Complete STEPHEN KING Guide, More Than 20 Novels Explained!
The American Thriller-Master Stephen King’s best novels are listed, combined with their genres!
Ready to be chilled to your bones?
Starting with a quote from IT :)
“THEY BEGIN!”
The perfections are sharpened, the flower spreads its colored petals,
Wide in the sun, but the tongue of the bee,
Misses them. They sink back into the loam, crying out.
You may call it a cry, that creeps over them, a shiver.
As they wilt and disappear…
Here are his best horror novels that might freak you out.
IT
What is it about?
This is a chunky book with over 1000 pages. We read a story of friends calling themselves Losers Club, being freaked out by an evil clown Pennywise. This clown appears at certain times and kills the children of the town of Derry.
Should I read it?
You can make sure that Pennywise is scary as hell, being enough for hype. The story goes synchronically, jumping from the childhood story of the Losers Club to their adulthood adventures. Due to these switches, the novel is suspenseful.
Being one of the most famous works of Stephen King, IT is a must-read!
Pet Sematary
What is it about?
A medic and his family move to a house situated near a cemetery, and horrific stuff happens.
Should I read it?
Of course! Are you ready to be terrified by the story of the family of Dr. Creed? Pet Sematary is also one of his most renowned works, being disturbing and horrific. Go read it, people.
The Shining
What is it about?
A caretaker begins working in a haunted and abandoned hotel.
Should I read it?
Remember the Jack Nicholson movie The Shining? that movie is adapted from this book.
Speaking for the Overlook Hotel, as you may guess, it is not that abandoned :) This gives you a hint about what the hotel is. Things go wild when they move in. A scary and thrilling experience lies inside Overlook Hotel!
Okay, I guess we are chilled to our bones with these 3 books, time to slow down, continuing with the rather dramatic novels…
The Green Mile
What is it about?
A jail meant to keep death row inmates named Green Mile meets a strange convict.
Should I read it?
Not scary this time. However, the style King wrote this book gets you in it for sure… Looking for an ending that you will not even forget? Here it is.
Also, the movie adaptation of The Green Mile is considered one of the best movies ever. I can say that the novel and the movie are almost the same regarding the story. Both are wonderful experiences!
The Dead Zone
What is it about?
After a 5-year-long coma, a guy realizes he now has telekinetic powers. This power changes his life. I mean, drastically.
Should I read it?
Another ending that you will not manage to forget. This novel is slow-paced but also a bit short. The Dead Zone could be considered in the same genre as the Green Mile, as it is not a scary or thrilling book in contrast to other works of Stephen King.
I like fantasy novels and I want to start reading Stephen King..
Well, if you can keep up with those chunky books, then here is the best fantasy novels he wrote!
I don’t recommend these if you have never read any Stephen King novel, because these are hard to read. You may get reading slump
The Dark Tower (Series)
What it is about?
A gunslinger is in a pursuit of his quest, reaching ‘The Dark Tower’. 8-book-long fantasy story is all about this quest.
Should I read it?
Stephen King describes The Dark Tower series as his magnum opus. He says that this series is his best work in his lifespan. Fantasy and Stephen King is hella good when combined together!
The Stand
After a virus breakout, %99.4 of the world population is wiped. The remaining ones’ story is a 1400-page-long chunky book.
This is also one of his best works no doubt, one of the massive books he has written. Slow paced but intriguing, making it renowned.
Here we go with good thriller books that you will read them non-stop!
The Institute
What is it about?
A group of children having special abilities is kidnapped and sent to a place called The Institute. The doctors here do some tests on these children, using the skills of children for some good.
Should I read it?
This is also a slow-paced book, but a rather chunky one with 600 pages. Both the antagonists and the protagonists are written perfectly, in my opinion.
The Institute is such a suspenseful book, and the last chapters are the motivation why you might want to read it. The ending is fabulous!
Misery
What is it about?
A psychopath nurse saves a famous writer from a serious car crash, and then imprisons him in her house.
Should I read it?
Ready to be chilled to your bones starting from the very first pages? Misery is one of the greatest examples he sustains the suspense in the entire novel. There are some moments in the book that you might say ‘OH MY GOD NO WAAY!’
I think I’ll go read it again.
“All these novels are chunky! I want something shorter to read.”
