TheBookSwarm
Ask Question

I’m thinking about reading Stephen King.Any recommendations on what to read first?

I’m thinking about reading Stephen King.Any recommendations on what to read first?

Danie #recommend #horror

37
Reply

122 Answers

Kristy

Start with his short stories. They’re so good.

2
Reply
Kareem

I suggest starting with either Carrie (for supernatural aspect), The first Dark Tower novel (which expands his writing horizons outside horror) or The Shining (if you like horror) or The Shawshank Redemption (as far from King’s writing while still being King)

2
Reply
Brandy

I liked the Mr Mercedes series and 11/22/63. My favorite “old King” is Salem’s Lot.

0
Reply
Angi

11/22/63 is my favorite (and only!) Stephen King read. I’m not a fan of horror.

2
Jennifer

Not all of his works are horror. He has written some amazing stuff. The Green Mile for example was amazing!!

0
Sheldon

Salem’s Lot

0
Reply
Carri

I finished Misery. First book by him that I read and it changed everything for me in terms of what I liked to read.

0
Reply
Katie

Wouldn’t disagree. Some of his well-known work is around 700 pages, though worth the effort.

0
Reply
Chen

His content can be very confronting and dismal so I would start with his short stories
And if you ever wonder “is x really happening?” YES. YES IT IS

0
Reply
Pamela

My first (and only as of now) was Revival

0
Reply
Chen

Then again I first read Carrie at 13/14 and it got me hooked, if you’re up for some high school revenge gone wrong its good to start there

0
Reply
Laressa

Delores Claireborne. The Stand. Carrie.

1
Reply
Gabby

Bag of bones, Duma key, Lyse’s story, it.

0
Reply
Jen

The stand is my all time favorite… amazing book!

1
Reply
Cody

I read Cujo first! And now I’ve probably read over twenty of his books!

0
Reply
Jessica

IT or The Shining. Also Needful Things and Insomnia are brilliant.

0
Reply
Robert

Needful Things or Pet Cemetary

0
Reply
Amber

My first was Needful Things. I would also recommend Dreamcstcher, It, Under the Dome, and The Shinning.

1
Reply
Le'Ann

Carrie and The Shining.

0
Reply
Trey

Start with the classics, Carrie, it, Christine…..

0
Reply
Tona

Dark Tower series since all his other books have references to it

0
Reply
Jeannie

The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon. Shorter than most but so awesome!!

0
Reply
Bev

The stand,
The green mile
Mr. Mercedes

1
Reply
Donna

My first King was Needful Things. I read it last summer. Now, my next book is Kong’s The Shining. Next summer, I’m attempting It.

0
Reply
Tonya

Misery

1
Reply
Argel

Does he have a very short stories? I would like to start with those if he do have any before I proceed to his novels

0
Reply
Heather

His book Defferent Seasons is by far my favourite! It has short stories that in life, The Body, which the movie, Stand By Me was made, Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption, which was where that movie came from!! And the others are great!

0
Traci

Salem’s Lot

0
Reply
Jayne

The stand

2
Reply
Stacey

The shining

0
Reply
Dan

Salem’s Lot, the Shining, The Stand

0
Reply
Cherry

I can’t remember what my first King book was but Carrie and Cujo are good quick easy reads if I remember correctly.

0
Reply
Regan

I hadn’t read any King in about 18 yrs- but this year listened to the Audiobook of 11/22/63 and LOVED it!!!!

1
Reply
Amy

I would go for one of his big classics. I’d avoid Dark Tower as your first. It’s very different from his other work, is a massive series and if you don’t like it, it may give you the wrong impression of him.

0
Reply
Angel

The shining

0
Reply
Sylvia

Bag of Bones

1
Reply
Siri

The Shining!❤️

0
Reply
Patty

From a Buick 8

0
Reply
Aine

The stand and IT oh and under the dome

0
Reply
Heidi

The Stand. My all time favorite and I have a lot of favorites.

0
Reply
Julie

I’ve read most of his old ones when I was in 8th grade, it became a big deal then, everyone in my class was reading it. Carrie is good, The Shining, Pet Sematary (that one is hard to take in now that I have my own kids, I can’t even watch the movie)

1
Reply
Jennifer

I read The Tommyknockers in 8th grade!

0
Steve

Carrie

0
Reply
Dan

And IT

1
Pearl

Misery!

0
Reply
Jennifer

Love this one!!

0
Danielle

I’m trying to read IT, it’s really good but so long it’s taking me ages to get through

1
Reply
Angel

me too I am still trying to get through IT, but I been reading other books too lol

0
Jennifer

The Stand is too big to start with, nearly 1000 pages. Delores Claiborne would be an excellent start, Carrie, The Green Mile, Christine, Joyride or Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I’m a huge fan lol

1
Reply
Shilpi

Cujo or misery

0
Reply
Rebecca

I would definitely recommend “Misery”.

1
Reply
Nicole

The Shining, Needful Things, Carrie, Christine or some of his novellas or short story books. Four Past Midnight is excellent!

0
Reply
Ricky

Carrie or On Writing.

0
Reply
Danielle

Sleeping Beauties

0
Reply
Storm

It!

0
Reply
Sue

Definitely not It! Start with something smaller like Carrie, Salem’s Lot or The Shining. Then work up to something longer – like Christine or The Green Mile. Good luck!

0
Reply
Stephanie

I have just started The Shining

2
Reply
Jacqueline

I enjoyed Needful Things

0
Reply
Claire

I would start with The Green Mile. King is an amazing writer.

