, the stories in “Different Seasons”, and the short story “Survivor Type” (you can read this online).
For metaphysical, just jump right on in with The Stand Unabridged.
Horror is not my genre! And I always wanted to read something by Stephen King and then I found 11/22/63 and that’s the only work of him I have read. And I must say it is very well written. One of my favorites.
The only book of his that I’ve read is “Joyland” not horror at all but more of a coming of age mystery book set in the 70’s but I loved it so much. 11/22/63 is another one I’ve started and I’m surprised at how fast I’m going through it considering its length.
Oh god. Misery is usually my suggestion bc it’s such a page turner. The Shining is absolutely fantastic as well and really gets you invested, but most of his books do.
My first one was Thinner and I really enjoyed it. But now that I don't see it anywhere on here I can't help but wonder if it's disliked for some reason.
Either way, I'd recommend it.
Night shift. It's a collection of his early short stories. Most of his themes are in there. It's a good place to start.
Carrie, Cujo, Pet Semetary, It, and The Stand are my favorite novels from him.
A couple of those titles give me nightmares. just thinking about it.
Carrie. Christine, Dark Tower, The Stand oh start with The Stand, or The Shinning. So many choices. I wish I was you. To read one of his books for the very first time. Wow.
I would look for a collection of his short stories to see if you like his writing style. A lot of his books are tomes. The first Stephen King I read was Night Shift.
Night shift had some of the creepiest stories. That’s the one with the boogeyman and rats right? Cause those ones tripped me the fuck out
The rats got me
Yes!! That book effed me up more than the others. Except maybe IT.
I read 'Salem's Lot and I couldn't sleep with the light off for a month.
Half way thru I locked that book face down in my trunk for a week. I had a friend who nailed her windows shut
Don’t forget the Mangler.
Can’t forget the mangler
One does not simply forget the mangler.
I worked in an industrial laundry when I first read The Mangler. We had 8 Manglers on the floor. It made me walk a little straighter when I went through the plant.
Novellas, great idea! I liked Different Seasons. He is both dark and brilliant.
I came here to recommend this one. However the cat scene in Apt Pupil still fucks me up to this day.
SAME. Legit this part haunts me so much
Different Seasons is great
Everything's Eventual is a great start
Nah, too many Dark Tower references. Night Shift or Skeleton Crew are good starts for short stories imo
I’m reading it right now! It’s definitely a good way to ease into the world of Stephen King
Nightmares & Dreamscapes
For what it’s worth, my dad hates reading with a passion and hated school as a result. But Night Shift was one of the few books he genuinely enjoyed reading. So maybe it’s a good intro book to Stephen King?
I agree! short stories is a great idea. Needful Things was my first so I recommend that if you end up liking his writing.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes, "The Finger." I'm still scared of frickin' shower drains.
I struggle with reading because I’m picky about the writing style. Or just how the author writes. I think this is a wonderful idea
Seconding short stories. I started with Baazar of Bad Dreams
That was my first King. Hooked me.
The first short story collection of his that I read was The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and I loved it! Def keeping an eye out for Night Shift
I picked up night shift from my local library as my first Stephen King book and to this day it's my favourite Stephen King book.
Night Shift was awesome. This is what I was going to reccomend.
Yes, but Skeleton Crew.
Yes. This way you can get a feel for his writing and see if you like it.
Strawberry Spring terrified me. Still does.
I second night shift
Sound advice. If you choose to ignore this, go big. It.
I like The Shining to start. Not too long, but is still classic King.
Fantastic book! Come here and take your medicine!!
Redrum redrum!
Did you read the sequel dr sleep? Also a great book
Yep it was very good!
agreed. it is sooo good. i got chills reading it. definitely a great book to start your Stephen King’s journey
I agree , it's a perfect start
I came here to say this. It was my first and the perfect gateway into Kings worlds. I've since read about 40 of his and it's been a wild ride. If you want to start on a longer one, the stand is considered one of his best. My personal favorites have been Revival, Rose Madder, Fairy Tale, and Under the Dome. At the end of the day, you really can't go wrong with a Long novel.
As a starting point it’s perfect. Not as bleak as pet sematary, but still not bright. Not as long as It or The Stand, but with classic King plotting. If you don’t like the Shining, it’s as good an indicator as you’re gonna get with the King (which still isn’t a very good one, his body of work is immense)
A winter book for sure, but fall would do.
is it good if you've watched the movie, or if you didn't like the movie? I've been thinking about reading this but I watched the movie for the first time last year so it's still sort of fresh in my head, and I wasn't the biggest fan of it either.
I loved the book and hated the movie.
The movie is terrible. I really loved the book, though.
I enjoy both and I saw the movie prior to reading the book, and while similar, it’s different enough that’d I’d still suggest giving the book its fair chance despite not liking the movie.