Here you go!
Carrie
What is it about?
A bullied student takes her revenge on the school community after she discovers she has special powers.
Should I read it?
Not a personal favorite of mine but the reader community, Carrie is the first novel published by Stephen King and it is around 200 pages. You want some attrocity? Story of Miss Carrie White might be it!
Cujo
What is it about?
A mother and her child is trapped in a car and scared to go outside because of Cujo the Rabid Dog.
Should I read it?
Even though it is sort of a short novel, Cujo is slow paced and the real events start after completing %65 of the novel. If you want to learn how do this family deal with starvation and thirst, try Cujo!
The Mist
What is it about?
Due to a mist, citizens of a small town are enclosed inside a supermarket, and scary things are waiting for them outside.
Should I read it?
Well this is a novella about 150 pages. The book is suspenseful and thrilling. If you are looking for something more scary compared to these both, The Mist is a good choice!
If you want to read a crime novel with a Stephen King touch…
The Outsider
What is it about?
A tennis coach is arrested for a child murder and it is obvious that the coach committed that crime. However he has a strong alibi; he is able to acquit himself. So who what happened for real??
Should I read it?
In my opinion, this is the greatest crime novel he has ever written. Such a suspenseful and scary book we have The Outsider here, but keep in mind that this novels spoils the Bill Hodges trilogy a lot.
Mr Mercedes
What is it about?
A guy runs over a crowd and kills 8 people with a Mercedes brand car. Then, he teases a retired detective to catch him.
Should I read it?
It is more like try-to-catch-me book rather than a crime one, but the plot is quite interesting and it is the first book of the Bill Hodges Trilogy!
Finders Keepers
What is it about?
A guy kills a famous writer and steals his works, burying them before he gets convicted for another crime. Decades later, a child found those items, however our guy is in parole now.
Should I read it?
This book is combination of crime, murder, thriller and mystery novel, making it a page-turner. Being my favorite in the Bill Hodges Trilogy, Finders Keepers is a decent novel!
Joyland
A guy starts working in a fair and by time, he realizes that the fair is quite a horror land.
Should I read it?
It is shorter then the rest, but a slow paced one. This one is more focused on better description of the fair rather than a crime book. Joyland is one of the book that differs from the other thriller novels in the entire list.
Sure!
I want a town story that the plot concerns a lot of people so I can completely get lost in the novel.
Come take a look at these, here are bunch of his best works!
Needful Things
What is it about?
In a small town, a strange man opens a new shop named Needful Things, and then the entire borough is now full of madness.
The shopkeeper has the stuff you have been looking for your entire life, but it is expensive. So he wants you to prank someone in the borough to get it. The other option is you may please him to obtain the stuff you adore!
Should I read it?
Being my favorite King novel, Needful Things is a book of murder, madness, chaos, fighting, and more…
The last 200 pages are the reason you should read it. Very suspenseful, thrilling, and terrific. You will not regret reading Needful Things, but do not watch the movie with the same name, the movie is terrible.
Salem’s Lot
What is it about?
Two business partners opens a shop in a house of a murderer. A horror novelist arrives in the town at the same time, being heard the town’s history is full of horror so this could inspire him.
After these 2 arrivals, a dog dies, a child is reported lost. Then a 600-pages-long vampire story begins..
Should I read it?
Interested in supernatural horror? Especially vampires? Here is the only vampire novel Stephen King has written. It is quite popular though, this could be a good choice.
Here are additional books that will satisfy your horror doze..
Gerald’s Game
What is it about?
A couple arrives in an isolated house, making love. But this time, Gerald ties her wife Jessie to a bed and Jessie gets mad, killing Gerald with a kick in his testicles. He has heart attack and dies. Now, Jessie is trapped in the house alone. Feet and hands tied to bed, tries to escape.
Should I read it?
Want something terrifying as hell? This book is it. Here is a disclaimer ; this book is the most disturbing book of Stephen King I’ve ever read. Horror, blood, psychological thriller and more..
Christine
What is it about?
A haunted car starts killing people.
Should I read it?
Another slow paced one, but the story of a teenager trying to rebuild a scrapped-car Christine, however the car is murderer itself. This book is a classic but not everyone’s taste, if you like cars, then Christine would be a good choice.