1
Reply
Tammy

If you like reading chronologically, his first book was Carrie. I like context and feel it really adds to the overall experience, so I started with On Writing, his memoir.

0
Reply
Zee

Carrie

0
Reply
Fanny

The Mr Mercedes trilogy

0
Reply
Jeannette

My first book by King was Christine. I wouldn’t start with It. That one kept me up at night.

0
Reply
Jamie

Pet Sematary, Salem’s lot & Mr Mercedes are my favourite.

0
Reply
Rao

The Dark Tower

0
Reply
Hayley

The shining ?

1
Reply
Paula

Misery

0
Reply
Del

The Green Mile

0
Reply
Joanne

I read On Writing last year and really enjoyed it. I have The Green Mile and 11.22.63 on my TBR list.

0
Reply
Lori

So many great ones! From the classics, Pet Cemetery, Carrie, Misery, Green Mile, lots of great short stories, the more recent 11/22/63(awesome) Mr. Mercedes. SK is an great story teller.

1
Reply
Faith

Salem’s Lot and Eyes of the Dragon are both fun, first time King books. ?

0
Reply
Valeria

The Stand it was my first got me addicted

1
Reply
LauraEddy

Any of them!

0
Reply
Elaine

Under the dome

0
Reply
Bethany

Salem’s Lot was my first King book and it hooked me

1
Reply
Barb

At Christmas I received Stephen King’s 11/22/63 all 800 and some pages. Has anyone read the book and what’s your opinion?

2
Reply
Deanna

Loved it!

0
Barb

@Deanna Thank you. This weather is so frightful I think it’s a good time to start a long book.

1
Angel

Yes I also loved it, may me think about the way it could be

0
Barb

@Angel I love to hear positive reviews! Thank you.

1
Ed

Fun read, goood time to do so with the cold

2
Suzanne

Loved 11/22/63, the only S.K. book I’ve read because it was about JFK’s assassination which I remember vividly. The prospect of a “do over” intrigued me.

2
Lisa

Reading 11/22/63 now. It is very interesting and the first time I’m reading one of his books. I thought all his books were really scary horror until I heard about this one

1
Fanny

Absolutely loved it

1
Brandy

Yes I really loved it and read it pretty fast!

1
Lori

Such a great book !! Loved it! Read it , listened to it and watched the mini series

1
Deanna

The Stand. It’s one of my favorites!

3
Reply
Laurette

11/23/63 was awesome

1
Reply
Olga

Just finished The Stand. Excellent book!

1
Reply
Roxanne

It

1
Reply
Krystal

Gerald’s game

1
Reply
Anessa

One of my favs of his!

0
Pauline

It. I’m just starting Sleeping Beauties. Good so far.

0
Reply
Terri

On of my favorites is 11/23/63 time travel to save JFK with a King twist.

0
Reply
Miguel

Reading this right now.

0
Wendy

I really liked “Dreamcatcher”

1
Reply
Leslie

Carrie.

1
Reply
Trey

If you want a fantasy aspect read “through the dragons eye” it’s under the Richard bachman banner but is real good

0
Reply
Miguel

This is easily one of his worst books.

0
Trey

I really enjoyed it. But in my defense I was 12 when I read it

0
Rose

The Stand.

2
Reply
Ann

Salems lot

3
Reply
Rose

Excellent.

1
Ann

Yep– it was like one of his first’s..

0
Robert

I would start with a compilation of short stories to see if I liked him. Like Different Seasons, Skeleton Crew or Full Dark No Stars.

1
Reply
Stephen

Absolutely! Night Shift’s “Graveyard Shift” still scares me even after rereading it multiple times since it was first published in Cavalier magazine in 1970. Night Shift is an early compilation of his short stories.

0
Sapna

Carrie

0
Reply
Roxane

The Shining, Carrie

0
Reply
Stephanie

Pet Semetary

1
Reply
Miguel

I’d suggest the Dark Tower series. But whatever you do, don’t read Eye of the Dragọn.

3
Reply
Heather

Don’t.

Just my opinion, but go with Dean Koontz instead ?

Happy reading!

0
Reply
Christine

I liked 11/22/63

0
Reply
Kate

The Stand or The Shining – tbh though, I love most of his stuff!

0
Reply
Pamela

It

0
Reply
Samantha

I’d go for his short stories first, get a feel for his way of writing. He has Everything’s Eventual which has heaps of short stories in them! Or I would suggest the mr Mercedes trilogy ?

0
Reply
Joanne

Bleak house once you get past the first chapter

1
Reply
Dan

Black house

0
Joanne

Dream catchers is also good along with his black dark tower series

0
Reply
Agnieszka

I loved The Long Walk which he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It’s like The Maze Runner… only a hundred times better though it was written more than thirty years ago.

1
Reply
Yannie

IT or Pet Sematary

0
Reply
Steve

Don’t waste your time. Read Robert Harris instead. (Y)

1
Reply
Kelly

The Shining

0
Reply
Leave a Answer Cancel

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Loading Please wait
Log in
Register
Categories
  • get the book
  • questionnaire
  • recommend
  • review
Genres
animal art biography business chick lit classics comics contemporary cookbooks crime detective fantasy fiction gay and lesbian graphic novel historical fiction history horror humor and comedy kids languages manga memoir music mystery nonfiction novel paranormal philosophy poetry psychology religies religion romance scary science science fiction self help spirituality sports suspense thriller travel young adult young adults
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

2019 © TheBookSwarm