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 be hard), and why. Take your time and thank you for playing.
I've read everything he's written under every name. The Stand is the book I measure all others by.
wow, i will have to read The Stand now after all these glowing comments about it.
so far my favorite to read was 'Salems Lot, and my favorite film adaptation was The Shining.
Yeah, it's a kind of intimidating-looking book (esp. if you pick up the unabridged version), but the words peel themselves off the page at lightning speed. If you get it, you'll be looking around in no time saying, "It's done!?"
"Black House" scared the crap out of me (Gorg!), as well as "It"!! I loved the "Dark Tower series, and read every one...It is so hard to pick just one! I've read every single thing he has his name on, I think, except "The Dome". It never ceases to amaze me how he can tie the characters together in different books-it is like he has created an alternate universe...
The thing I love about all of his books IS the length-nothing like spending 3-4 days literally buried in the storyline. I get obsessed with finishing the book, and get angry when something interrupts my reading, lol!
Well like most Stephen King fans - I'd have to say The Stand. I also really loved the first 2 books in the Dark Tower series and Hearts in Atlantis. I've just read The Dome - it was enjoyable to read, but nowhere near his best IMO. I really like his "On Writing" book as well - that was inspiring for me.
I love "The Stand" as well ... Maybe because it was such a well thought out and written book that covered so many characters lives leading up to the final showdown between good and evil... I'm a great Tolken fan for the same reasons.
yeah, 'on writing' was truly inspiring. i just got done reading it last week, and wished i had done so a long time ago.
Nightshift. Just love his short stories. Especially trucks.
It's a tough call...
on the one hand, The Stand is amazing. I've read it four times and I always notice new stuff (or stuff i'd forgotten about) and it just feels like the most COMPLETE novel he's ever written...
on the other hand, his short stories are BEYOND amazing and Night Shift had some that actually caused me to have trouble sleeping
on still another hand (yeah, i've got three) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is amazing AND it's short, making it one of those books that's awesome to reccommend to people...
IT was well-written and a good story but I just thought it was too long for my tastes...didn't work for me at all
"On Writing" is on my bedside table right now-excellent advice and read.
Yup. Definitely. Without a shadow of a doubt.
The Stand. The Dark Tower series also. I was so distraught when he was hit by that van several years ago, not only because his work has been very influential, but because I thought I would never get to read about Roland finally reaching the Tower.
I love the short stories as well. I have a hardback copy of every single King novel and short story collection available, and soft backs of most as well. I'm a big fan.
thanks guys for all the great replies...i'm glad i found hubpages; it's given me much inspiration and many things to think about. keep em comin! i could never get tired of this topic, although i'm sure it's been done before....humor me, if you like.
yaaa its very very very nice book i many time read this book
I've read nearly all of his stuff and I could have to say either:
The Shining,
or
Gerald's Game.
thank you for mentioning 'gerarld's game'...i freakin love that book, and it got such a bad rap for some damn reason. another shorter book of his that didn't get the attention it deserved...
Well, thats a tuff question because I like two of his books as much as the other. So it's the shinning and nightshift. Around holloween I get those out and read them again.
This is a tough question.
"Misery" was a great book and a real page turner.
"The girl who loved Tom Gordon" also a good read.
"Hearts in Atlantis" very good reading.
My favorite of all time has to be ...
"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"
This was the title given to the story that turned into "The Shawshank Redemption" on screen.
Some of Stephen King's best work is not horror at all. "The Body" was a great story that became "Stand by Me" on film...
and who can forget "The Green Mile"?!
I LOVED the Dark Tower series. I also really liked From a Buick 8. (I havent had the chance to read as much as I want to, I read all there is in my local library)
The Dark Tower series is pretty good but you need a time where you can sit and read right through. 6 books is a bit much
winter where im at = plenty of reading time!!!
I have read the entire series many times now (and while I was waiting for each book, I just read what was available of the series over and over--I've read The Gunslinger alone at least a hundred times)...I dare not even hazard a number. But I've grown up awaiting the arrival of the final part of the series. I was afraid for a while there, Mr. King would die in the midst of writing it.
