"He had always tried to be a good dog."
September 7, 2022 5:26 AM Subscribe
Someone read all his books?
posted by oddman at 6:10 AM on September 7, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by oddman at 6:10 AM on September 7, 2022 [11 favorites]
For two-hundred pages King teases us with the ingenuity of the mystery—seemingly inspired by the case of the Somerton Man—before… simply leaving it unresolved. Though the point is that some things can never be adequately explained, such a philosophy feels like a breach in the contract between reader and mystery writer.
Oddly enough, just this year we found out who the Somerton man was, a fellow named Carl Webb.
Someone read all his books?
Trapped in a snowed-in cottage with a psychopath named Edwin Regent.
posted by adept256 at 6:15 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oddly enough, just this year we found out who the Somerton man was, a fellow named Carl Webb.
Someone read all his books?
Trapped in a snowed-in cottage with a psychopath named Edwin Regent.
posted by adept256 at 6:15 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hope they do a Nora Roberts/JD Robb/etc round-up next!
posted by pepper bird at 6:16 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by pepper bird at 6:16 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Seeing this makes me want to produce my own ranking of King's work (Pet Semetary needs to be ranked much higher, obviously). But some of them I last read almost thirty years ago and I'm not sure what I'd think on returning to them. I'm also surprised to see quite how many have slipped past me over the years, such as the Gwendy books.
posted by orbific at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by orbific at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also available: the Stephen King TV tropes page.
posted by The River Ivel at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The River Ivel at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
For anyone brave enough to experience, if not necessarily read, all the Stephen King books, someone here recommended the podcast Just King Things, where they go through his bibliography in order. I'm really enjoying it so far-- the hosts are long-time fans, but also willing to poke at his weaknesses and what elements don't hold up.
posted by thoughtful_ravioli at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by thoughtful_ravioli at 6:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
75 books? He certainly takes his job as a writer seriously!
posted by TedW at 6:24 AM on September 7, 2022
posted by TedW at 6:24 AM on September 7, 2022
There are plenty of writers more prolific than Stephen King, but they mostly seem to either write to a tight formula like Louis L'Amour, or include a lot of non-fiction like Isaac Asimov.
I can't think of many other authors who have written so much fiction with so much diversity and have a lot of the books turn out pretty good. Michael Moorcock maybe.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 6:38 AM on September 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
I can't think of many other authors who have written so much fiction with so much diversity and have a lot of the books turn out pretty good. Michael Moorcock maybe.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 6:38 AM on September 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
Goodness. I think the last one of his I read was probably Cell, when it first came out--I avoided all the Dark Tower stuff but read nearly everything else--and it's strange to see that there are now more books of his that I haven't read, than those I have. The completionist in me gets twitchy thinking about it!
posted by mittens at 6:42 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by mittens at 6:42 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
It warms my heart to see It in its proper place up top. IMO it's one of the perfect examples of that adage that brilliance outshines all flaws: so many things about that book are hot garbage, especially towards the end, but it doesn't matter in the slightest. It's a masterpiece whose glaring issues perversely somehow make it even better.
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 7:00 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 7:00 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
avoided all the Dark Tower stuff
I absolutely loved the first one, and couldn't wait for more - but after number three, the wait became... long.
So, I left it alone - and then, about 2-3 years ago, read through them... Well... not all, I got a third of the way through the final book and it just fizzled for more.
posted by rozcakj at 7:06 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
I absolutely loved the first one, and couldn't wait for more - but after number three, the wait became... long.
So, I left it alone - and then, about 2-3 years ago, read through them... Well... not all, I got a third of the way through the final book and it just fizzled for more.
posted by rozcakj at 7:06 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
I stopped going through the list when I saw that The Dead Zone was ranked all the way down at #34, barely in the top half. It's still one of his best stories by far, not just in terms of sheer storytelling ability (which King has always had) but in establishing that having superpowers would probably really suck. That's been a pretty consistent theme in King's work, but mostly because of other people--Carrie's mom, Danny Torrance's dad, the government in Firestarter; even though Johnny Smith saves lives with his clairvoyance and precognition, the people whom he saves and helps aren't always appreciative--lots of times they're just scared of him. With great power comes great responsibility, but even Peter Parker gets off easier (persecution by J. Jonah Jameson notwithstanding) than Smith.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:17 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:17 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
I repeat: SHIT WEASELS
posted by kirkaracha at 7:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 7:20 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
I think I'm one of the rare King fans (I really am a fan of his writing!) who enjoys the short works (which, you might notice, are largely ranked pretty high here) but finds many of the long ones to be a real chore to get through. Misery is right about at my limit, and even it has a few seemingly-endless digressions that don't enrich the story, for me.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 7:29 AM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
Alas, the page is so heavy and loaded with ads and crap that I can only make it to about #55 or so before my iPad chokes out.
posted by bz at 7:31 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bz at 7:31 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
uBlock Origin
Life without it, would be a horror tale.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:36 AM on September 7, 2022 [11 favorites]
Life without it, would be a horror tale.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:36 AM on September 7, 2022 [11 favorites]
I'm a fan too, but man he needs an editor. We all do. He's just at a point (and has been for about 30 years) where anything he puts to paper will get published. Great characters and ideas, "world building" I guess you'd call it, and maybe not enough analysis based on the fact that his characters are are all solidly working class, and that's really a major part of what he's about.
Hearts in Atlantis is my fav. Mild horror and supernatural elements, a book about the psychic trauma of the Vietnam War on America. (Movie is horrible apparently, haven't seen it.)
11/22/63 got a lot of attention as a "return to form" type of thing but man, I thought it was pretty not-good. And the cringiest of sex scenes of course, because Stephen King. Not an adolescent gangbang at least.
Oh, and The Stand sucks. Even the super-long version. Quick, tell me who the protagonist and antagonist are (it ain't Randall Flagg, not the main antagonist at least).
IMO there'll come a day when people go back and realize his early novels and short stories were truly great, and it's all very all-or-nothing after that.
posted by cidrab at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hearts in Atlantis is my fav. Mild horror and supernatural elements, a book about the psychic trauma of the Vietnam War on America. (Movie is horrible apparently, haven't seen it.)
11/22/63 got a lot of attention as a "return to form" type of thing but man, I thought it was pretty not-good. And the cringiest of sex scenes of course, because Stephen King. Not an adolescent gangbang at least.
Oh, and The Stand sucks. Even the super-long version. Quick, tell me who the protagonist and antagonist are (it ain't Randall Flagg, not the main antagonist at least).
