I was reading through the thread about the staircase and saw a Stephen Kind discussion going on, which motivated me to ask:
What is your favorite Stephen King book? What is the scariest book by him that you've read?
My husband is a big SK fan and has almost all of his books. I've always wanted to read one but am first a little intimidated by the length of some of those books and I don't know where to start.
IT is my favorite Stephen King book, and one of my top 10 books favorite books overall.
Here's my Goodreads review-
Deliciously scary. What else can I say? Only Stephen King could keep me turning pages in a book with over 1,000 pages without getting tired of the story. I've always wanted to read "It", but the size put me off. I also have an inordinate fear of clowns, so this was a stretch for me to pick up.
King is a master storyteller - and in It he captures perfectly the magic of childhood, those friendships, those fears, the power they have over you, the love, the angst, and the lifelong wish of every adult to be able to access that power once again. Being Stephen King, he flawlessly weaves this tale into a story of a town possessed by evil. It kept me up at night, and when it was over I was left wanting more.
Post by sassypants on Jul 26, 2016 10:18:35 GMT -5
My favorite is Firestarter. It's the first book by him I ever read. I had chicken pox in 7th grade and picked up my mom's copy while I was stuck at home. I had seen the movie a couple years beforehand, and I then proceeded to try to burn things with my mind, esp. the school cafeteria (it didn't work). I was hooked on SK from that point on. I don't really find his books scary since they're supernatural and my brain separates the difference. That being said, the initial premise of The Stand is frightening because a superbug COULD happen. It was the un-real parts that let me cope. Something like Captain Tripp's is completely conceivable. Also, Pet Sematery upsets me because I'm sensitive to things happening to animals. It's one of the reasons I have still never read Cujo.
The Stand. I've always loved The Dark Half and The Dead Zone and everything from that era of SK - Carrie, Firestarter, Pet Semetary, Needful Things, Salem's Lot, but it's been years since I've read any of those. More recently, 11/22/63 was amazing. I love everything about Under the Dome except the ending. I've read the first two in the Mr. Mercedes series, and really, really loved them.
I also recommend 11/22/63 for something not as scary.
The Eyes of the Dragon is my favorite Stephen King, and it's fantasy not horror.
Thinner is my favorite of the Bachman books (when he was writing under the pen name Richard Bachman).
To me his scariest books are the ones that depict things that I can imagine actually happening. So, Cuju is scary, because I can imagine being trapped in a hot car by a dog with rabies. Under the Dome is scary because I absolutely believe that society would break down that fast, and that people would turn into giant raging assholes on a power trip (but yes, the ending sucks).
The Shawshank Redemption (first novella in Different Seasons) isn't scary, but really the movie is vastly superior (the book isn't linear, and the movie ending is better). The other stories in the book are good too, but I strongly suggest NOT reading The Breathing Method (last novella in the same book) if you are pregnant.
Obviously don't jump into the middle of the Dark Tower series (and I wouldn't recommend it as your first foray into King either), but just find one where the story looks interesting, and dive in. His books may be long, but he draws you into the story in a way that makes them read pretty fast (his character development is amazing!). Also, just as a warning, his endings can be a little iffy, but don't let this dissuade you, because with King it really is all about the journey.
Post by dragon's breath on Jul 26, 2016 13:31:15 GMT -5
I love Steven King, too many favorites.
For a beginner, I'd go with Night Shift. It gives you a feel for his style and has "short" stories (the quotes, because Steven King does not write anything that short).
Different Seasons and Full Dark No Stars are also short story books.
For dark, but not supernatural, there is The Long Walk.
Misery, It, The Body (can't remember which book that is in, but Stand By Me was based on it), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (kind of short), Carrie, Cujo, Needful Things, Pet Semetery, etc, all good.
The only one I really didn't like was The Dead Zone, but I may have been to young when I read it. I started reading SK as a kid.
Thanks for the recommendations, folks! 11/22/63 was already on my radar, but it helps to hear from SK fans. I've bought it and will probably start reading it in the next few weeks. And since it's just under 900 pages long, it'll keep me reading for a while! lol
I'll throw out another SK question ... if you *don't* like being scared but would like to read some SK, what would you recommend?
11/22/63
Ditto this. I hardly read him but couldn't resist the premise of this book. Good read! I may reread someday to pick up nuances I missed, plus I was reading it when DS2 was brand new.
Post by sweetrhythms on Aug 1, 2016 20:27:56 GMT -5
This is a great thread. I always forget there's so much SK I haven't read because for the longest time I thought he only wrote scary stuff. I really, really liked 11/22/63 and enjoyed Under the Dome too!
If anyone is up for scary & creepy, please consider Bag of Bones. It's my favorite of his (ok, tied for first with The Stand), and it seems to be so underrated.
Wallflower, so glad you enjoyed 11/22/63! I loved that one too.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Aug 11, 2016 17:06:27 GMT -5
Dolores Claiborne is excellent and not scary, with only a bit of supernatural.
The Dark Tower series is my favorite thing I've ever read, like I cried when I realized how much I missed hearing about the characters when it was done, but wouldn't recommend it to start with
His short stories are great, especially the novella length ones like in Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight. I'd start there if you haven't read any of his before!
Post by gibbinator on Aug 20, 2016 19:28:37 GMT -5
Oh man, so hard to choose. I guess I'd ultimately have to choose the Dark Tower series (and no I can't pick just one book from the series). It's just so epic and it actually has a good ending! I love how it weaves so many other books into the plot. It's a fans dream really, lol. I also like that it's more a fantasy novel than pure horror, although there's a good deal of scary stuff in there of course.
Cell is another one I really enjoyed. The Stand is of course the classic precursor to the current post-apocalyptic trend.
Not scary? I guess Misery is more psychological than horror. Another psychological one, I can't remember the name of it, but it's about a man who gets injured and falls into a coma, wakes up 10yrs or so later and suffers horrifying visions of the future. It's basically about him wrestling with whether he should or can do anything to prevent that future, is it real? Etc. Maybe someone knows what I'm talking about?
Another psychological one, I can't remember the name of it, but it's about a man who gets injured and falls into a coma, wakes up 10yrs or so later and suffers horrifying visions of the future. It's basically about him wrestling with whether he should or can do anything to prevent that future, is it real? Etc. Maybe someone knows what I'm talking about?