I believe that the Dark Tower Series is King's Magnum Opus--one read is not enough to appreciate the subtlety and craft involved. I know that many people go for the Stand, but truly (IMO), the Stand is subsumed by DT. In The Stand, King creates a world, but in DT, he creates a multilevel universe in which most of his other stories dwell--it is lengthy and strange, intuitive and visceral; in some places it seems it is the literary equivalent of a Dali painting. It was a thirty year undertaking, and in a way, we can watch King grow up even as Roland completes another timeless cycle. It is post-modern Bildungsroman, and the hero's ultimate weapon is his heart. I really cannot express sufficiently the genius of this work.
Ultimately though, picking just one is incredibly difficult. The Stand IS pure genius: the ultimate struggle between good and evil, and so SO timely and modern, with characters that you can almost reach out and touch. Under The Dome is subtle, but so fitting for our time. Almost no matter what he's undertaking King spins a yarn that we can feel, builds a world that draws us in, and creates characters that we love and hate. The Cell is a fabulous homage to the zombie-master himself, George Romero, and it lives up to its purpose--it gives a great twist to the zombie story, and in the end isn't really about zombies at all; an amazing trick, that.
A measure of King's genius, to me, is the fact that I know who dies in the Stand and DT, and I still HATE IT EVERY TIME! Every time! I cry. And I've read them both many times. Every time I hope they'll turn their head, or hear, or see...just at the right moment and maybe this time it will be different. I know that might sound crazy, but each time I read one of King's works, it comes to life, and I can almost believe I've never been there before--that it's all unfolding for the very first time.
Then there are masterpieces like Misery, The Shining, Carrie, Christine (which, along with things like Trucks and Maximum Overdrive seem to have created a niche horror genre of their own...please, correct me if I'm wrong someone, I don't know of an earlier "car possession/vehicle coming to life" tale).
And these are only popular masterpieces. Glittering bits of gold like Quitters, Inc.; Insomnia; On Writing; and so many more prove that King is not just subject to spurts of genius, he is consistently a solid and greatly talented (and almost impossibly prolific) writer and craftsman (although he would call himself a story-teller...I suppose he's both).
When I was in college I had to take a course on Charles Dickens (which I enjoyed). Charles Dickens was insanely popular in his time; so much so, that people who could not read would gather in public places, like pubs, to hear his stories read aloud. I told my professor then (this would have been around 2000, 2001 or so in MD) that Stephen King was a modern-day Charles Dickens; that he was just as popular (if not more so) and for many of the same reasons (Stephen King can exalt the plight of the common man, connect it with emotion and morality on a cosmic scale--this is part of his universal appeal--it is much the same with Dickens, IMO). I told him that there would come a time when Stephen King was studied in English departments, and rightly so. He laughed in my face. It wasn't long after that I read about an English Dept. somewhere (I can't remember where, maybe someone else knows) doing just that. Ha! In your face former English Professor!
Anyway, forgive my rant. I love Stephen King's work. It's personal with me. If I ever had the chance to meet him, I would have to thank him, and that wouldn't be enough. It was Stephen King who gave me a world to run to when my parents became drug addicts. He taught me that there were scary monsters in the world, but that we could have the courage and the faith the stand up to them, stand and be true--and if we did, it didn't matter if we died trying. He taught me that there was a world I could build in my head, and no one could ever take it from me. And he taught me that my world beneath the world was so amazing that sometimes we could uncover relics there...Sometimes, if we're good enough at it, we can bring pieces back to the real world and share what's inside our heads with others.
Stephen King grew up poor, with a single mom; he's struggled with addiction, poverty, tragedies...he's just a regular guy, and yet just like in his stories, he's fought and won. He persevered to get published, he's overcome his addictions, he fought a van and won (then took a SLEDGEHAMMER to the van...I wish I could do that to the car that hit me!) He is a great inspiration to me. Again, sorry for the rant...but maybe...