IMO there'll come a day when people go back and realize his early novels and short stories were truly great, and it's all very all-or-nothing after that.
posted by cidrab at 7:45 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, and On Writing is great if only because the second half of it is the only thing we have approaching a SK biography / autobiography as of yet.
posted by cidrab at 7:52 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by cidrab at 7:52 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
Pet Semetary remains the only book I've read that caused me not to sleep. I'm legit scared to try and read it again now 30 years later.
posted by archimago at 8:03 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by archimago at 8:03 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
I remember ten or fifteen years ago Stephen King writing an article about how he was nearly legally blind and within a few years he wouldnt be able to wtite anymore and yet the books have kept coming faster then ever. Can anybody explain that one to me?
posted by hoodrich at 8:06 AM on September 7, 2022
posted by hoodrich at 8:06 AM on September 7, 2022
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Peter Straub's death from earlier this week.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:11 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:11 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
Enjoying this list! And saving his very newly released 'Fairy Tale' for a rainy night in.
FYI the author of the list (Neil McRobert) has a really good podcast called 'Talking Scared'
posted by sedimentary_deer at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2022
FYI the author of the list (Neil McRobert) has a really good podcast called 'Talking Scared'
posted by sedimentary_deer at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2022
When I was in college, an alum came in to give a talk to English majors. He was Stephen King's editor at Doubleday. He joked that people would say to him, King writes 800-page books, what are you even doing all day, you don't edit anything.
He said, oh, you should see the initial drafts he turns in. We were all thinking, mmmhmmm, sure, dude. Then they released the "uncut" version of The Stand and we understood.
King's terrific, though. As a professional writer, I'm in awe of his talents. As a teenager, I read everything of his I could find, up until Pet Sematary, which freaked me out so badly I never read another one. (I re-read Different Seasons every few years, though, and always find something new to appreciate.)
posted by martin q blank at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
He said, oh, you should see the initial drafts he turns in. We were all thinking, mmmhmmm, sure, dude. Then they released the "uncut" version of The Stand and we understood.
King's terrific, though. As a professional writer, I'm in awe of his talents. As a teenager, I read everything of his I could find, up until Pet Sematary, which freaked me out so badly I never read another one. (I re-read Different Seasons every few years, though, and always find something new to appreciate.)
posted by martin q blank at 8:12 AM on September 7, 2022 [7 favorites]
"Can anybody explain that one to me?"
He was an early proponent (not first, but early) of using computers instead of typewriters. Maybe he's open to dictation technology? No idea.
But the real health concern is he was basically smooshed by a negligent driver while on one of his 10-mile daily hikes back in 1999.
posted by cidrab at 8:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
He was an early proponent (not first, but early) of using computers instead of typewriters. Maybe he's open to dictation technology? No idea.
But the real health concern is he was basically smooshed by a negligent driver while on one of his 10-mile daily hikes back in 1999.
posted by cidrab at 8:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
I remember ten or fifteen years ago Stephen King writing an article about how he was nearly legally blind and within a few years he wouldnt be able to wtite anymore and yet the books have kept coming faster then ever. Can anybody explain that one to me?
There are lots of blind writers with varying degrees of vision loss, from partial to total.
To be honest, he was probably catastrophizing when he made those comments. He may have had to change his process and writing workflow a bit, and use some adaptive tech.
I think I'm one of the rare King fans (I really am a fan of his writing!) who enjoys the short works (which, you might notice, are largely ranked pretty high here) but finds many of the long ones to be a real chore to get through.
There are a bunch of his novels that I think are really great, but I'm also a King fan who thinks thinks that his short stories are his real strength.
My introduction to King was our elementary school librarian reading "Trucks" (from Night Shift) to my Grade 8 class. She "bleeped" the profanity, but as a result Night Shift was my first King book. I then found the copies of Salem's Lot and Cujo in a box my parents had in the basement, and I was off to the races.
Speaking of Salem's Lot, I think it was done dirty by being ranked at 18. But such are listicles.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
There are lots of blind writers with varying degrees of vision loss, from partial to total.
To be honest, he was probably catastrophizing when he made those comments. He may have had to change his process and writing workflow a bit, and use some adaptive tech.
I think I'm one of the rare King fans (I really am a fan of his writing!) who enjoys the short works (which, you might notice, are largely ranked pretty high here) but finds many of the long ones to be a real chore to get through.
There are a bunch of his novels that I think are really great, but I'm also a King fan who thinks thinks that his short stories are his real strength.
My introduction to King was our elementary school librarian reading "Trucks" (from Night Shift) to my Grade 8 class. She "bleeped" the profanity, but as a result Night Shift was my first King book. I then found the copies of Salem's Lot and Cujo in a box my parents had in the basement, and I was off to the races.
Speaking of Salem's Lot, I think it was done dirty by being ranked at 18. But such are listicles.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
Also, I've read everything except the baseball book and some of the dark tower series. King is my comfort reading - what do mefites think of getting back into the Dark Tower?
And gosh, I still have such vivid memories of staying up all night to read It when I was around 20 and living in a tiny wee box room in a student flat. Every time one of my flatmates got up to go to the toilet I about jumped out of my skin. Never mind actually going to use the bathroom myself and wondering what might come out of the taps... I still dream about the pterodactyl thing as well.
posted by sedimentary_deer at 8:22 AM on September 7, 2022
And gosh, I still have such vivid memories of staying up all night to read It when I was around 20 and living in a tiny wee box room in a student flat. Every time one of my flatmates got up to go to the toilet I about jumped out of my skin. Never mind actually going to use the bathroom myself and wondering what might come out of the taps... I still dream about the pterodactyl thing as well.
posted by sedimentary_deer at 8:22 AM on September 7, 2022
I feel like this listicle was designed specifically to invoke rage and I won't fall for it, lol.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:22 AM on September 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:22 AM on September 7, 2022 [9 favorites]
Yes, there is a lot to disagree with on this list. From a Buick 8 in the top 10 for instance.
posted by 3j0hn at 8:28 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by 3j0hn at 8:28 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
In the days when books were paper I took a long trip away with just the Dark Tower series to read, thinking that even if it wasn't great, it would be OK to keep me diverted. But by the end I hated it so much, it was just excruciatingly dull. It's very long, but it doesn't really build to any great climax or have a big cast of colourful characters, or do any elaborate world-building, or have any intriguing plot developments or clever problem solving. It just drags on.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:32 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 8:32 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: I feel like this listicle was designed specifically to invoke rage and I won't fall for it
posted by box at 8:32 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by box at 8:32 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
designed specifically to invoke rage
Speaking of rage, I would've put the Bachman Books (in which "Rage" is no longer included) higher than number 38.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:36 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Speaking of rage, I would've put the Bachman Books (in which "Rage" is no longer included) higher than number 38.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:36 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Longest Walk I still remember decades after reading it. I've read a few of the longer books, and bounced off many, but that one short still sits in me. There's something really primal about it.
posted by bonehead at 8:39 AM on September 7, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 8:39 AM on September 7, 2022 [12 favorites]
I remember ten or fifteen years ago Stephen King writing an article about how he was nearly legally blind and within a few years he wouldnt be able to wtite anymore and yet the books have kept coming faster then ever. Can anybody explain that one to me?
He's always had a pretty hefty prescription--his earlier author photos have him wearing Coke-bottle-bottom-thick glasses, although not so much in recent years; either there's some sort of special high-refraction-index glass that they use, or he's gotten LASIK surgery or something.