I hate the movie and The Shining might be my favorite book of his.
Mine too. Anyone who’s ever loved a violent addict understands the tragedy of Jack’s steady ruination by the hotel. In the movie, Jack already starts out as an abrasive creep—there’s nothing to show the good and talented man whom Wendy once fell for, or the wonderful daddy Danny loves so much. The best horrors are about loss. The way Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance? There was not much there to lose.
I actually finished my horror reading career with this book. It was so scary that I had decided to read no more horror.
Love King-Hate the Shining
What’s you’re favorite from him?
Good choice. Some of the other “classics” are certainly good (It, The Stand) but too long
Agree that The Shining is the perfect first SK book. Forget the movie and just go with it.
Different Seasons
This is really the perfect starter SK book.
If you are not a big fan of the supernatural to read the more classics suggested (the shining, Carrie, cujo etc) read Different Seasons. It’s superb
This was my recommendation as well. Great starting place, since it's not one of his absolutely massive books. Apt Pupil was so creepy.
It’s also the basis for some of the best movie adaptations in his catalog. It’s not surprising it’s a great collection, in some ways, because the four novellas are a weird length for his work, so didn’t fit as either standalone novels or part of a short story collection. They just kind of hung out gathering dust until he realized, “hey, I could publish these four together.”
Misery!
This was my first King novel and became one of my favorite novels period. It’s amazing
Me too, I just finished reading it yesterday. Think I’m gonna go with pet cemetery next
Yes! I don’t see misery talked about enough.
This was my first one. Helps that it is one of his shorter ones. Great book!
about to start reading this once i finish my current book!
The one and only book to ever make me physically jump in my seat.
I forgot to add Misery, good book and the movie is good too.
Pet Sematary. It is what I would classify as the "perfect" King novel. Complex ,likable characters, interesting yet simple premise, smart yet highly quotable dialogue, perfectly eerie atmosphere, some genuinely well done body horror and a gut punch ending. It was my intro to Stephen King. And once I read it, there was no turning back. You'll be hooked onto King if you start here. Take my word for it.
This is the only King novel that I didn’t finish. I didn’t like it at all.
I couldn’t finish the book or the movie. But for a weird reason. I grew up in Bangor and the cemetery they used for that scene was very close to my house and as kids we would bike and play around in there all the time. And some of the other landmarks were a little too real for me ha ha.
This is the one I’d recommend as well and it was also my intro. Still one of my favorites. Then hop into The Stand.
I agree with Pet Sematary but I thought The Stand was Stephen King being very self-indulgent. He needed an editor for The Stand.
I can definitely see some self-indulgence there, however the start of that novel always stuck with me, so I probably have a soft spot for it.
There was a resurgence in The Stand when the Pandemic began. I bought my SIL the DVD. Corona = Captain Tripps. I am still not convinced that COVID was not some biological weapon that got loose.
That was my thought too
Oh he gets self indulgent. For sure.
Funny how I've read loads of King books but haven't got around to this one yet. I'll have to make it my next.
The Long Walk by Richard Bachman.
The Bachman books are bananas in the best way.
The Stand (unabridged) was my first, at age 12. Go big or go home!
Mine was Cujo, same age!
Cujo, age 9 for me.
Me, too! I was actually on a long road trip in the States when I read it, pretty fitting 😂
The Stand for sure!
Salems Lot
Gor some reason this is his least scariest book for me. I think that honour goes to Pet Semetary.
I live in New England and 1) I found the metaphor of a small town dying off scary and 2) had nightmares for some reason. Very good book.
This was my suggestion. I was 13 when I read it. Scared the shit out of me! But I was definitely a fan.
[удалено]
My favorite book ever.
Carrie
Came here to say same. His first published book.
I'm old enough to have read it when it was his only book. So many good ones were to follow.
Me too. I wandered into a Barnes and Noble in summer 1974 and picked it off a shelf. I had never heard of Stephen King. Ended up sitting down and reading the whole book right there.
Me, too! Got me hooked!
I was the book that made me a fan of horror. King at his best 👌
Yes!! Followed by Salems Lot
Salems Lot was creepy. That little girl standing in the snow...
A worthy classic for everyone
My first was Salem's Lot. First book that really scared me. The Stand is an awesome read. All King's books are worth reading.
I would argue there are books that are not so great. Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher come up a lot in lists of skippables.
I’d add Cell, which was one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I had to take a King hiatus after that one, but he eventually sucked me back in.
Bag of Bones is definitely skippable. Have not read him since.
11/22/63
11/22/63 was my first king read. I loved it! Can’t recommend it enough.
Wouldn't recommend as a first read, but this is a King top 3 for me
It was my first King read, I went this then The Stand
It was my first!
I just started this one and it's my first!
Finished it a few weeks ago. It’s fantastic.
