Stephen King is the horror master of modernity and an incredibly prolific writer. For almost 50 years he has been producing masterpieces of the macabre, and there have been thousands of debates about which Stephen King books are the best. Well, we throw our hat in the ring with a few of our own choices.
For our list, we chose from among King’s published novels. So no collections, short stories or short stories. Also, keep in mind that this list is for the best Stephen King novels, not the most obscure. So if you are already familiar with this work, you can probably guess what made the cut.
TL;DR – The Best Stephen King Books:
Carrie
King struck gold from his very first novel, Carrie. The titular character is immediately recognizable to most readers as most of us went to school with someone like her. The themes of exclusion and bullying continue to resonate now, as they did when the novel was published in 1974. Unlike some of the other books on this list, Carrie is a brisk reader and provides a good introduction to King’s writing style.
Christine
If Carrie is one side of the proverbial coin, then Christine is the other. A beaten Plymouth Fury from 1958 catches the eye of the outcast Arnie Cunningham from high school, and after buying it, he becomes obsessed with restoring it. Unfortunately for him, the car is possessed by evil and he becomes its piece. The book criticizes car culture, bullying and masculine self-image and is another title from King that remains incredibly relevant.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
While the last half of The Dark Tower book series – and Dark Tower Movie – missed the target for some fans, no one can deny that it started with a bang. The first book in the longtime epic, The Gunslinger, is a western at heart, much more than the following volumes. Read also : Apple-Books-Top-10. Our introduction to Roland Deschain and Mid-World is a short gritty tale full of heartache and death that winds its vines through King’s other works.
It
It’s just a little shorter than The Stand, but it’s basically two books. Like the latest IT movies, Part One is about a group of kids trying to deal with a device that preys on the citizens of Derry, Maine. Read also : Thomaston Grammar School students write non-fiction books with the help of a professional author. In the second half, they find that they reunite as adults to take It (also known as Pennywise) down forever. The book drives home the horrors that the children faced in a way that the films did not quite have time for, and it is praised as one of the best horror novels ever.
Misery
They say misery loves company, and Annie Wilkes proves it in spades. King was somehow foresighted about toxic fandoms, because when Wilkes finds his favorite novelist, Paul Sheldon, “after a car accident and nurses him back to health, she begins to demand that he start writing the books to her liking. On the same subject : Do you need a library update? Aesop gives away free books by LGBTQ + authors. Unfortunately for him she uses a hammer instead of bad tweets.The film is an absolute classic, but the source material is certainly worth reading as well.
The Shining
As with It, The Shining takes readers deeper than The Shining movie ever could. It’s clear that Jack Torrance is a bit of a king-self-initiation, if you know his story of addiction. As a result, the novel is a bit more sympathetic to him, making the end result much more tragic. It also drives home the isolation and growing madness Jack feels, making his inevitable madness so much more frightening.
The Stand
A plague destroys the world in The Stand, and two communities are formed in the post-apocalyptic aftermath. This 1,000-page tome traces the fate of humanity from the outbreak of the virus to the end of a battle between good and evil. The stand is an excellent read, but like many books of this size, there are some tempo issues. However, it is worth breaking through the few meandering sections as it has a very satisfying ending.
Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary follows the Creed family, who are moving from Boston to Maine. While settling in their new home, they stumble upon a mysterious graveyard in the woods. When they discover that it has the power to bring dead animals back to life, they become entangled in an unspeakable evil that they wish they had never crossed. It’s a difficult read for animal lovers, but a uniquely slow burning of a thriller that will keep you straight parts terrified and engaged to the last.
The Mist
A large group of people find themselves trapped inside a busy grocery store as a thick fog rolls in. Attempts to leave are met with frightening attacks and confusing disappearances. What’s in the mysterious fog, and how will anyone ever get out alive? This short story is a quick but exciting read that makes you think twice about what might be waiting in the fog – so that there are no dangerous predators who want to snack on humans.
The Green Mile
The Green Mile is widely considered one of King’s masterpieces, though it’s less of a horror story than the rest of the books on this list. It follows the death row supervisor Paul Edgecombe as he interacts with an inmate named John Coffey. Coffey has been placed on death row for a crime, it is not clear he has committed, and he exhibits powerful, supernatural healing abilities. This thriller is a tear-jerker that makes you consider the meaning of life far beyond reaching its complex, shocking conclusion.
Brittany Vincent is a freelance video game and entertainment writer for IGN covering anime, thrillers and more.
King’s The Shining was released in 1977 and has become a cultural phenomenon. Not only is it his top-rated book on Goodreads, but it is also by far the best-selling book of his career.
What is the darkest book ever written?
| 1 | 1984 by George Orwell 4.19 average rating – 3,845,590 reviews score: 26,247, and 266 people voted |
|---|---|
| 2 | American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 3.81 average rating – 268,954 ratings score: 22,974, and 239 people voted |
| 3 | The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.98 average rating – 799,588 ratings: 22,217, and 228 people voted |
What is considered the most frightening book ever written? Horror – 13 most terrifying books ever
- 1Pet Sematary. by Stephen King. …
- 2 Dr. Moreau’s ø. by H. G. Wells. …
- 3 Dish of Amontillado. by Edgar Allan Poe. …
- 4The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. …
- 5Screw rotation. by Henry James. …
- 6 Frankenstein. by Mary Shelley. …
- 7 The Exorcist. …
- 8 Something evil is coming this way.
Which Stephen King book should I read first?
The following novels occupy a common universe and are quite hefty readings for King beginners: Hearts in Atlantis, Desperation, It, Dreamcatcher, Duma Key, The Stand, The Tommyknockers, Rose Madder, Insomnia and The Dark Tower series. The novel, Doctor Sleep, is a sequel to The Shining.
What is Stephen King’s most successful book? According to The Manual, The Shining is the best-selling Stephen King book. If you’ve already read it, consider the sequel, Doctor Sleep, which looks at what happened to Danny.
What is Stephen Kings highest selling book?
Stephen King’s best-selling novel is The Shining. The novel was first published in 1977 or 44 years ago (from 2021). When you multiply 44 by the annual book sales (15,732), you get 692,208 copies sold.
What is Stephen King’s most popular book? “The Shining” It should come as no surprise that Stephen King’s most popular book is also his first bestseller ever: “The Shining,” a 1977 classic horror novel, spurred on to a cult favorite film and a sequel.
How long does It take to read It by Stephen King?
The average reader reading at a speed of 300 WPM would take 22 hours and 26 minutes to read It by Stephen King.
What is Stephen King’s longest book? The Complete and Uncut Edition of The Stand is Stephen King’s longest 1,152-page independent work, surpassing his 1,138-page novel It. The book has sold 4.5 million copies. The Stand was much appreciated by reviewers and is considered one of King’s best novels.
How long does Stephen King read a day?
Stephen King: 2000 words In his memoir, King says it is best to write at least 2000 words a day to avoid the “sparks of death.” â € œRead and write four to six hours a day.
How many hours is Stephen King’s It?
The average reader will spend 19 hours and 28 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).