I think I'm one of the rare King fans (I really am a fan of his writing!) who enjoys the short works (which, you might notice, are largely ranked pretty high here) but finds many of the long ones to be a real chore to get through.
So, a while back, I posted a comment about the Four Ages of Stephen King, and it needs updating because of what we know about the 1999 accident and his aftermath.
THE FIVE AGES OF STEPHEN KING
Early Drugs/Alcohol: We know that King started his substance abuse career early, thanks to On Writing, and a few other autobiographical things that he's written, but it's not so out of control at this point, although many of his stories feature people who like to get drunk and/or high. (Father Callahan in 'Salem's Lot, Jack Torrance in The Shining, Larry Underwood in The Stand, etc.)
Later Drugs/Alcohol: Most of the eighties. His work is still mostly good, although there are weird choices in the books: switching from first-person narrative to third-person and back to first in Christine, That Scene in IT, The Tommyknockers being about twice as long as it should have been (by King's own later estimation). His movie Maximum Overdrive had a truck with a custom front that looked like Spider-Man's nemesis the Green Goblin, for some reason. He doesn't remember writing some of the books in this period, and Misery is a good metaphor for drug addiction. Following an ultimatum from his wife, he gets clean and sober around 1988 and has stayed so since, with the possible exception of the period after his 1999 accident (more about that in a bit).
Sobriety, part 1: For a bit over a decade; does some incredible work that I think is underappreciated (particularly Rose Madder).
Post-Accident: is hit by a van while he's out for a walk; nearly dies, and is on painkillers for a while. I don't know how powerful the painkillers are, how much he took, or when he started weaning off of them, but his writing at the time just seemed weirder overall (I know, kind of an odd criticism for someone who came up with characters like Pennywise and the Trashcan Man), with these sort of semi-abstract monsters and villains. The last couple of books in his Dark Tower saga feature King himself as a character who interacts with Roland and his ka-tet of gunslingers. I would suspect that this phase is over by about 2008 or so, since Under the Dome seems a bit more straightforward than Duma Key.
Sobriety, part 2: From about 2009 to the present day. Includes more collaborations with other writers, including his sons Joe (Hill) and Owen.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:41 AM on September 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
He's always had a pretty hefty prescription--his earlier author photos have him wearing Coke-bottle-bottom-thick glasses, although not so much in recent years; either there's some sort of special high-refraction-index glass that they use, or he's gotten LASIK surgery or something.
I think I'm one of the rare King fans (I really am a fan of his writing!) who enjoys the short works (which, you might notice, are largely ranked pretty high here) but finds many of the long ones to be a real chore to get through.
So, a while back, I posted a comment about the Four Ages of Stephen King, and it needs updating because of what we know about the 1999 accident and his aftermath.
THE FIVE AGES OF STEPHEN KING
Early Drugs/Alcohol: We know that King started his substance abuse career early, thanks to On Writing, and a few other autobiographical things that he's written, but it's not so out of control at this point, although many of his stories feature people who like to get drunk and/or high. (Father Callahan in 'Salem's Lot, Jack Torrance in The Shining, Larry Underwood in The Stand, etc.)
Later Drugs/Alcohol: Most of the eighties. His work is still mostly good, although there are weird choices in the books: switching from first-person narrative to third-person and back to first in Christine, That Scene in IT, The Tommyknockers being about twice as long as it should have been (by King's own later estimation). His movie Maximum Overdrive had a truck with a custom front that looked like Spider-Man's nemesis the Green Goblin, for some reason. He doesn't remember writing some of the books in this period, and Misery is a good metaphor for drug addiction. Following an ultimatum from his wife, he gets clean and sober around 1988 and has stayed so since, with the possible exception of the period after his 1999 accident (more about that in a bit).
Sobriety, part 1: For a bit over a decade; does some incredible work that I think is underappreciated (particularly Rose Madder).
Post-Accident: is hit by a van while he's out for a walk; nearly dies, and is on painkillers for a while. I don't know how powerful the painkillers are, how much he took, or when he started weaning off of them, but his writing at the time just seemed weirder overall (I know, kind of an odd criticism for someone who came up with characters like Pennywise and the Trashcan Man), with these sort of semi-abstract monsters and villains. The last couple of books in his Dark Tower saga feature King himself as a character who interacts with Roland and his ka-tet of gunslingers. I would suspect that this phase is over by about 2008 or so, since Under the Dome seems a bit more straightforward than Duma Key.
Sobriety, part 2: From about 2009 to the present day. Includes more collaborations with other writers, including his sons Joe (Hill) and Owen.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:41 AM on September 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
For people who loved the Dark Tower, or loved the road-trip side with the multidimensional cosmology, read Max Gladstone's Last Exit. It's very much in conversation with that series and, I think, has a much better handle on its themes and characters.
For people who found the Dark Tower series a neat idea but endlessly digressive and dull, read Last Exit, you get all the good parts with none of the faffing. Plus it's modern, queer, and thinking hard about race and privilege.
(I love the Dark Tower, but it sure is a flawed work and I really, really loved seeing a sharp modern writer poke at a lot of the same ideas but while centering the experience of being alive right now as the world moves on.)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:46 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
For people who found the Dark Tower series a neat idea but endlessly digressive and dull, read Last Exit, you get all the good parts with none of the faffing. Plus it's modern, queer, and thinking hard about race and privilege.
(I love the Dark Tower, but it sure is a flawed work and I really, really loved seeing a sharp modern writer poke at a lot of the same ideas but while centering the experience of being alive right now as the world moves on.)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:46 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
After slogging through Bag of Bones, Desperation and the Regulators all around the time they were published, I decided I was done with King, making exceptions only for the final Dark Tower books, which I ended up mostly hating anyway. However, I recently reread a few of what I remembered as his better works, and I thought It, Salem's Lot, and the original version of the Stand really held up well and were enjoyable. Then I slogged through Eyes of the Dragon and The Talisman--both books I had really positive feelings about until rereading them 30 years later, just found them really tedious. If I ever go back, maybe something like this list could point the way to something I'd still enjoy.
posted by skewed at 8:53 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by skewed at 8:53 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm a fan too, but man he needs an editor.
The past few times I've dipped into King, I've stayed to his shorter stuff - novellas & short story collections. Because in general, when he keeps his shit tight, his shit is right...and when it isn't my cup of tea, it doesn't last long.
Lists like this are generally silly, but I find with King (and horror generally) it's more so...horror is a pretty personal thing, and what works for me in one of his books often doesn't work for other King fans and vice versa.
posted by nubs at 9:02 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
The past few times I've dipped into King, I've stayed to his shorter stuff - novellas & short story collections. Because in general, when he keeps his shit tight, his shit is right...and when it isn't my cup of tea, it doesn't last long.
