What's your favourite Stephen King novel?
I think mine is "It"- the idea for "Misery" is brilliant too (and I really enjoyed "Shawshank Redemption")...
The Stand. It took me three tries before I finally made it all the way through, but it was well worth it. I also liked The Shining and Misery.
Yes The Stand is popular (and I haven't got through it as yet either)- I enjoyed the film though was iffy about its supernatural elements (though the supernatural elements in "It" I was fine with for some reason!). Maybe I'll try again-so many books!
Without a doubt it has to be "Misery". It was my first Stephen King novel, so that's probably why I love it so much. Since no one else has mentioned it yet, King's "Dark Tower" series is also pretty good.
I haven't got to Dark Tower, or King's Bachman books. Misery was second for me after Pet Sematary, they're great reading..
King's the man. The only one of his I haven't liked was "Insomnia"
I recall enjoying the film version of "Insomnia".. He has indefatigable energy doesn't he- he's a writer's writer and then some, touching on varied subjects, if known for horror... He is a writer that's hard to keep up with- which is a compliment!
I read Insomnia. It was good but not as good as some of the other books
It does seem to be quite different for him, but he's written so much that there are a number of books you could say the same thing about.. Even "Under the Dome" seems like quite a departure in some ways...
I'm torn between The Stand and Misery! I like them both for different reasons.
The Stand isn't so much a horror novel as a true epic and I love it the way I love a favorite long-running TV series: caring about the people as if they're real, hanging on every twist and turn, reflecting on the shift in focus.
Misery, like The Stand though of course on a far smaller count, is also a character novel more than a plotty horror adventure (though most of King's novels have compelling characters). But Misery kept me almost painfully on edge. I couldn't put it down. Even quieter moments drew me in with the main character's thoughts on writing and the simple, agonizing details of his daily life. It should have been dull, with so little action. Yet the words pull you in and wrap around you. You're in that room with him. It's very claustrophobic and panic-inducing. It's. Just. So. Tense! Nail biting, cheek chewing, one-more-page-before-bed inducing. There's a scene toward the very end that induced a true feeling of heart-stopping horror that has stayed with me (and no, it's not the infamous foot scene!); but it would be a spoiler, so I won't specify in case someone who hasn't read Misery were to read this answer!
The Stand seems to win out with fans because of the length and breadth as well as engaging characters which as you point out is a strength of Misery- I think you do really care about Paul Sheldon, and writer as hero, how can you go wrong?!
My favorite is The Stand it took me three shots to read it. The first two times I had borrowed it from the library but only had a week before I went back to college. A while later I purchased it as an e-book and couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. I think It was a close second.
Christine was my first Stephen King book. And now have both The Stand and It as audiobooks
Ah yeah, perhaps a good way for me to read the "Dark Towers" or "The Stand"...
THis is a tough choice because I really like all of the ones I've read,
I think" Pet Cemetery"
I read this a few summers ago outside while the kids were playin start to finish never putting it down.
Yeah I couldn't put it down either and it was the first one I read - at 10 or 11 or so, so it felt a little rebellious too haha..
Lol I would have had.nightmares if I read this when I was 11, I remember being scared of Micheal Jackson's Thriller video.
Well being scared of Thriller is fair enough... Just about anything or everything is scary in a way earlier on in life... They try to scare sense into us with fairy tales etc! It's all strange, new, sometimes terrifying..
Intriguing, I'll check out the opening on amazon and maybe it'll be added to my list...
It's a 7 book series. King calls it his best work.
The cover (which I haven't seen in awhile) seems to suggest a story about a gunslinger travelling a dark and dangerous land..? I hadn't heard he said it was his best work, OK thanks for letting me know..
The Gunslinger is the main character throughout the series. I think he actually calls it his most ambitious work. He considers Lisey's Story to be his best. The first book of the Dark Tower series was written in the 70's. It really is fascinating
Ah OK, good to know that about Lisey's Story too.. Wonder if fan responses line up with his thoughts (sounds like it does with the Dark Tower..).
Hmm seems so with some references to It (because of the engaging characters and the achievements in its sheer length..).
I enjoyed The Stand. Trashcan Man was quite a character. But there are so many post apocalyptic books and films, it sort of gets lost in the mix. I can't think of another book or series that parallels The Dark Tower series.
That is true in terms of the number of apocalyptic stories - I don't know of others that are as long but I'm sure they're out there...
Actually a couple books refer to the Dark Tower-two of them are Insomnia and Hearts in Atlantis
by bulletproofchris 14 years ago
Ok, I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm fairly new here and so it will be new to me. I love Stephen King. He's my favorite living author, and the reason I decided to pursue writing as a career. What I want to know from all you King fans out there is, which is your favorite (i know, it will...
by Mohan Kumar 11 years ago
What is your favorite Stephen King story?There are so many great books and short stories King has written. From Carrie to Cujo, Shining to Stand, Dark Tower series... The stories that made great movies like Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, Stand By Me... Have you got a favorite?
by i4u 12 years ago
I'm becoming a huge fan of these two authors.Especially Sidney Sheldon, he's a remarkable writer.And Stephen King is amazing too. Though I've only read "The Shining" of his but I surely want more to more of his.Sidney Sheldon adds a tremendous pace to the plot is what attracts me...
by Nicholas Daly 9 years ago
What's your favourite film adaptation of a Stephen King novel?I will say "Shawshank Redemption" to maybe get it out of the way... and I do feel that it is, but I am a big admirer of the original "Carrie," "Stand By Me" and "Misery"... Actually "The...
by Cindy Lawson 11 years ago
What is your favourite Stephen King book and why?
by emichael 12 years ago
What is your favorite Stephen King novel? What is your favorite movie based on a Stephen King novel?
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