Best Stephen King book?

[Anonymous]

King’s early stuff tends to be his best, and the quality seems to me to get increasingly erratic over time. I personally like his short story collections. Also the classics, The Shining, Salem’s lot. Pet Sematary is his scariest IMO, and the first half of the Dark Tower is quite good, especially Wizard and Glass, as well as The Gunslinger (before he messed it up by rewriting it in the interest of retroactive continuity—try to find the original).

[Anonymous]

Everything he wrote after 1984 was garbage.

[Anonymous]

Thinner
The Stand
The Shining
The Dead Zone

[Anonymous]

I’ve read most (maybe all) of his books other than the dark tower series. Some of my favorites:

1. The stand - his first and still the best
2. 11/22/63 - I’ve re-read this one a bunch
3. Misery
4. Under the dome
5. It
6. Hearts in Atlantis (I esp loved listening to this - William hurt read it and did an amazing job)
7. Bag of bones
8. Salem’s lot - to me, his scariest

I’d say tho that Ive pretty much enjoyed all his stuff - even the ones written during his crazy coked out years (his description) are still much better than most popular books out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11-22-63 - it really is the best.

I’ve heard great things, but being 800+ pages, is it drawn out and boring?

NP, but no! It's so good!

So, so good. It’s on my “occasional re-read” list. But yes, a departure from the typical.

[Anonymous]

Needful Things is underrated.

I found It terrifyingly but could have done without the gratuitous language and the “resolution” that was supposed to have united all the kids. Ew.

[Anonymous]

Pet Sematary is great, IMO. I have heard King actually doesn't like it himself and finds it too scary (!) . It is certainly really powerful, and I find it even more so now I'm a parent.

Although I'm not usually a fan of short stories, Skeleton Crew is great.

And big +1 on both The Shining and The Stand. So good, both of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything he wrote after 1984 was garbage.

Ha. At first I thought you meant the book 1984 (written by Orwell), lol.

I also prefer his earlier work but he had some good ones after '84, like Misery and The Dark Half. He lost me with The Dark Tower and I didn't care much for The Green Mile.

Gerald's Game and Delores Claiborne were the beginning of the end for me. Just bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11-22-63 - it really is the best.

I’ve heard great things, but being 800+ pages, is it drawn out and boring?

NP, but no! It's so good!

So, so good. It’s on my “occasional re-read” list. But yes, a departure from the typical.

I have tried with this one and just...can't.

[Anonymous]

I’ve read all of his books and by far the Dark Tower series is my favorite. You have to get through the first one, though, he wrote it in bits and pieces over a long period of time (and I think he was high for some of it) the rest of the series is an easier read.
The Stand is also a favorite of mine and 11/22/63 was really good.

[Anonymous]

His books seem so abstract to me.

Like they do not make any sense unless I use my critical thinking side of my brain...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything he wrote after 1984 was garbage.

he was still high on drugs through most of the 80's once he got sober, stated turning to shit..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything he wrote after 1984 was garbage.

he was still high on drugs through most of the 80's once he got sober, stated turning to shit..

I honestly think his writing started to really suffer after about '89 and after he was hit and nearly killed by that car in '99 I can barely recognize his writing anymore.

Either, he has changed as writer or he lost an extremely talented editor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved short story collection- Nightshift

YES. Masterful at scaring the crap out of you in 15 pages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything he wrote after 1984 was garbage.

he was still high on drugs through most of the 80's once he got sober, stated turning to shit..

I honestly think his writing started to really suffer after about '89 and after he was hit and nearly killed by that car in '99 I can barely recognize his writing anymore.

Either, he has changed as writer or he lost an extremely talented editor.

+1. He was not the same writer after the car accident. I looked again at his bibliography on Wikipedia and the quality drop-off after 1999 is shocking and much worse than I remembered.