Lists like this are generally silly, but I find with King (and horror generally) it's more so...horror is a pretty personal thing, and what works for me in one of his books often doesn't work for other King fans and vice versa.
posted by nubs at 9:02 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
This listmaker and I are simpatico on some things (we both really like "Hearts in Atlantis"), and deeeefinitely not on others (he really likes the story "In the Deathroom"? That bag of boring old racist stereotypes and sudden turn to Regular Guy Becomes Lone Warrior Killing Machine? What??).
Unlike skewed, I really enjoyed Bag of Bones--I often wonder if that was because I first encountered it via the audiobook, which is extremely well-produced, including some original music at certain transition points, as if it's composed/performed by the character Sara Tidwell. Granted, you have to enjoy listening to Stephen King read, with that palatal-L sound he makes, but I like it.
This list also has revealed that I completely missed "Billy Summers"! I have the audiobook checked out of the public library as we speak, because he makes it sound like it'll be up my alley.
posted by theatro at 9:05 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
Unlike skewed, I really enjoyed Bag of Bones--I often wonder if that was because I first encountered it via the audiobook, which is extremely well-produced, including some original music at certain transition points, as if it's composed/performed by the character Sara Tidwell. Granted, you have to enjoy listening to Stephen King read, with that palatal-L sound he makes, but I like it.
This list also has revealed that I completely missed "Billy Summers"! I have the audiobook checked out of the public library as we speak, because he makes it sound like it'll be up my alley.
posted by theatro at 9:05 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
I read Carrie when it was first published — I was 10 years old. I read King through my adolescence and young adulthood, then slowly disengaged, returning to him only very infrequently and sporadically. I'm fond of him and his books and I have tremendous respect for him for the particular things he's good at — in most respects he's mediocre but in a few he's truly an unequaled master.
There's something historically significant about him, especially from my perspective where he's been a significant cultural presence in parallel with my own life. Sometimes he seems like both a kindred spirit and a contemporary — he's one of the few old white guys that's not reprehensible.
I may have read about a third of his ouvre, the bulk of this his early work. I didn't find much to quarrel with in this list, excepting the high placement of the Dark Tower books, which I mostly regret reading. I'd place Dolores Claiborne a bit higher, Pet Semetary as well, but I agree that Misery, It, and The Stand deserve to be at the top of the list . . . even though the latter two are so uneven.
I'm not surprised that nothing in the list that I've not read I find I'm inclined to read henceforth, sadly. And yet, for all my lukewarm praise, I've long been of the opinion that fifty or a hundred years from now, King will be among the five or so most highly regarded anglophone novelists of this time. I think his vices will be more forgiven and his virtues more appreciated from the greater distance, as he will be recognized as capturing the essence of late 20th America like no other writer.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:06 AM on September 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
There's something historically significant about him, especially from my perspective where he's been a significant cultural presence in parallel with my own life. Sometimes he seems like both a kindred spirit and a contemporary — he's one of the few old white guys that's not reprehensible.
I may have read about a third of his ouvre, the bulk of this his early work. I didn't find much to quarrel with in this list, excepting the high placement of the Dark Tower books, which I mostly regret reading. I'd place Dolores Claiborne a bit higher, Pet Semetary as well, but I agree that Misery, It, and The Stand deserve to be at the top of the list . . . even though the latter two are so uneven.
I'm not surprised that nothing in the list that I've not read I find I'm inclined to read henceforth, sadly. And yet, for all my lukewarm praise, I've long been of the opinion that fifty or a hundred years from now, King will be among the five or so most highly regarded anglophone novelists of this time. I think his vices will be more forgiven and his virtues more appreciated from the greater distance, as he will be recognized as capturing the essence of late 20th America like no other writer.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:06 AM on September 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
Always like an excuse to link to this classic SNL sketch about King's prolific output.
posted by gwint at 9:08 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by gwint at 9:08 AM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
Something about On Writing that's always tickled me: when he discusses the "editing and revision of my first drafts" process, he says he's going to show you what he does, by digging up a first draft he'd done but then discarded, printing a couple of paragraphs of that first draft, and then doing some revisions to that section and then showing you the revised versions.
And....that story he'd done and discarded turned out to be the first draft of 1408, and I think he even concludes that chapter by saying that "Now that I've been working on revising this, I think I may actually keep going with this in real life after all...."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
And....that story he'd done and discarded turned out to be the first draft of 1408, and I think he even concludes that chapter by saying that "Now that I've been working on revising this, I think I may actually keep going with this in real life after all...."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:29 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
I purchased Salem's Lot off the rack without looking at the jacket copy, based on the strength of King's name alone. As a consequence, I had the memorable experience of reading the book without realizing it would, eventually, be about vampires. I think I realized this about the same time the characters in the story did. That really made the story memorable.
posted by SPrintF at 10:08 AM on September 7, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by SPrintF at 10:08 AM on September 7, 2022 [13 favorites]
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Peter Straub's death from earlier this week.
Oh my god, I had not heard at all. I won't do a derail here--not much of one--but Straub has always been my favorite. I was just re-reading some of his short stories recently and wondering if he was ever going to have another book out. I love him so much. This absolutely crushes me.
posted by mittens at 10:18 AM on September 7, 2022
Oh my god, I had not heard at all. I won't do a derail here--not much of one--but Straub has always been my favorite. I was just re-reading some of his short stories recently and wondering if he was ever going to have another book out. I love him so much. This absolutely crushes me.
posted by mittens at 10:18 AM on September 7, 2022
A few years ago I decided I’d do a chronological read/reread of his work. I got to “The Shining” during a week my spouse was out of town and even though I’d read the book more than once before, I still had to stop because the sense of creeping dread was so palpable that I was freaking myself out in an empty house. Maybe I’ll give it another shot, but go in order of this list or one of the many others I’m sure are out there…
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:54 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:54 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Ctrl+F "editor" oh there it is!
It never disappoints. Like, do people actually believe King isn't edited? Of course he fucking is.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
It never disappoints. Like, do people actually believe King isn't edited? Of course he fucking is.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:13 AM on September 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
He's obviously edited, but it's no coincidence that any writer's books tend to become more elephantine as their popularity grows. Part of it is probably timidity on the part of the publishers, a fear of chasing writers off, but a bigger part may be that they're trying to hit publication targets and don't necessarily have that long to mess around before a book is slated to premiere.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:38 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:38 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
expectations can be a problem for King’s readers
this.
Even still, I love Stephen King, and my favorite novel of his is Christine for reasons that transcend base criticism.
posted by chavenet at 11:39 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
this.
Even still, I love Stephen King, and my favorite novel of his is Christine for reasons that transcend base criticism.
posted by chavenet at 11:39 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
There are only a few times fiction really frightened me.
I don't know what my father was thinking when he took me to see Son of the Blob in the theaters, but I had nightmares for days, I think it was related to the blob coming out of the sink to attack the hippy getting a hair cut. Yes it was an awful movie, but I was five. It may be why my son has issues with haircuts, some sort of genetic trauma. Thank you Larry Hagman.
Then I saw The Omen on TV when I was 11 or so. What really caused an impact was that I had the flu at the time. The fever combined with the music really threw me off. That scene at the church in the end. Phew.