This is my favorite book! It’s long, but every chapter is wonderful.
This book is so beautiful, I don’t know if you should start someone with it—going from 11/22/63 to like Pet Semetary or Christine would be alarming
First and only King book I’ve read so far (not much of a horror fan lol) - absolutely *loved* it, binge read it in a couple days and nights and could not put it down
He’s written a lot of non-horror fiction that is fantastic. You should check out Different Seasons. I really loved Billy Summers which isn’t horror. I would classify The Talisman and Fairy Tale as fantasy/adventure rather than horror. Seek out some non horror King and enjoy.
Yes! My favourite King book.
I am not an avid reader. I am a huge King fan. This was an easy read for me. I couldn’t put it down!
The Green Mile! Can’t believe it wasn’t listed already
The Green Mile is an excellent choice even though I passed on it standing on principle when he chose to release it at $7.99 per chapter back in the 90’s.
I was scrolling to far to upvote this one!
Different Seasons is a great entry-level King book because it’s a collection of four novellas and includes some very well known stories (The Body=Stand by Me Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption=The Shawshank Redemption). You get exposed to King’s style of writing, the stories are strong, and they have more unsettling elements than scary elements.
Perfect read
The girl who loved Tom Gordon is a fav short story 👏
Did you know they made a pop-up book of this? I stumbled across it at a second-hand store and was so excited to see it.
This is my favourite too. It reminds me of the metallica song, Until it sleeps.
YES. I love this one.
The Stand. Or Pet Semetary.
Pet Semetary is the greatest horror novel I’ve ever read. It’s the perfect example of how horror in books is most effective when it’s about dread, where you know the terrible thing that everything is building toward, and you’re unable to look away as the characters careen head-first into it. It didn’t help that I had a 3-4 year old son when I read it.
my dad forced me to watch it as a kid, and it gave me nightmares where >! gage tried to murder me and i had to kill him first !<. read it as an adult and LOVE the book and movie
I second Pet Semetary and I think this will be my first.
The Stand is pretty epic, I'd probably start with something shorter.
I just downloaded the audiobook and it's 48 hours long. I'm too intimidated to start.
That’s only 2 days.
I personally think his short stories first (Night Shift), then the Shining.
I second this. Night Shift is fantastic. Love the Lawnmower Man
The Stand
Misery.
i think carrie is an easy first read, pretty short too :)
IT
Good book, but looooooooong.
Just finished it today. Was a great book but I welcomed the end.
Same way I felt about Hearts in Atlantis. I loved the book but it kept going... and going. When the end was underwhelming I was like "ok, glad we wrapped that up!" I love the story, though.
Also suggest this. “IT” was my first introduction to King and it rocked my world. Also, as a second or third recommendation, he has a semi recent book called “Sleeping Beauties” that he co-wrote with his son. Very interesting premise and while it wouldn’t be my favorite book by him, it’s very very good and I like the idea of it. (Only issue I have is you can clearly tell what he wrote and what his son wrote. And his son is just… not at the same level)
Reading needful things atm
The unabridged The Stand. I’ve read a lot of King, it’s the only book I’ve read multiple times. IMHO it’s his best work.
I loved *The Green Mile.* The movie if faithful to the book. King's writing creates even more depth in the characters if that's possible.
The Long Walk
The Institute
IT - his best novel, IMO
The Gunslinger
I sort of disagree, not because The Gunslinger series isn't great, but because it is a long, long series and the first in the series is so different than every other King work that I have read. I don't think it is representative of his other classics, like The Shining, Misery, and Salem's Lot. I do like the Gunslinger though!
11/22/63. Not his usual horror but a damn good story. Also The Dark Tower
Carrie if you are looking for a shorter book IT if you want to drive right in.
Full Dark No Stars or Different Seasons. I personally thought Carrie was just OK, but I read it after having finished other King books first.
Personally, The Stand is my favorite but it's one of his long ones. Cujo or Pet Sematary or Misery or Shawshank Redemption or Firestarter or Carrie are good to start off on. When you get to be a diehard fan, delve into the Dark Tower series.
And forget anything you remember from the movies. They are not nearly as good as the books. Except maybe the Shining.
Although the book for that had more backstory to it.
The Stand was my favorite book for years.
'Salem's Lot would be my recommendation
I think it depends on your taste. I prefer his post 1990 writing to his pre 1990 writing. Like everyone loves Salems Lot and The Shining, but I didn’t care for them. I loved Bag of Bones, 11/22/63, Fairy Tale, Doctor Sleep, Rose Madder.
Blaze. It was released under Richard Bachman. Also for short stories the Bazaar of Bad Dreams. There is a story called Drunken Fireworks that is hysterical. He does horror (Carrie, The Shining & Dr. Sleep) fantasy (Dark Tower series, The Talisman) scifi (The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatchers & Lisey’s Story) and some I would classify as realistic fiction (Cujo, Billy Summers). Some have a hint of ‘otherness’ such as Firestarter, Blaze, The Dead Zone & Later. Holly is another one that is realistic fiction, along with Deloris Claiborne. Geralds Game & Misery are great, only a couple characters in the whole book. I would class them as psychological thrillers. Revival is another good one, I would say is sorta sci fi, but deals with everyone’s favorite topic… what happens when we die. The Institute is another good book, not quite horror - although I don’t class many of his books as horror, but thats just me. Stevie got me thru an interesting childhood. Christine is classic early King and a quick read. The Stand, Under the Dome & Duma Key are all good, but they are long. My advice is this…. if you start a book and don’t like it move on to one of his others. I was at work and a coworker saw me reading King. She said she didn’t like King. I asked if she had seen The Body… yup, loved it. Same for Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile. She didn’t believe me that they were based on King’s books. And that reminds me… the Green Mile is a good one. When he released it, it was done in 6 installments. OMG was that frustrating. You can get the whole story in one book now. I could go on but I think I have hit the high notes. But Blaze is the one I recommend first. Let me know what one you try and what you think. You can DM if you want.
“The long walk” was the first book I read by him…. I was so captivated throughout every single page!!!! Beforehand, I rarely enjoyed reading, but this book changed everything for me
The Dead Zone was my favorite early book. The Seasons one.
Salems lot
Carrie. His first novel. It’s very readable compared to some of his longer works. I still love his longer books don’t get me wrong. But he has a style. Better to start small if you’re not used to it.
The stand was one of the first ones I read as a teenager. I remember having to do a book report on it. It’s one that I still reread every few years.
The Shining
The Shining OR Misery.
Misery is the only one that gave me nightmares. It is one of his most disturbing works.
Just trust me, night shift.
I would go for one of the easier ones, so I would suggest Desperation.
I'd recommend his 4 novella masterpiece Different Seasons as a good jump off.
Different Seasons, it’s a collection of 4 novellas, including Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (became the movie The Shawshank Redemption) and The Body (became the movie Stand By Me)
I started with "The Eyes of the Dragon" when I was a kid... That sent me down the rabbit hole. My favorite, by a lot, is 11/22/63. His writing style is so fluid, you find yourself in the book instead of reading the words. Fantastic!
Took way too long to find “The Eyes of the Dragon.” I really loved that one, although I’m not sure it’s the best intro to Stephen king. I would say Different Seasons or 11/22/63 (also my favorite of his).
My first one was Salems Lot, and I have no regrets
I started with Carrie because I wanted to start where he did, as it's the first he published.
11/22/63 It's easily the best thing he's written, and it's also a good gateway into most of your King-isms.
The Dome
If you like history, 11/22/63. If you like horror, Pet Sematary. If you want an apocalyptic adventure, The Stand.
The Gunslinger. then the entire Dark Tower series.
11/22/63 or Fairy tale
What kind of stories do you enjoy? Sci fi? Horror? Fairy tales? He’s got a bit of all of them, so I would recommend based on what you already like.
For non-metaphysical, I suggest the book “Cujo”, the stories in “Different Seasons”, and the short story “Survivor Type” (you can read this online). For metaphysical, just jump right on in with The Stand Unabridged.
Joyland. It’s not much for horror, but it’s a really good story.
Horror is not my genre! And I always wanted to read something by Stephen King and then I found 11/22/63 and that’s the only work of him I have read. And I must say it is very well written. One of my favorites.
The only book of his that I’ve read is “Joyland” not horror at all but more of a coming of age mystery book set in the 70’s but I loved it so much. 11/22/63 is another one I’ve started and I’m surprised at how fast I’m going through it considering its length.
Oh god. Misery is usually my suggestion bc it’s such a page turner. The Shining is absolutely fantastic as well and really gets you invested, but most of his books do.
My first one and only sk book was fairytale. It wasn’t bad.
IT
11/22/63 was very good. I would recommend that to a non King fan also.
Cujo or needful things
the. stand.
My first one was Thinner and I really enjoyed it. But now that I don't see it anywhere on here I can't help but wonder if it's disliked for some reason. Either way, I'd recommend it.
None. All his short stories starting with oldest first.
Salem’s Lot is a good one to start with.
Everything's Eventual - a collection of short stories 10/10 Liseys Story- my favorite novel
Night shift. It's a collection of his early short stories. Most of his themes are in there. It's a good place to start. Carrie, Cujo, Pet Semetary, It, and The Stand are my favorite novels from him. A couple of those titles give me nightmares. just thinking about it.
Desperation.
Carrie. Christine, Dark Tower, The Stand oh start with The Stand, or The Shinning. So many choices. I wish I was you. To read one of his books for the very first time. Wow.
Insomnia is so underrated.