Best Stephen King Book

[Sugar Ape]

I'll do a poll, but since you can only have a maximum of 25 options I obviously can't fit them all in. I'm going to leave the collections of short stories out and also condense the Dark Tower series down to one option; you can click that option and expand on which of the series is your favourite if you wish. I've never read the Dark Tower series so I'm not sure if The Talisman counts as one of the series or a stand alone novel, bit I've included it anyway.

 

I love The Stand, It and The shining, but my two favourites have got to be Salem's Lot and Pet Sematary ( well scarier than the shit film ). Salem's Lot probably shades it for me though.

[Sut]

Salem's Lot is his best for me and as you say Pet Sematary is a damn scary book.

[silverlining]

Wowzers, tough choice.

 

I'm a total literary snob - obv - but I read my first King novel at a ridiculously unsuitable age (12, maybe?) and have loved him ever since.

 

Nice to see that in the last 15 years or so, he has come to be accepted a bit more by the snooty crowd.

 

Wonderfully gifted storyteller (patronising language, I know).

 

He's written some awfully self-indulgent shit (Dark Tower etc), but the majesty of It and The Stand etc will stand (hoho) the test of time.

 

I voted It, because it was the best thing I'd ever read at 15, and scared the shit out of me.

 

Great thread

[silverlining]

 

I love The Stand, It and The shining, but my two favourites have got to be Salem's Lot and Pet Sematary ( well scarier than the shit film ). Salem's Lot probably shades it for me though.

 

 

I gave my Mum Pet Sematary to read.

 

Ahahahaha!

 

She has never forgiven me for it.

 

Almost as much as when I took het to see "American Psycho"

[Juniper]

The Stand for me, read that around 15-16 and it's still one of my favourite books to date. Amazing read.

 

Under the Dome is also brilliant, although very slightly reminiscent of the Stand.

 

Could list a few more as I own quite a few of his books, going to mention IT and Insomnia for now.

[King Emlyn]

The Green Mile. I love the way he tells the story. Pet Semetary is the scariest. Something very freaky about that book.

[setreal]

 

I voted It, because it was the best thing I'd ever read at 15, and scared the shit out of me.

 

 

Same here.

[Guest davelfc]

For me it's Different Seasons. Here's a description I stole earlier.

 

Different Seasons is a collection of four novellas, markedly different in tone and subject, each on the theme of a journey.

 

The first is a rich, satisfying, non-horrific tale about an innocent man who carefully nurtures hope and devises a wily scheme to escape from prison. The second concerns a boy who discards his innocence by enticing an old man to travel with him into a reawakening of long-buried evil. In the third story, a writer looks back on the trek he took with three friends on the brink of adolescence to find another boy's corpse. The trip becomes a character-rich rite of passage from youth to maturity.

 

These first three novellas have been made into well-received movies: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption into Frank Darabont's 1994 The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil into Bryan Singer's 1998 film Apt Pupil, and The Body into Rob Reiner's Stand by Me (1986).

 

The final novella, Breathing Lessons is a horror yarn told by a doctor, about a patient whose indomitable spirit keeps her baby alive under extraordinary circumstances. It's the tightest, most polished tale in the collection.

 

I enjoy all of the stories above and I read this book on a regular basis (just a month ago as well)

 

When I was younger it was James Herbert that was scaring the shit out of me with his books.

[General Dryness]

I like his short story collections as well, Skeleton Crew is my favourite of those (the one that starts with "The Mist").

 

Overall, I have to admit a soft spot for the Bachman Books, but I don't know if that counts having been written under a pseudonym. So I've voted for my next favourite in this poll, which is "It".

[Guest davelfc]

I like his short story collections as well, Skeleton Crew is my favourite of those (the one that starts with "The Mist").

 

 

I enjoy that one too, in fact I also read that one a lot, just not as regular as Different Seasons.

 

If you enjoy his short stories then you have to get 'Full dark no stars' his latest collection.

[jacco maccaco]

"It" as a novel, bothered me for weeks after completing it

 

Best short story is "Mrs Todds Shortcut", wicked little tale.

[Carvalho Diablo]

I voted for "The Stand".

 

A great story / epic road-trip which for me pretty much sums up the King books that I've read : he writes a fantastic story, but his endings aren't of the same standard.

 

Never been remotely scared by one of Stephen King's books, and the last one I read, "Insomnia", descended into farcical bollocks.