I'm his biggest fan
Creepy LOL.
thank u for the emotional response, i mean that sincerely. we are much alike when it comes to this topic, and even some of our pasts could be cousins...i very much feel what u are saying about your passion for king; that is why is posted this question. keep on writing about your worlds, and i hope they get the chance to see the light of ours...
(I assume that was directed to me...)
Aww. You're welcome. Thank you for the thread; I thought it was cool to see it. Thank you for the encouragement! Keep reading, keep dreaming, and keep writing!
"It" because I remember actually being frightened to turn the page when I read it for the first time in 6th grade
ummm, GlassSpider, that was pretty long...your explanation that is.
Yeah...I didn't really mean it to get like that...It just happened. I hit the send button and went...Oh.
haha..I'm just messin with ya..write what your passionate about shIt..
Hehehe... It seems I haven't any choice. Like I said, it just came out that way. I just started writing, then looked up and BAM...that's what was there.
The Stand
In the movie they played one of my favorite older songs
"Don't Fear The Reaper"
By Blue Oyster Cult
All our times have come
Here, but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain (We can be like they are)
Come on, baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby, take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby, I'm your man
La la la la la
La la la la la
Valentine is done
Here, but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity (Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women every day (Like Romeo and Juliet)
40,000 men and women every day (Redefine happiness)
Another 40,000 coming every day (We can be like they are)
Come on, baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby, take my hand (Don't fear the reaper)
We'll be able to fly (Don't fear the reaper)
Baby, I'm your man
La la la la la
La la la la la
Love of two is one
Here, but now they're gone
He came last night out of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
The door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew and then disappeared
The curtains flew and then he appeared (Saying don't be afraid)
Come on, baby (And she had no fear)
And she ran to him (Then they started to fly)
They looked backward and said goodbye (She had become like they are)
She had taken his hand (She had become like they are)
Come on, baby (Don't fear the reaper)
Hey! Thanks...I love this song too, but didn't quite know all the words. Awesome!
This last verse reminds me of my parent's love and devotion for each other.
Mom passed first then Dad.
Now I'm sad and my heart feels swollen.
Aww {Hugs} I'm sorry. They live on in you.
The Stand!, The characters in the Stands are the best from any Stephen King book.
For me it is absolutely "The Stand" but I have to say that "Cujo" was the only book I ever read that gave me nightmares. I have nightmares from movies all the time but it was a first for me to have them over a book.
"It" is my favorite King book because it scared the bezinga out of me! Clowns are just creepy, man. :-)
Rose Madder because it should scare the bejeezes out of "bad" husbands out there. Guy is a stalker.
The Stand is literary bliss I think...so would go with that. Plus I've never bothered reading too many of his books- SCARY!
That is a verrrry tough dicision...probably The Stand, The Long Walk, and the Dark Tower series lol i could never choose just one.
The Stand because it's truely an epic story about good and evil
The Long Walk because its an extremely intersting plot line, though its one of his shorter stories.
And The Dark Tower because i have mad respect for anyone who can write 7 long books without losing interest. True, the ending to the Series was extremely disappointing, but other than that, it was extremely supurb (not sure if thats spelled right lol) Wolves of the Calla was probably the best throughout the whole series though xD
Stephan King is one of the main reasons i got into writing. He was the one who made me realize my passion for reading and writing.
I haven't read all of currently published works, so I might be a bit limited in my reply. (I stopped reading his stuff after Gerald's Game, because I started working full time and had a full workload). So my favorite based on my limited reading is The Stand.
(And I've read the unabridged version, too)
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 Nicholas Daly 10 years ago
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")...
by megs11237 13 years ago
Hi all, I am new to the forums as of recently but thought I would start a topic for a change(sorry if this one has been done)...I love books, language, and storytelling, if you would please share with me your favorite lines from your favorite book or books I'll go first:Game of Thrones, George R....
by stariswhoiam 13 years ago
What is your favourite book and why?
by alwaysamber 12 years ago
What is your favorite book of all time? Mine is "A Long Fatal Love Chase" by Louisa May Alcott.
by Holle Abee 11 years ago
Have you read Under the Dome yet? I give it a thumbs up!
Copyright © 2025 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2025 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |