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Where to start with Stephen King?

Bag of Bones

If it's a Stephen King novel you're after, I highly recommend Bag of Bones. after that I'd pick The Stand, followed by The Shining.
 
beer good said:
"The Long Walk" is probably the best of the Bachman books, and IMO one of King's best, period. Not sure if it gives a proper picture of King as a writer, though, it's not exactly the kind of stuff he usually writes. But well worth reading.
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Indeed, I agree with you.
 
Stephen King can be kind of overwhelming--he's a completely awesome writer but he's hard to understand. You have to really pay attention in some of his books to catch everything. So if you're easily confused, and I don't know if you are or not, you should probably start with Carrie or his newest novel, Cell, which are pretty easy to understand. I haven't read very many of his books, so I can't name any others off the top of my head, but I think those would be good to start with before moving onto something completely insane like Dreamcatcher.
 
My start was with The Gunslinger, but I would probably not recommend that you jump right into Stephen King's Magnum Opus that is the The Dark Tower series.

I would say if you are a real horror fan you should start with either It or Pet Semetary.

Otherwise I would start with The Stand or The Green Mile. They are both just great novels, but not horror.
 
The dead zone
Christine
the stand

I like most of his stories...he can be a little windy on description at times and has problems finishing some of his stories...but he is an easy read and spins a pretty good yarn.
 
I strongly feel that you must begin with The Gunslinger. The Dark Tower series is his masterwork. If you do not want to read an entire series (seven novels), then read The Stand. The Stand is his single best novel.
 
Sorry to dissapoint

I myself am unable to get into any of King's books, i have tried to read half a dozen or so and always end up putting them down before they are a quarter read. He just can't hold me. I am a avid reader and read at least two novels a week, but King's writing isn't all that it is cracked up to be. If you are looking for something along the lines of horror/ suspense i would recommend anything by Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon and Bentley Little.

Sorry, for the anti-king post, but these are my feelings, does anyone else have the same problem with King?

Bye
 
Start off with the first novel published by King: Carrie.
(That's how I do it, with all authors, I go in order even if none of the books are related to one-another).
 
Here's what I read in order (kind of):
The Shining
Pet Sematary
Dream Catcher
Needful Things
Everything's Eventual (? - not sure when I read this)
Bachman books
Different Seasons (?)
It (my favorite)
The Stand
Hearts in Atlantis
Desperation (?)
Dark Tower I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII

Okay, I guess I don't really know. :confused: I know I'm missing something.
 
Night Shift
Skeleton Crew
Nightmares and Dreamscapes

and then, head into his early novels or novellas. His latter suck. Like Cell. I wanted to torch it.
 
I have found that he's a pretty slow writer. His fan base is a lot larger than I'd expect it to be though, I don't know why...

But his best works IMO were the early ones... where the original plot lines came about.
 
My suggestion is that you pick a Stephen King novel (any one, it doesn't really matter) and start with the last page!

I'm with Cody Craig on this one; Stephen King just doesn't float my boat!
 
mcilroga said:
Start off with the first novel published by King: Carrie.
(That's how I do it, with all authors, I go in order even if none of the books are related to one-another).
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For the most part, this is the method I follow. I'm almost obsessive about it.
 
i started with 'salem's lot and it remains one of my all time favorite books to this day.

i also highly recommend pet semetary, the stand, it, the dark half, needful things and bag of bones.
 
Just to say, you can't get hooked on an author if you don't like him, so don't force yourself.

If you like him, but want some good novels, I'd go with...

It
Carrie
Salem's Lot
Hearts in Atlantis
The Shining

I've read most of his stories, but these were the only ones to appeal to me, except It. It scared me so horribly, but I'm afraid of clowns!;)
 
Stephen King (Possible Spoilers)

I'm looking for any and all Stephen King info. I haven't actually started reading any yet, but I've seen a lot of movies and love his stories lines...although I'm sure as many will tell me, I know books are always better than the movies!

Just tell me about you favorite S. King book and why. Try to not give any spoilers at all possible, but if you must, then I might allow it. :rolleyes:

Thanks for all your help!

P.S. I'm looking for the scarier the better!
 
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