But the one that stuck with me, the one that still comes back sometime late at night, was reading Salem's Lot in middle school. It may still be my favorite book of his. It's a perfect combination of story, setting, characters and length. For weeks after I had trouble getting to sleep, I'd stare at my closet door convinced Hubbie Marsten was hanging there and if I open the door, his eyes would open and see me. *shudder*
I was one of his constant readers, grabbing every book and staying up late to finish it. But over the past 18 years I've gotten married and become a parent, I no longer have infinite time to read. And I can't stay up to 3am finishing a book and still function the next day. But just the other day I was thinking I should make a list of the books by King I haven't read yet and start finishing them.
I really hope I remember to close the closet door tonight.
posted by beowulf573 at 11:40 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I don't know what my father was thinking when he took me to see Son of the Blob in the theaters, but I had nightmares for days, I think it was related to the blob coming out of the sink to attack the hippy getting a hair cut. Yes it was an awful movie, but I was five. It may be why my son has issues with haircuts, some sort of genetic trauma. Thank you Larry Hagman.
Then I saw The Omen on TV when I was 11 or so. What really caused an impact was that I had the flu at the time. The fever combined with the music really threw me off. That scene at the church in the end. Phew.
But the one that stuck with me, the one that still comes back sometime late at night, was reading Salem's Lot in middle school. It may still be my favorite book of his. It's a perfect combination of story, setting, characters and length. For weeks after I had trouble getting to sleep, I'd stare at my closet door convinced Hubbie Marsten was hanging there and if I open the door, his eyes would open and see me. *shudder*
I was one of his constant readers, grabbing every book and staying up late to finish it. But over the past 18 years I've gotten married and become a parent, I no longer have infinite time to read. And I can't stay up to 3am finishing a book and still function the next day. But just the other day I was thinking I should make a list of the books by King I haven't read yet and start finishing them.
I really hope I remember to close the closet door tonight.
posted by beowulf573 at 11:40 AM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I've sworn off ranking things. Trying to quantify 'book X is somehow slightly better or worse than book Y' just gives me a headache.
That said, it's been a long time since I really liked one of his books. I used to read his stuff religiously, ravenously, but after Needful Things or thereabouts, I think King's interests slowly changed, and I didn't want to follow along to wherever he was going. I liked From a Buick 8, but that was a very short-lived return to form. There are pieces of his later writing I like--the details of the publishing industry in Bag of Bones, the first act of Cell--but his more recent work leaves me completely cold. The exception to that are his short stories. He hasn't missed a step with those, and I think that's where his true mastery lies.
posted by KHAAAN! at 12:28 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
That said, it's been a long time since I really liked one of his books. I used to read his stuff religiously, ravenously, but after Needful Things or thereabouts, I think King's interests slowly changed, and I didn't want to follow along to wherever he was going. I liked From a Buick 8, but that was a very short-lived return to form. There are pieces of his later writing I like--the details of the publishing industry in Bag of Bones, the first act of Cell--but his more recent work leaves me completely cold. The exception to that are his short stories. He hasn't missed a step with those, and I think that's where his true mastery lies.
posted by KHAAAN! at 12:28 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
MetaFilter: all the good parts with none of the faffing.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:49 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kirkaracha at 12:49 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yes, there is a lot to disagree with on this list. From a Buick 8 in the top 10 for instance.
I have a big soft spot for Buick 8: it's very good at setting and sustaining a feeling of dread unworldly wrongness, and then very successfully pulls off a "wait, are we the bad guys?" inversion in the garage confrontation, when our protagonists suddenly see themselves from the point of view of the monster they're killing.
The narrative structure -- storytelling voiceover into flashbacks, only a few locations -- always felt to me like it was King writing it as a screenplay first and a novel second.
My own disagreement would be that 11/22/63 at number 4 is way too high.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:24 PM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
I have a big soft spot for Buick 8: it's very good at setting and sustaining a feeling of dread unworldly wrongness, and then very successfully pulls off a "wait, are we the bad guys?" inversion in the garage confrontation, when our protagonists suddenly see themselves from the point of view of the monster they're killing.
The narrative structure -- storytelling voiceover into flashbacks, only a few locations -- always felt to me like it was King writing it as a screenplay first and a novel second.
My own disagreement would be that 11/22/63 at number 4 is way too high.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:24 PM on September 7, 2022 [4 favorites]
Salem's Lot:
The most lasting image, however, is young Danny Glick pawing at his friend’s window. It’s a scene that traumatized a generation of kids in Tobe Hooper’s 1979 adaptation.
Oh yeah
posted by raider at 1:28 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
The most lasting image, however, is young Danny Glick pawing at his friend’s window. It’s a scene that traumatized a generation of kids in Tobe Hooper’s 1979 adaptation.
Oh yeah
posted by raider at 1:28 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
I'm reading his new one, Fairy Tale, right now. Like most of King's books, it's simultaneously good and bad: he is probably the best writer in the world for hooking you at the beginning and keeping the pace going at a steady, fast rate. The pages fly by, and whether it's first or third person, the narrative prose is excellent.
The bad? Dialogue. It seems Stephen King will never write realistic dialogue, though he's written so much I'm sure some exists here and there. But Fairy Tale is no exception. No spoilers (I'm only a few chapters in), but a rather contrived relationship is built between a high school boy and a strange old man, and their discussions are the weakest part; the boy is a textbook Marty Stu as well, another trope King uses too often. BUT. It's very compelling and I am all in to the end.
posted by zardoz at 1:44 PM on September 7, 2022
The bad? Dialogue. It seems Stephen King will never write realistic dialogue, though he's written so much I'm sure some exists here and there. But Fairy Tale is no exception. No spoilers (I'm only a few chapters in), but a rather contrived relationship is built between a high school boy and a strange old man, and their discussions are the weakest part; the boy is a textbook Marty Stu as well, another trope King uses too often. BUT. It's very compelling and I am all in to the end.
posted by zardoz at 1:44 PM on September 7, 2022
There are only a few times fiction really frightened me.
I still remember reading The Shining at home as a late kid/early teenager. I was the only one awake and it was close to the middle of the night. I got to the passage where Jack Torrance goes into room 217, sees nothing, but then freaks out and flees the room, convinced something is just behind him. He makes it back out to the hallway and locks the door behind him, and has just about convinced himself he was imagining things...
...and then he hears the doorknob turning behind him.
To this day, it's the only time I've ever actually felt the hair standing up on my head.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:05 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
I still remember reading The Shining at home as a late kid/early teenager. I was the only one awake and it was close to the middle of the night. I got to the passage where Jack Torrance goes into room 217, sees nothing, but then freaks out and flees the room, convinced something is just behind him. He makes it back out to the hallway and locks the door behind him, and has just about convinced himself he was imagining things...
...and then he hears the doorknob turning behind him.
