Best Stephen King book?

[Anonymous]

I haven’t read any of his books except his Writing one, I’m so inspired by this thread. What makes his books so good?

[Anonymous]

It (I think the best of them all), 11/22/63 (the audiobook in particular is outstanding, also see the Hulu miniseries), and The Stand get my votes for best. I also liked the Mr Mercedes trilogy (the tv show is good as well), The Outsider, Needful Things, The Talisman, and Under the Dome. I'm sure I'm forgetting some others.

[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!

NP: Guys, I have 11-22-63 on my bookshelf at home. I'm going to start reading it ASAP. You all make me eager to read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+2 but I think the accident was much worse than it was publicized originally. The recovery was long and difficult & arthritis forms around injuries like that.

[Anonymous]

another vote for The Stand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Is this the one with the man covered in pimples? I read that as a kid and sometimes now my mind pictures this because King's writing was so descriptive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any of his books except his Writing one, I’m so inspired by this thread. What makes his books so good?

He crafts a story like no other. His prose isn’t remarkable. But he builds worlds and people and conflict better than anyone. As a kid I would just become engulfed by his books. Fully absorbed, could not tear myself away. His best ones grab you and do not let go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One I liked a lot and don’t see mentioned here is Joyland. 11/22/63 is amazing and deserves another mention as well.

Joyland was SO good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any of his books except his Writing one, I’m so inspired by this thread. What makes his books so good?

He crafts a story like no other. His prose isn’t remarkable. But he builds worlds and people and conflict better than anyone. As a kid I would just become engulfed by his books. Fully absorbed, could not tear myself away. His best ones grab you and do not let go.

All of this. His stories suck me in on the first page, which I find it not the case with other books. His characters are well thought out and interesting. I'm not a big horror person but I recommend so many of his books to people because they truly transcend that genre. Just like you didn't have to be interested in the mob to enjoy The Sopranos; you didn't have to be a sci fi geek to like Battlestar Galactica, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read any of his books except his Writing one, I’m so inspired by this thread. What makes his books so good?

He crafts a story like no other. His prose isn’t remarkable. But he builds worlds and people and conflict better than anyone. As a kid I would just become engulfed by his books. Fully absorbed, could not tear myself away. His best ones grab you and do not let go.

All of this. His stories suck me in on the first page, which I find it not the case with other books. His characters are well thought out and interesting. I'm not a big horror person but I recommend so many of his books to people because they truly transcend that genre. Just like you didn't have to be interested in the mob to enjoy The Sopranos; you didn't have to be a sci fi geek to like Battlestar Galactica, etc.

His character development is truly inspiring. He has these very complex characters, not entirely good, not entirely evil - even the mostly-evil ones have a sympathetic side. He really 'gets' what makes people tick.

Plots are imaginative and set hooks into your soul.

His descriptive passages make it all feel so very real. There are nuanced details to everything.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, I read Salem’s lot 35 years ago and am still pretty traumatized. I read most of his books in the early 80s. Salem’s lot and thinner really stick with me and I think about them all the time.
Also I cannot to through the holland tunnel without thinking about the scene from the miniseries of The Stand.