There will probably never be another author like Stephen King. I’m not sure there ever could be.
Since the publication of his first novel, Carrie, fifty years ago, King has held dominion over the landscape of horror. He arrived during a resurgent interest in all things frightening, following the success of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (1967) and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist (1971), and quickly set about reshaping the genre in his own image. King has regularly published two or three books per year, a stream of words flowing incessantly west toward Hollywood. Almost everything he has ever written has been optioned or adapted for the screen, in some cases several times.
Such prolificacy has often led to sniffing criticism from those who consider him “merely” a horror writer (as if horror is anything “mere”). But for millions of readers and writers, he is our North Star, our Southern Cross. We navigate by him. He is not just a writer; he is an industry, an aesthetic, a genre of one.
Of course, in so long and varied a career, there are exhilarating highs, a few bewildering lows, and many unexpected diversions. The following list is an attempt to rank his top ten books (at least for me) in all their darkness, weatherworn beauty, and surprising weirdness.
Let’s get started, shall we?
10. Misery
After celebrating the release of a new novel, Paul Sheldon gets in a car accident in the Rocky Mountains and is rescued by Annie Wilkes, his #1 fan. While nursing Paul back to health after he shattered both his legs, she compels him to write a new novel, furious that he killed off her favorite character. Fueled by obsession, Annie keeps Paul captive in a story of torture, psychological manipulation, and addiction. This is a gory and gruesome horror novel with a multi-dimensional villain, an intense and graphic tale of the struggle between prisoner and captor.
9. It
In Derry, Maine, seven teenagers first discovered the horror that they deemed “It”, often taking the form of Pennywise the Clown. Now adults, each with their own successes, one of the self-proclaimed “Losers Club” asks the gang to return and end the evil creature’s reign once and for all. Stephen King uses dual timelines from 1958 and 1985 and chilling descriptions to develop unique characters and explore deep themes that extend far beyond the traditional horror genre.
8. ‘Salem’s Lot
This was Stephen King’s second published novel, the story of writer Ben Mears who returns to his childhood town of Jerusalem’s Lot (nicknamed ‘Salem’s Lot) to confront the evil he once escaped. This unique vampire story is packed with more horror than most of King’s other works and is inspired by classic vampire tales and films. King writes incredible small-town horrors and this one is no different, featuring a wonderful, quaint town with secrets of abuse, violence, and murder not far beneath the surface. This story is suspenseful and foreboding, a vampire horror for any reader who’s ready to be scared.
7. The Shining
King’s first-ever bestseller’ The Shining, a classic 1977 horror novel, spurred a cult-favorite movie and a sequel. It’s a deeply suspenseful paranormal story about Jack Torrance, who starts a new job as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, hoping to spend more time with his family and work on his writing. During the off-season, a chilling winter storm confines Jack to the hotel, and sinister forces begin to emerge. It’s a classic haunted house story that has been scaring readers for nearly 50 years.
6. The Dark Tower Series
“Go then. There are other worlds than these.”
These eight words are among the most iconic King ever written, and they come true in the career-long, book-spanning multiverse that King constructs around his totemic Dark Tower. That the words are first uttered by a young boy sacrificed during our hero’s mad pilgrimage goes some way toward conveying the harshness and cold brutality of this series. The climax is so defiant that King hides it within a coda, with a warning not to venture farther. The first time I finished, I threw the book across the room in a rage. The second time, I had to smile at its sheer audacity. It’s an insane way to end one of the most ambitious fantasy series ever written, but whether you like it or not, it makes sense. And let us all raise a glass to Oy the Brave.
5. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
In a book that is part-memoir and part-advice, Stephen King uses his personal anecdotes to inspire budding and aspiring writers. While his guidance is not always sparkling with encouragement, it’s always realistic: imploring that those who wish to be writers must be constantly learning, reading, and writing every day. King is honest about his own struggles and setbacks and offers insight into his methods and inspirations which culminate in a master class from one of the most successful writers of this generation.
4. 11/2/63
This is a time travel adventure novel that tells the story of Jake Epping, a high school English teacher who is introduced to a portal to 1958 and sets out on a mission to stop the JFK assassination. Jake adopts a new identity, tests the rules of time travel, and discovers what may wait in the present if he’s to succeed. With very little (if any) horror in this novel, King fans get to experience a thrilling historical fiction story, one where the fascinating “what ifs” of history are explored through time travel.
3. Different Seasons
Some Constant Readers consider this not only King’s best collection of novellas but also some of the best writing of his career. The first claim is certainly true, and in terms of cultural influence, Different Seasons is a powerhouse. It includes the source material for two of the most beloved films of all time: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and The Body, which became Rob Reiner’s Stand by Me. Both tales are wonderful, but not enough is said about Apt Pupil. It’s one of King’s most amoral stories: a dark twist on his penchant for friendships between teenage boys and old men. What happens, after all, if that kindly septuagenarian is revealed to be a Nazi war criminal? King wrote Different Seasons to show that he wasn’t a one-trick horror pony, but the horror creeps in regardless, without any need for ghosts or monsters.
2. The Stand
This book begins the day after 99% of the Earth’s population is killed from a man-made flu that was accidentally released. The few remaining survivors are plagued with strange dreams and struggle with a society torn between two prevailing allegiances. At over 1,100 pages, this masterpiece combines King’s classic supernatural and fantasy elements and combines them with an apocalyptic dystopia that addresses huge topics of survival, religion, and the ultimate compass of morality.
And now on to #1. Drumroll, please…
1. The Green Mile
The Green Mile is a series that was released one volume at a time in 1996, with each installment landing on the New York Times Best-Seller List. Now compiled as a single work, it follows Paul Edgecombe, a prison guard at Cold Mountain Penitentiary where convicted killers wait to walk “the green mile” to the electric chair. Though Paul has seen nearly everything, his experiences with inmate John Coffey are like no other. John is a strange inmate, convicted of a depraved crime despite appearing to have the mind of a child. This is a thought-provoking and emotional novel, an iconic and believable story that mixes in shocking elements consistent with King’s horror style.
Did I miss any? What’s your favorite. Let me know in the comments.
David's Book Reviews 