To this day, it's the only time I've ever actually felt the hair standing up on my head.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:05 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
Time to re-read The Mist.
posted by whatevernot at 2:22 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by whatevernot at 2:22 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
2020 was a good(?) time to read The Stand for the first time.
Dark Tower- Not sure why I continued after book 1, which didn't really appeal to me, but I'm glad I did. Many of King's books I 'read' early on were on cassette, narrated by the late Frank Muller. (Check out The Mist, if you can find it) One of the later Dark Tower books was dedicated to Muller, who King wrote 'He hears the voices in my head.' I also like listening to King read his own work.
The title story in Hearts In Atlantis is probably my favorite, not least because I too nearly flunked out of college (and would probably have been sent to Vietnam) due to a game. (Chess, not Hearts)
My lingering question about 11/22/63, what I would ask if I were allowed 1 question to ask King, is about boxer shorts. Jake has to make some adjustments in the 60's- backpacks are not ubiquitous but just for Boy Scouts, for instance. There's a line somewhere about him having to get used to briefs, but I didn't get why. There were certainly boxers in the 60's. Just ask my father wandering around the house in them.
(Maybe I already asked this in MetaFilter and forgot the answer)
posted by MtDewd at 2:31 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Dark Tower- Not sure why I continued after book 1, which didn't really appeal to me, but I'm glad I did. Many of King's books I 'read' early on were on cassette, narrated by the late Frank Muller. (Check out The Mist, if you can find it) One of the later Dark Tower books was dedicated to Muller, who King wrote 'He hears the voices in my head.' I also like listening to King read his own work.
The title story in Hearts In Atlantis is probably my favorite, not least because I too nearly flunked out of college (and would probably have been sent to Vietnam) due to a game. (Chess, not Hearts)
My lingering question about 11/22/63, what I would ask if I were allowed 1 question to ask King, is about boxer shorts. Jake has to make some adjustments in the 60's- backpacks are not ubiquitous but just for Boy Scouts, for instance. There's a line somewhere about him having to get used to briefs, but I didn't get why. There were certainly boxers in the 60's. Just ask my father wandering around the house in them.
(Maybe I already asked this in MetaFilter and forgot the answer)
posted by MtDewd at 2:31 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm a moderate King fan-- I've read a number of his books once and a few of the earlier ones more than once.
Nice to see so many other people who couldn't get into The Dark Tower for whatever reason-- I was driven away by the first few pages and I'm not sure why. Didn't it have a mention of "parsecs of sand"? I expect King didn't check on how long a parsec is, but I imagine that dream universe with astronomical-sized regions of sand.
Favorite moment: Gerald's Game, where the woman sees a misshapen man, and thinks she's hallucinating. He's actually a character from another book, and he thinks he's hallucinating, too. "I thought she was made of moonlight."
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:07 PM on September 7, 2022
Nice to see so many other people who couldn't get into The Dark Tower for whatever reason-- I was driven away by the first few pages and I'm not sure why. Didn't it have a mention of "parsecs of sand"? I expect King didn't check on how long a parsec is, but I imagine that dream universe with astronomical-sized regions of sand.
Favorite moment: Gerald's Game, where the woman sees a misshapen man, and thinks she's hallucinating. He's actually a character from another book, and he thinks he's hallucinating, too. "I thought she was made of moonlight."
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:07 PM on September 7, 2022
the first act of Cell
Oh yeah. That was some darn good horror right there.
I really liked Cell as a whole, actually.
KASHWAK=NO-FO
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:23 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah. That was some darn good horror right there.
I really liked Cell as a whole, actually.
KASHWAK=NO-FO
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:23 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is a richer-than-usual listicle, thanks for sharing.
For all his flaws I predict King is going to hold up better and longer than more "literary" white man fiction from the previous generation like John Updike or [shudder] Philip Roth, both of whom are thankfully cancelled.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
For all his flaws I predict King is going to hold up better and longer than more "literary" white man fiction from the previous generation like John Updike or [shudder] Philip Roth, both of whom are thankfully cancelled.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2022 [6 favorites]
I haven't perused the list yet...but I hope Needful Things scored well. I've read it three times. There is some riotous dialogue in that novel.
posted by Czjewel at 4:31 PM on September 7, 2022
posted by Czjewel at 4:31 PM on September 7, 2022
This list was great!
My first Stephen King novel was Firestarter, so he is definitely to blame for my irrational fear of garbage disposals.
I loved Bag of Bones. It has been 20 years since I read it and I could not tell you the plot, but the atmosphere and feelings that he created in that novel have remained with me all these years later. I only read it once and will not read it again, I want to keep feeling what I felt when I finished that book.
But the standouts for me are Misery, Dolores Claiborne and Carrie. I never got the same level of “men writing women ick” from King as I have gotten from other authors of his ilk.
Although I have to admit seeing Kathy Bates play the lead role in the film adaptations of both Misery and Dolores Claiborne has probably colored my feelings somewhat.
But It, man it deserves the #1 spot.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:32 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
My first Stephen King novel was Firestarter, so he is definitely to blame for my irrational fear of garbage disposals.
I loved Bag of Bones. It has been 20 years since I read it and I could not tell you the plot, but the atmosphere and feelings that he created in that novel have remained with me all these years later. I only read it once and will not read it again, I want to keep feeling what I felt when I finished that book.
But the standouts for me are Misery, Dolores Claiborne and Carrie. I never got the same level of “men writing women ick” from King as I have gotten from other authors of his ilk.
Although I have to admit seeing Kathy Bates play the lead role in the film adaptations of both Misery and Dolores Claiborne has probably colored my feelings somewhat.
But It, man it deserves the #1 spot.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 4:32 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
My own disagreement would be that 11/22/63 at number 4 is way too high.
I'd really only read The Stand, Pet Sematery (when I was in high school maybe), and kept hearing such good things about 11/22/63. Oh my god was that book disappointing! I certainly hope that there are more than 3 books better than it on this list!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 5:03 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'd really only read The Stand, Pet Sematery (when I was in high school maybe), and kept hearing such good things about 11/22/63. Oh my god was that book disappointing! I certainly hope that there are more than 3 books better than it on this list!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 5:03 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't see how Song of Susannah could have been anything but last. 600 pages of exposition? Sign me up!
posted by panama joe at 5:14 PM on September 7, 2022
posted by panama joe at 5:14 PM on September 7, 2022
I would’ve rated On Writing higher, because I am a huge sucker for writers-on-writing books, but I could also count every Stephen King book I’ve ever read without taking off my shoes, so I’m probably a non-expert here.
posted by box at 5:49 PM on September 7, 2022
posted by box at 5:49 PM on September 7, 2022
(But when some listicle person ranks Stephen King movie adaptations, I will thoroughly be here for it.)
posted by box at 5:50 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 5:50 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Of the 20 or so I’ve read, I thought The Dead Zone was the best by a lot, but I would never say that where I thought King might read it, because it was so early in his career (the first published, wasn’t it?), and having very early works become much more celebrated that anything that came later was so poisonous to HG Wells and Arthur C Clarke.
