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Best Stephen King Book


Sugar Ape
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Best Stephen King Book  

104 members have voted

  1. 1. Best Stephen King Book

    • Carrie
    • Salem's Lot
    • The Shining
    • The Stand
    • The Dead Zone
    • Firestarter
      0
    • Cujo
      0
    • The Running Man
      0
    • The Dark Tower Series
    • Christine
    • Pet Sematary
    • The Talisman
    • Thinner
    • It
    • Misery
    • The Tommyknockers
    • The Dark Half
    • Needful Things
    • Gerald's Game
      0
    • Dolores Claiborne
      0
    • Dreamcatcher
      0
    • The Green Mile
    • Duma Key
    • Under The Dome
    • Other - Please State


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Which includes the Novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemtion" from which the famous film was adapted.

The Body (Stand By Me) and Apt Pupil have also been adapted into films. I wasn't keen on the Apt Pupil film when I watched it years ago, but Stand By Me is one of my all time favourites.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 3 years later...

Been getting through some of his books to kill the boredom during the lockdown. Some of his classics Ive never read, not sure how/why but most have been sat in my bookshelf for years.
 

I’ve read the below in recent days and now read 31 of his books. 

 

Dr Sleep 

Pet Semetary

Christine 

 

Started Salem’s Lot earlier.

 

All bloody brilliant. Christine took a while to get going but once it did it was another great page turner, all 700+ pages of it.

 

Hoping to get through The Gunslinger, The Institute, From a Buick 8 and Revival soon.  
 

Heard great things about The Institute so really looking forward to that one. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Juniper said:

Been getting through some of his books to kill the boredom during the lockdown. Some of his classics Ive never read, not sure how/why but most have been sat in my bookshelf for years.
 

I’ve read the below in recent days and now read 31 of his books. 

 

Dr Sleep 

Pet Semetary

Christine 

 

Started Salem’s Lot earlier.

 

All bloody brilliant. Christine took a while to get going but once it did it was another great page turner, all 700+ pages of it.

 

Hoping to get through The Gunslinger, The Institute, From a Buick 8 and Revival soon.  
 

Heard great things about The Institute so really looking forward to that one. 

 

 


Salem’s lot is my favourite. So many great scenes. I read it once a year. Pet Sematary is boss as well. 
 

Haven’t got around to reading Doctor Sleep yet. Got that and The Institute lined up. 

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4 hours ago, Juniper said:

Been getting through some of his books to kill the boredom during the lockdown. Some of his classics Ive never read, not sure how/why but most have been sat in my bookshelf for years.
 

I’ve read the below in recent days and now read 31 of his books. 

 

Dr Sleep 

Pet Semetary

Christine 

 

Started Salem’s Lot earlier.

 

All bloody brilliant. Christine took a while to get going but once it did it was another great page turner, all 700+ pages of it.

 

Hoping to get through The Gunslinger, The Institute, From a Buick 8 and Revival soon.  
 

Heard great things about The Institute so really looking forward to that one. 

 

 

Didn’t really enjoy a Buick 8. I think if you read the Gunslinger you are in for a long enjoyable haul. The Drawing of the three is probably in my top 5 King books. Get through Song of Susannah and well it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it just... I dunno.

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11.22.63 doesn’t get a mention in the poll again a typical Stephen King thing to do involving past characters. Beverley Marsh and Richie Tozier(after IT) Much like Father  Callahan appearing in Salem’s Lot probably my favourite and Wolves of the Calla.

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22 minutes ago, Edward. said:

11.22.63 doesn’t get a mention in the poll again a typical Stephen King thing to do involving past characters. Beverley Marsh and Richie Tozier(after IT) Much like Father  Callahan appearing in Salem’s Lot probably my favourite and Wolves of the Calla.


The thread was started before the book was published. 
 

As for other books polling low, you can only choose your favourite one so I guess a lot of books like The Talisman, while it is very good, are not thought of by many as his best book. 

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Cheers chaps 

 

Really enjoyed Doctor Sleep. Danny’s return and the continuation of the Shining gift was done really well I thought. 
 