 

For horror / whodunit's, you can't beat Michael Slade.

[Anubis]

For me it's Different Seasons. Here's a description I stole earlier.

 

Plus one for Different Seasons. A cracking book.

[gumps]

I voted The Stand. One of the best apocalyptic epics out there, ahead of its time and also one of the best TV adaptations. Although Salems Lot runs it close.

[JohnnyH]

Just finished Under the Dome and enjoyed that. Also love the short stories in the Skeleton Crew and read it loads of times. But my favourite book of his was Pet Semetary. Just loved the horror in it. Not his best story, but just proper horror.

 

However, I also love the Bachman books. In particualr the Long Walk and Rage. Really interesting writing.

[Uncle_Meat]

I don't think I've read a King book that I've not enjoyed. Re-read The Eyes of the Dragon over the last night or two. Less well known than his other stuff but another well crafted and well written book. I love the descriptive atmosphere he puts into his work, the depth and attention to detail.

 

One of my favourite authors, for sure.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I enjoyed tommyknockers the most of what I've read and the first half of IT. I listened to the dome on audio book it was brilliantly narrated.

[Tuppy Glossop]

Pet Sematary is the one that leaves the longest impression - I think because it's based on something we've all done - buried a pet in the garden. I also enjoyed 'Thinner' and 'It' - you never look at a clown in quite the same way after reading It.....

Strange how the films never come anywhere close to the quality of the books, perhaps apart from the Shining - mostly down to Jack.

[Sugar Ape]

I gave my Mum Pet Sematary to read.

 

Ahahahaha!

 

She has never forgiven me for it.

 

Almost as much as when I took het to see "American Psycho"

 

Your mum must hate you for that!

 

I read the book in broad daylight and I was still shitting myself at loads of points through it. I think I've read somewhere that King himself considers this to be his scariest book.

[The Great Jacko]

The Stand is in my top 3 books of all time so defo my fav Stephen King. Honorable mention to The Dark Tower series. Under The Dome was brilliant especially as his most recent release and I read IT on holiday with my Dad in Florida when I was 12 so it has a very special place in my heart.

[Flying Pig]

Salem's Lot is his best for me and as you say Pet Sematary is a damn scary book.

 

Shit, forget about them. Pet Cemetary is a great book but I love the 70's Salem's Lot movie with the groovy David Soul.

[Flying Pig]

The Stand for me, read that around 15-16 and it's still one of my favourite books to date. Amazing read.

 

Under the Dome is also brilliant, although very slightly reminiscent of the Stand.

 

Could list a few more as I own quite a few of his books, going to mention IT and Insomnia for now.

 

Started it recently but got sidetracked. The first few chapters are great and I'm looking forward to the rest. I don't know a bad King book.

[RoboRiise]

Motherfucker! I was just finishing roughly 500 words about King and his books prompted by this thread, accidentally hit some combination of keys with my right hand and closed Firefox.

 

I'll re-do it later when I've calmed down a bit, I'm fucking annoyed. For now, suffice to say that I voted for The Stand but realised whilst I was typing that I should have voted for It.

[Juniper]

 

Started it recently but got sidetracked. The first few chapters are great and I'm looking forward to the rest. I don't know a bad King book.

 

 

 

 

I've read a few of his books and I've come across a handful of dodge ones.

 

Took away Lisey's Story on my holidays last week and I just couldn't get into it so I abandoned it and bought more reading material instead (the Girl who Loved Tom Gordan being one).

 

Also, never finished Dreamcatcher. Really didn't like that one and it also spawned one awful, dreadful movie.

 

Love that you can pick up a book of his for under a quid in most Charity shops. I have a 'to read' section in our bookshelf and there's currently 5 of his books in there.

[Flying Pig]

I've read a few of his books and I've come across a handful of dodge ones.

 

Took away Lisey's Story on my holidays last week and I just couldn't get into it so I abandoned it and bought more reading material instead (the Girl who Loved Tom Gordan being one).

 

Also, never finished Dreamcatcher. Really didn't like that one and it also spawned one awful, dreadful movie.

 

Love that you can pick up a book of his for under a quid in most Charity shops. I have a 'to read' section in our bookshelf and there's currently 5 of his books in there.

 

 

Yes, his book are always there. I was nearly tempted by 'Cell' but declined as still had 'Under the dome'.