I thought Firestarter was very enjoyable, and I’ve often thought I should give Carrie a try, but I think the movie is so outstanding I’m afraid I wouldn’t like the book and I’d risk ruining my appreciation of the movie to boot.
posted by jamjam at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2022
I thought Firestarter was very enjoyable, and I’ve often thought I should give Carrie a try, but I think the movie is so outstanding I’m afraid I wouldn’t like the book and I’d risk ruining my appreciation of the movie to boot.
posted by jamjam at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2022
"lady fingers they taste just like lady fingers" (From "Survivor Type")
If there's another line as simple and yet so disturbing as that one, I'm not sure I want to read it.
posted by gtrwolf at 6:05 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
If there's another line as simple and yet so disturbing as that one, I'm not sure I want to read it.
posted by gtrwolf at 6:05 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
“There is a perfect circle of twelve golden eyes on my chest.”
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:31 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:31 PM on September 7, 2022 [5 favorites]
Stephen King thoughts, This List thoughts, in no particular order:
I know I read Duma Key, but every time I try to remember it, it turns into The Gingerbread Girl.
I hated, hated, hated Needful Things and Under the Dome. UtD literally broke my bookshelf but at least it had some enjoyable moments; simply by having so many of them, law of averages says there would be some good ones. The bit from the viewpoint of the little dog is the best thing about the whole book.
Needful Things was just wall to wall ugly and unpleasant. It’s like he was daring us to keep reading.
Neither would be anywhere near the top half of my list.
The Dead Zone is probably my #1. It is nearly perfect.
Revival is the best thing of his I’ve read from this century (I’ve only read seven of his books from the 21st century).
I really loved most of The Outsider. The ending suffered from the same problem as Doctor Sleep, which was the villains/monsters didn’t seem scary to me any more by the beginning of the final act. The filmed adaptations of these mostly fixed those weaknesses somehow.
Maybe someday I will finish The Dark Tower. I would have to start over, and I don’t know if I have it in me.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:33 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I know I read Duma Key, but every time I try to remember it, it turns into The Gingerbread Girl.
I hated, hated, hated Needful Things and Under the Dome. UtD literally broke my bookshelf but at least it had some enjoyable moments; simply by having so many of them, law of averages says there would be some good ones. The bit from the viewpoint of the little dog is the best thing about the whole book.
Needful Things was just wall to wall ugly and unpleasant. It’s like he was daring us to keep reading.
Neither would be anywhere near the top half of my list.
The Dead Zone is probably my #1. It is nearly perfect.
Revival is the best thing of his I’ve read from this century (I’ve only read seven of his books from the 21st century).
I really loved most of The Outsider. The ending suffered from the same problem as Doctor Sleep, which was the villains/monsters didn’t seem scary to me any more by the beginning of the final act. The filmed adaptations of these mostly fixed those weaknesses somehow.
Maybe someday I will finish The Dark Tower. I would have to start over, and I don’t know if I have it in me.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 6:33 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
If there's another line as simple and yet so disturbing as that one, I'm not sure I want to read it.
From another short story in the same collection (Skeleton Crew):
"The recovery room was an aviary of screaming voices now."
All of which is to say if people are skeptical about Stephen King or have noped out on their first try because a they got bogged down in one novel, give something like "Survivor Type" or "The Jaunt" a go.
"Quitters, Inc." in Night Shift is pretty good, too. No spoilers, but I reread it after I quit cigarettes for good.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:39 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
From another short story in the same collection (Skeleton Crew):
"The recovery room was an aviary of screaming voices now."
All of which is to say if people are skeptical about Stephen King or have noped out on their first try because a they got bogged down in one novel, give something like "Survivor Type" or "The Jaunt" a go.
"Quitters, Inc." in Night Shift is pretty good, too. No spoilers, but I reread it after I quit cigarettes for good.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:39 PM on September 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
It's longer than you think, Dad! Longer than you think!
posted by beowulf573 at 7:04 PM on September 7, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by beowulf573 at 7:04 PM on September 7, 2022 [13 favorites]
As well as showing just how pointlessly subjective lists like this are
posted by doctornemo at 7:58 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by doctornemo at 7:58 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Steve-O is a great cat, and I dig him. This list was awesome, just for seeing them all laid out like this, even though I would quibble with the top ten.
I've got that monstrous first edition of the unabridged The Stand and I'm re-reading it for like the 20th time and it really sucks you in and makes time move really fast. It gets me through an eight-hour shift on the bridge. Even when there are no boats.
The Shining is the same way.
I read all that Gunfighter stuff, you know, and some was good, but when he went all Star Wars I was like "What?" And then when he popped up as a character, well, that was kinda fun, in a Vonnegut/Hunter Thompson kinda way.
I remember Night Shift as being so great.
His twitter game is pretty good, too.
I think his greatest talent is that he writes movies as novels. And for a horror guy, his books are great comfort food; like slipping into a warm bed, only make sure both feet are under the covers.
posted by valkane at 9:01 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've got that monstrous first edition of the unabridged The Stand and I'm re-reading it for like the 20th time and it really sucks you in and makes time move really fast. It gets me through an eight-hour shift on the bridge. Even when there are no boats.
The Shining is the same way.
I read all that Gunfighter stuff, you know, and some was good, but when he went all Star Wars I was like "What?" And then when he popped up as a character, well, that was kinda fun, in a Vonnegut/Hunter Thompson kinda way.
I remember Night Shift as being so great.
His twitter game is pretty good, too.
I think his greatest talent is that he writes movies as novels. And for a horror guy, his books are great comfort food; like slipping into a warm bed, only make sure both feet are under the covers.
posted by valkane at 9:01 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I am not a Stephen King fan, and generally try to avoid him. But I've read The Stand at least five times, and On Writing probably just as many (I mean, the guy must be doing something right). I was required to read Joyland for a creative writing class and went in unwillingly, only to find I rather enjoyed it, and was happy to see it ranked so high.
posted by lhauser at 9:56 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by lhauser at 9:56 PM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
His twitter game is pretty good, too.
Especially when he's talking about his pet Corgi Molly; he always refers to her as "Molly, a.k.a. The Thing Of Evil".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:56 AM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Especially when he's talking about his pet Corgi Molly; he always refers to her as "Molly, a.k.a. The Thing Of Evil".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:56 AM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
'Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary are still two of my favorite pieces of horror. That said, once he gets into his coke fueled 80s it's obvious he's writing three books at the same time and it all bleeds together.
posted by hairless ape at 3:10 PM on September 8, 2022
posted by hairless ape at 3:10 PM on September 8, 2022
This sort of list is always a very personal thing, I feel. There's no 'right' list or 'wrong' list.
A few rambling thoughts that popped up while reading this:
- I would have included the Dark Tower series as one book, to be honest, because there's really no point in reading any of them unless you read them all and in order. I read fast and am often disappointed at a book ending when I've just started to get into it, so this series really worked for me as a story and I loved the way King (as he often does) wove parts and characters of other books into the story.