Taking of reoccurring characters, never knew until this evening Randell Flagg from The Stand is in the Dark Tower books. Will have to get round to that series soon as I really know little about it all.
 

A recent one is Holly Gibney from Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers and End of Watch appearing in The Outsider. 
 

Enjoyed that book and the recent HBO adaptation was pretty close to it I thought. 

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1. It (I re-read it last year on holiday, it's still brilliant, shame the recent films are pretty shit.)

2. The Stand (I actually quite like the '90s TV mini-series they made. The casting was obviously off in places, but it's pretty faithful to the story.)

3. The Shining

4. Gerald's Game (Decent taut thriller, with a bit near the end that had me jump out my seat. The recent film's supposed to be good too, I'll have to give that a whirl at some point).

5. Pet Semetary (Most of his books are more atmospheric than scary, this is genuinely frightening.)

 

Some his 'later' epic horror stuff like Tommyknockers, Needful Things and Insomnia are a huge drop off compared to his 'classics', but more recently the Mr Mercedes series and The Outsider are much better.

 

10 hours ago, mattyq said:

Recently re-read Black House which he co-authored with Peter Straub. It's sort of a sequel to the Talisman and is fantastic

Ooh, I didn't even know about that. I read the Talisman when I was 18 or so and loved it, so will have to pick this up. I haven't read much Peter Straub apart from that, but Ghost Story is a brilliant book.

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4 hours ago, Mudface said:

1. It (I re-read it last year on holiday, it's still brilliant, shame the recent films are pretty shit.)

2. The Stand (I actually quite like the '90s TV mini-series they made. The casting was obviously off in places, but it's pretty faithful to the story.)

3. The Shining

4. Gerald's Game (Decent taut thriller, with a bit near the end that had me jump out my seat. The recent film's supposed to be good too, I'll have to give that a whirl at some point).

5. Pet Semetary (Most of his books are more atmospheric than scary, this is genuinely frightening.)

 

Some his 'later' epic horror stuff like Tommyknockers, Needful Things and Insomnia are a huge drop off compared to his 'classics', but more recently the Mr Mercedes series and The Outsider are much better.

 

Ooh, I didn't even know about that. I read the Talisman when I was 18 or so and loved it, so will have to pick this up. I haven't read much Peter Straub apart from that, but Ghost Story is a brilliant book.

In my opinion, Needful Things is up there with his best stuff.

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4 minutes ago, Tony Moanero said:

In my opinion, Needful Things is up there with his best stuff.

It's been a while since I read it, but looking at the plots on Wikipedia, it looks like I got it mixed up with Insomnia as I thought Needful Things had the abortion sub plot. I think I've still got it somewhere, so might give it another read if I get time.

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2 hours ago, Mudface said:

It's been a while since I read it, but looking at the plots on Wikipedia, it looks like I got it mixed up with Insomnia as I thought Needful Things had the abortion sub plot. I think I've still got it somewhere, so might give it another read if I get time.

I started and gave up on Needful Things when it came out first.

I just purchased the audible version and am enjoying it - 2/3 of the way through, great fun.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Anyone reading The Dark Tower for the first time needs to get hold of the original version of The Gunslinger and read that as the opening book instead of the revised edition. You'll understand why when you get to the Tower in book 7.

 

I'm 2/3 through his new collection - loving it so far. Wasn't overly fussy on the second story to begin with but it pulled me right in and now I love it.

 

Re: his son Joe Hill, I love his stuff. If you've only read his books, Sugar Ape, you should try his comics. Wraith is a run-in to NOS4R2 and Locke and Key is immense - miles better than the series on Netflix. He's a nice fella, as well. I've met him a couple of times at signings in town.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 years later...
On 13/04/2020 at 20:26, Edward. said:

11.22.63 doesn’t get a mention in the poll again a typical Stephen King thing to do involving past characters. Beverley Marsh and Richie Tozier(after IT) Much like Father  Callahan appearing in Salem’s Lot probably my favourite and Wolves of the Calla.

 

Just did 11.22.63 on Audible. Fucking brilliant. And I loved the Bev & Richie cameos. 

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