Recommendations where to start with Stephen King books?

I would not start with Pet Sematary. It might turn you off to his other work since it's quite nauseating/horrifying. It's not a good representation of his work as a whole.
 
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i for one, will say don't read IT, overly long (~1000pgs) with a couple of interesting concepts in between.

I really enjoyed On Writing, Pet Semetary, and Shining. Dr Sleep felt very different from Shining, which made it a letdown for me.
 
scgst4 said:
If you like IT I would also check out Dean Kootz's Phantoms. I love the creature in that book and its backstory.
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I read that one many years ago and really enjoyed it. It's still the only Dean Koontz I've ever read.

Affleck was the bomb in da movie yo.
 
I wish I could go back and start King books for the first time. Lucky mofo. I'd let myself become obsessed and do nothing but read king for the next many years. There is so much gold.

If short story, my favorite is in skeleton crew, the jaunt. Or just read the first three of different seasons, which are Shawshank, apt pupil which is lessor known but AMAZING, and stand by me. Skip breathing method. All his short story collections are worth it. I almost get more excited for his short stories v novels.

If standalone, damn where to start. You can't go wrong with the stand, green mile, it, cujo, needful things, under the dome, firestarter, Carrie, the institute, pet semetary. I'm just listing his books at this point.

If you really want to dive in the deep end and get obsessed, the dark tower is what you want. Like some others I've read it multiple times, it's amazing the best thing I have ever read. You may want to read it twice back to back, I know I did. then start in on all his books that have connections to the dark tower, there are a lot. You will be busy for years
 
volodya said:
So that's pretty good? I've been wondering, I dunno where to track it down besides ordering online. I like tracking books, I looked for it when I had to go to target to get Heat 2
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I got it at Costco for less then $20
 
rex kramer said:
I read that one many years ago and really enjoyed it. It's still the only Dean Koontz I've ever read.

Affleck was the bomb in da movie yo.
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Another really good Koontz is Watchers. For me it's his best book by far.
 
volodya said:
Absolutely bro. I'm sure there's parts I've read hundreds of times tbh.

My favorite action scene, in any movie or book is when the three 'kids' ride down Jonas and his crew
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Like you my favorite scene in any book or movie is in wizard and glass. The travellers rest scene where they all get the drop on each other. And Roland ends it.
Holster the gun. Do it now or this goes in your heart. No more talk. Talking's done. Do it or die. Jonas heard two things in that voice. Youth and truth. He holstered his gun.

I get chills reading this part.
 
HaulParris said:
I agree. Also, The Shining is a great work, but very different from the movie - I feel like the interior monologues that are so central to a lot of King's works, make them difficult to adapt to the screen.
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Yep... his best movies all come from short stories (Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption, The Mist)

The exception being the Green Mile, but even that one was released in a series of novellas under 100 pages each... so he couldn't afford to go off on tangents like he does in so many of his longer novels.
 
Krimzon said:
i for one, will say don't read IT, overly long (~1000pgs) with a couple of interesting concepts in between.

I really enjoyed On Writing, Pet Semetary, and Shining. Dr Sleep felt very different from Shining, which made it a letdown for me.
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On Writing was surprisingly great. Probably not the best choice for a first King book to read, but definitely worth reading.
 
If you're in it for the long haul and not just a spooky book for the Halloween season don't miss out on The Dark Tower series. A lot of King books share a common universe and the Dark Tower is at the center with some pretty major tie ins from Salem's Lot, The Stand, It, and many others.
 
liner said:
Another really good Koontz is Watchers. For me it's his best book by far.
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I enjoy Koontz stuff but feel he often doesn't know how to end them...the foreplay and actual sex is great but the climax is lacking...
 
Salam's Lot - and the short stories Jerusalem's Lot and One for the Road.
 
When starting out with King, the shorter the story, the better. You have to grow into reading his stuff, and his novels are very wordy and descriptive. I, personally, enjoy that, but his short stories are generally his best work.
 
rex kramer said:
It's getting to be that spooky time of year, and this year I want to finally read a Stephen King book.

I've seen pretty much all the movies based on his work, and for years I've been meaning to read some of his books, but never quite got around to it. So this year I'm gonna read my first Stephen King book.


You guys have any favorites of his, or recommendations on a good one to start with?


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I only read one when I was younger and it was great, called Pet Semetary. So I recommend that. Not too long but enough depth to get into it.
 
Larzon said:
Lots of people seem to struggle with it but I've read the series 8 times now I think. I'm pretty obsessed with it
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8 times?

What's the appeal, apart from obsession?
 
The appeal for me is less waffle and it felt less formulaic. Some really interesting tie ins and story telling and I thought it was very creative. The last book is joyous, I smashed through it in a few days.

The only books/series I've read more than once are Lord of the rings, necroscope/vampire world series from Brian Lumley and the dark tower.
 
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