- The Dead Zone was the first King story I read and it's still a favourite, but I don't think it's written as well as some others. I'm kind of glad to see it high on the list, but not sure it really deserves it.
- I was surprised to see From a Buick 8 so high on the list, because I found it hard to get through and didn't really enjoy it at all.
- The Long Walk is my favourite King 'short' read, perhaps because when I first read it, I was training for my first long-distance event (a 96km walk) and it really resonated with me because of that. It's published among some other very good stories, too, in The Bachman Books.
- I very much enjoyed 11/22/63 and have re-read it a few times. I really like that he was able to mostly keep away from pure horror because the story didn't need it. It's a book that always makes me think about the possibilities if we could just change one decision we personally made and how it might impact our own possible futures.
Of course, my absolute favourite and the one where the paperback copy is dog-eared and falling apart from re-reading is The Stand. I love a good long story and am a fan of the postapocalyptic tale as well, so this really hits the mark for me. But it's the fact that, if you can accept the basic premise as reasonable (the whole religious undertone and the idea of an epic good vs evil battle), the way the story plays out is absolutely and entirely believable. Re-reading this as COVID was in full swing and when it looked like this could really be The End but we didn't know enough to really know anything, amid alleged cover-ups of lab accidents by the Chinese etc really upped the impact the story had on me, even though I've read it so many times that nothing really surprises me. I know I was far from the only one reading the story at that time and drawing parallels. To me, this is one of the strengths of King's storytelling - people act exactly as you would expect them to act in the face of the basic premise of the story, so the story becomes believable and you don't have to suspend your disbelief too much to enjoy the tale.
posted by dg at 3:12 PM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
A few rambling thoughts that popped up while reading this:
- I would have included the Dark Tower series as one book, to be honest, because there's really no point in reading any of them unless you read them all and in order. I read fast and am often disappointed at a book ending when I've just started to get into it, so this series really worked for me as a story and I loved the way King (as he often does) wove parts and characters of other books into the story.
- The Dead Zone was the first King story I read and it's still a favourite, but I don't think it's written as well as some others. I'm kind of glad to see it high on the list, but not sure it really deserves it.
- I was surprised to see From a Buick 8 so high on the list, because I found it hard to get through and didn't really enjoy it at all.
- The Long Walk is my favourite King 'short' read, perhaps because when I first read it, I was training for my first long-distance event (a 96km walk) and it really resonated with me because of that. It's published among some other very good stories, too, in The Bachman Books.
- I very much enjoyed 11/22/63 and have re-read it a few times. I really like that he was able to mostly keep away from pure horror because the story didn't need it. It's a book that always makes me think about the possibilities if we could just change one decision we personally made and how it might impact our own possible futures.
Of course, my absolute favourite and the one where the paperback copy is dog-eared and falling apart from re-reading is The Stand. I love a good long story and am a fan of the postapocalyptic tale as well, so this really hits the mark for me. But it's the fact that, if you can accept the basic premise as reasonable (the whole religious undertone and the idea of an epic good vs evil battle), the way the story plays out is absolutely and entirely believable. Re-reading this as COVID was in full swing and when it looked like this could really be The End but we didn't know enough to really know anything, amid alleged cover-ups of lab accidents by the Chinese etc really upped the impact the story had on me, even though I've read it so many times that nothing really surprises me. I know I was far from the only one reading the story at that time and drawing parallels. To me, this is one of the strengths of King's storytelling - people act exactly as you would expect them to act in the face of the basic premise of the story, so the story becomes believable and you don't have to suspend your disbelief too much to enjoy the tale.
posted by dg at 3:12 PM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Maybe someday I will finish The Dark Tower. I would have to start over, and I don’t know if I have it in me.
A deeply appropriate sentiment for the series, actually; Roland of Gilead would approve.
I'm a life-long King fan - I think Pet Sematary was my first, at a deeply inappropriate single-digit age (I was not microparented by any stretch of the imagination). There's still a bunch of stuff on that list I haven't read, some of it I hadn't even heard about. I've got his latest in my kindle just waiting for me to have some free time, which will hopefully be soon, but Gwendy's whatever? I didn't even know that existed.
The thing I think King does best is build believable characters -- not necessarily realistic, but deeply convincing and believable within their own context. They read like the possible inner lives of people you might know and care about. And then out of what I can only imagine is a soul-deep, life-long perversity and sadism, he tortures them mercilessly until most of them die horribly and the broken remnants of the survivors emerge, empty-eyed, from the smoking rubble.
I kind of love that about him.
The Talisman and Black House are probably my dearest loves out of all his (and Straub's) work. Black House almost reads like free verse poetry to me, and there are passages I can quote even years after the last time I opened it. I also have a very soft spot for The Dark Tower series and From a Buick 8 - even though I find the ends of both very unsatisfying, and the Afterword of The Dark Tower frankly insulting.
I have many, many issues with the ingrained biases he can't seem to help showcasing even now that he's trying to get a little woke - but for better or worse, his writing has been as important to me over the years as many of the classic series we all start with.
posted by invincible summer at 8:14 PM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
A deeply appropriate sentiment for the series, actually; Roland of Gilead would approve.
I'm a life-long King fan - I think Pet Sematary was my first, at a deeply inappropriate single-digit age (I was not microparented by any stretch of the imagination). There's still a bunch of stuff on that list I haven't read, some of it I hadn't even heard about. I've got his latest in my kindle just waiting for me to have some free time, which will hopefully be soon, but Gwendy's whatever? I didn't even know that existed.
The thing I think King does best is build believable characters -- not necessarily realistic, but deeply convincing and believable within their own context. They read like the possible inner lives of people you might know and care about. And then out of what I can only imagine is a soul-deep, life-long perversity and sadism, he tortures them mercilessly until most of them die horribly and the broken remnants of the survivors emerge, empty-eyed, from the smoking rubble.
I kind of love that about him.
The Talisman and Black House are probably my dearest loves out of all his (and Straub's) work. Black House almost reads like free verse poetry to me, and there are passages I can quote even years after the last time I opened it. I also have a very soft spot for The Dark Tower series and From a Buick 8 - even though I find the ends of both very unsatisfying, and the Afterword of The Dark Tower frankly insulting.
I have many, many issues with the ingrained biases he can't seem to help showcasing even now that he's trying to get a little woke - but for better or worse, his writing has been as important to me over the years as many of the classic series we all start with.
posted by invincible summer at 8:14 PM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Minor correction: Revival is my favorite novel of his from this century. My favorite thing he wrote from this century is N.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:44 PM on September 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:44 PM on September 9, 2022 [1 favorite]
And speaking of disturbing, I can tell you where I was when I was listening to Autopsy Room 4, 20 years ago. I was starting and stopping the tape because I didn't think I could listen, but didn't think I could not listen.
Glad I hung in there. Great ending.
posted by MtDewd at 12:44 PM on September 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Glad I hung in there. Great ending.
posted by MtDewd at 12:44 PM on September 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
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