Stephen King

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Arguably the most talented writer alive today

Stephen King is arguably the most talented and prolific writer alive today. His works cover a variety of topics from horror to fantasy, from high art to simple storytelling. There's something in there for everyone.

Discovering Stephen King

Believe it or not, Stephen King was my first "adult" author (other than short-stories) after reading picture books. That's right, I skipped the entire children's section of our local library, other than the myths and legends bit and started on Stephen King when I found a copy of 'Salem's Lot (aged 11). Having missed the premiere of the TV series (my parents thought I was too young), I still managed to get access to the story. I haven't stopped reading since.

I believe that Stephen King's work has three major phases (plus a fantasy streak which runs through all of them).

Phase 1: Blood and Thunder: This phase took us through Stephen King's most gutsy books (Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining, all the way to Christine and Pet Sematary). To this day, it still remains my favourite phase. Some of Stephen King's later books, such as IT, fit into this phase even though technically, they were written or released after it had ended.

Phase 2: Reality and Violence: Here, Stephen King was writing as Richard Bachman. Even when he stopped writing "As" Richard Bachman, it was still Richard Bachman writing. Not only do the Bachman books and Thinner belong here, but so does Misery, Gerald's Game, Dolores Claiborne and Needful Things. The books in this phase are more violent and rely slightly less on supernatural elements. The key to the horror in these books is often the human factor.

Phase 3: Art and Abstract: This is Stephen King's current phase and it's very abstract and quite difficult to get into. I'm not sure if the Green Mile fits into this phase or if it's reserved only for books since his accident. Certainly Lisey's Story and Duma Key are Phase 3 but I think that most of Everything's Eventual and From a Buick 8 does too. Even his partial-detective stories like Mr Mercedes (and to an extent the sequel to the Shining) are part of this phase.

The Fantasy Streak: The fantasy streak has always been there and it's not simply limited to the Dark Tower Series and Eyes of the Dragon. There is also the Talisman, Insomnia, Hearts in Atlantis and The Stand. Some of Stephen King's books, like Rose Madder straddle the fantasy streak and a phase (in that case Phase 2).

One last thing. If you like Stephen King, why not try reading something by his son, (writing as Joe Hill). The Heart Shaped Box reads almost exactly like a Richard Bachman novel.

The Top Three

What are you afraid of? This is it.

Easily the scariest of all the Stephen King novels.

An Epic story.

What I've Read (and what's left)

Anything in boldface is still outstanding (I haven't read it).

Standalone Novels

  1. 'Salem's Lot

  2. 11/22/63

  3. Bag of Bones

  4. Black House

  5. Blaze

  6. Carrie

  7. Cell

  8. Christine

  9. Colorado Kid, The

  10. Cujo

  11. Cycle of the Werewolf

  12. Dark Half, The

  13. Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, The

  14. Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands, The

  15. Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass, The

  16. Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The

  17. Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, The

  18. Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, The

  19. Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, The

  20. Dead Zone, The

  21. Desperation

  22. Doctor Sleep

  23. Dolores Claiborne

  24. Dreamcatcher

  25. Duma Key

  26. Elevation

  27. End of Watch

  28. Eyes of the Dragon, The

  29. Fairytale

  30. Finders Keepers

  31. Firestarter

  32. From a Buick 8

  33. Gerald's Game

  34. Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, The

  35. Green Mile, The

  36. Gwendy's Button Box

  37. Insomnia

  38. Institute, The

  39. It

  40. Joyland

  41. Later

  42. Lisey's Story

  43. Long Walk, The

  44. Misery

  45. Mr. Mercedes

  46. Needful Things

  47. Outsider, The

  48. Pet Sematary

  49. Rage

  50. Regulators, The

  51. Revival

  52. Roadwork

  53. Rose Madder

  54. Running Man, The

  55. Shining, The

  56. Sleeping Beauties

  57. Stand (Extended Version), The

  58. Stand, The

  59. Talisman, The

  60. Thinner

  61. Tommyknockers, The

  62. Under the Dome


Short Story Collections

  1. Bazaar of Bad Dreams, The

  2. Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole, The

  3. Different Seasons

  4. Everything's Eventual

  5. Four Past Midnight

  6. Full Dark, No Stars

  7. Hearts in Atlantis

  8. If It Bleeds

  9. Just After Sunset

  10. Night Shift

  11. Nightmares & Dreamscapes

  12. Skeleton Crew


Non-Fiction

  1. Danse Macabre

  2. Faithful

  3. Nightmares in the Sky

  4. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

  5. Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing