books written by stephen king

The Essential Stephen King

The author has dominated horror fiction, and arguably all popular fiction, for decades. Here’s where to start.

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By Gilbert Cruz

Gilbert Cruz is the editor of the Book Review.

• March 27, 2024

Before the vampires and the haunted hotels, before the killer clowns, killer cars and killer dogs, before Shawshank and that green mile, there was Carrie. A teenage girl, bullied to her very limit, who discovers that she can move things with her mind, and uses that power to massacre her classmates.

By the time “Carrie” was released, in April 1974, Stephen King had already written several unpublished novels. But none of them gave any real indication that he would come to dominate horror fiction, and arguably all popular fiction, for the next half century.

In his review of “Carrie” in The New York Times Book Review, the columnist Newgate Callendar (who was actually the music critic Harold Schonberg writing under a pseudonym) marveled, writing: “That this is a first novel is amazing. King writes with the kind of surety normally associated only with veteran writers.” Eight years later, Time magazine would call him the “master of postliterate prose.” Four years after that, in the same publication, King would call himself “the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries.” In 2003, he accepted a lifetime achievement honor from the National Book Awards. It’s now 2024 and he’s about to publish another collection of short fiction.

This is all to say that critical reception has waned and waxed, but the books have continued apace — more than 70, with no sign of stopping. If you’re like me (committed? troubled?) you’ve had occasion to read them all, some more than once. And if you’re not, and have always been curious, you’re lucky enough to find an author who can write short and long (and extra long!), outside of the horror genre as much as inside of it. Few writers are more famous and few writers have as many accessible entry points.

Where should I begin?

You will find those who recommend jumping straight into the King pool with one of his door-stopper classics like “The Stand,” the postapocalyptic adventure story about the survivors of a plague that decimates much of the world’s population, or “It,” the tale of a group of friends stalked by a murderous supernatural clown. And while both are great, they can also be intimidating for beginners.

Instead, try ’ Salem’s Lot” (1975), his second novel and first true scary book. This riff on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” sees a novelist return to the small town he lived in long ago at the same time as an ancient vampire and his human companion. It contains many of the most recognizable King elements: a writer protagonist, a Maine town full of idiosyncratic blue-collar characters, echoes of genre fiction standards and memorably creepy set pieces (the school bus, God, the school bus).

I want to read another King classic

Few writers have spoken so damningly for so long about an adaptation of their work as King did about Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” Despite the fact that it is regarded as one of the greatest of horror films, King appears to have been genuinely affronted by the changes that occurred from book to screen.

That’s likely because “The Shining” (1977) is particularly personal for the author. Jack Torrance is a down-on-his-luck alcoholic writer who finds one last job as the winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel, a resort high in the Rockies. Accompanying him are his wife, Wendy, and his young son, Danny, whose psychic abilities make him vulnerable to the evil spirits that haunt the Overlook.

For King, Jack was a sliding doors version of himself, what he might have become had “Carrie” not been a success — an addict and wannabe novelist who can’t even cut it as a high school teacher and resents (sometimes violently) his family. Where the film’s version (Jack Nicholson in what remains one of his most memorable roles) is a psycho from the jump, the Jack of the novel feels human. He loves his wife and child. We want them all to make it out alive. The book is scary because, as King has said, “You don’t get scared of monsters; you get scared for people.”

I’m a scaredy-cat, OK?

It’s fine not to like scary things! That doesn’t mean you can’t read some Stephen King. Though he’s most famous for his horror novels and stories, at this point, he has written a significant amount outside of the genre. Early in his career, less than a decade after the publication of “Carrie,” King released “Different Seasons” (1982), a collection of four novellas.

Three have nothing to do with the supernatural. Two were adapted into top-tier King movies: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” became, well, you know, and “The Body” was filmed as “Stand By Me.” Both are set in Maine in the early 1960s, and both give a sense of how lovingly King can draw his characters.

Actually, I’m not a scaredy-cat, OK?

Relax! No one said you were. “It” is probably King’s purest horror book, but it’s also one of his biggest and most dense and … the ending has some problems. Let’s call that one part of your graduate study. This starter guide will instead go with “Pet Sematary” (1983).

There’s something elemental about its simplicity: A young family moves into a new house, and terrible things happen after they discover an ancient burial ground deep in the woods. Contrary to what you might think of King’s novels, given the mode in which he typically works, many of them do end with a sense of hard-won victory and optimism. Not this one. It’s as grim as he’s ever gotten.

I want to learn something about the author

Part memoir and part writing manual, “On Writing” (1999) is a bit of an odd duck. Somehow, it has become the fashion to pick one of King’s only nonfiction books as one of his best. (I myself am guilty of this.) And that it is, but it shouldn’t be read without having tackled several of the other titles on this list first. The work gives the life greater meaning.

Written mostly before the 1999 accident that almost killed King, “On Writing” is cleareyed in its account of what it was like to be a pop-culture-obsessed boy in the 1950s, how it felt to be a nearly broke young writer having to support a family, how addiction can quickly imprison you. But the most memorable part might be the 20-page postscript, written after the accident, in which King recalls lying in a ditch on the side of the road, his body pulverized after being hit by a van. The driver of the van sits on a rock looking down at one of the world’s most famous writers. “Like his face, his voice is cheery, only mildly interested,” King writes. Later on it strikes him that “I have nearly been killed by a character right out of one of my own novels. It’s almost funny.”

I want to begin an epic journey

King has referred to “The Stand” as his attempt to do an American version of “The Lord of the Rings.” But his seven-book “Dark Tower” series (an eighth book was published after the story proper concluded) is King’s truest Tolkien analogue.

Indeed, it’s one of the great American genre series — an epic in multiple modes (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, Western) about a gunslinger-knight who is trying to save his world and ours from complete destruction by his foe, the Man in Black. Published over the course of 20 years, the series has become the center of a King extended universe, with multiple novels and stories connecting to its characters and locations. The first volume, “The Gunslinger” (1982) is the shortest, and it will give you a tiny taste of how weird and inventive the series gets.

I’m looking for non-supernatural suspense

A decent percentage of King’s work features writers as main characters, from “’Salem’s Lot” and “The Shining” to “The Tommyknockers” and “The Dark Half” to “Bag of Bones” and “Lisey’s Story.”

Paul Sheldon, the protagonist of “Misery” (1987) is yet another writer, one who finds himself in a particularly horrifying situation — held captive, post-car accident, by an obsessed fan who wants him to write a book just for her. The subtext is clear: Sometimes, fame can feel like a trap. And King, a recovering addict, has talked about the sub-subtext, saying: “Annie was my drug problem, and she was my No. 1 fan. God, she never wanted to leave.”

But none of that matters much when you’re deep into this novel and Paul sleeps a little too long and wakes up and you realize what’s going to happen and your stomach just plummets.

I’m looking for a big, fat read

For King, a prime baby boomer, the assassination of John F. Kennedy was one of the nation’s great pivot points: If Lee Harvey Oswald hadn’t fired those three bullets (as King believes he did), what would the next decade have looked like?

In “11/22/63” (2011) King imagines a scenario in which the Maine schoolteacher Jake Epping finds he can travel back to the year 1958 through the pantry in a local diner, eventually using that ability to try to prevent Kennedy’s death.

A big part of the book’s pleasures (and at over 800 pages, there are many) comes from the procedural-like manner in which Jake must establish a new identity in a new era and live in real time without revealing his mission. By the book’s back half, when he begins to cross paths with real historical figures and events, you’ve become fully invested in Jake’s task. It’s one secret of King’s success — that we can so easily put ourselves in the place of an ordinary person experiencing the most extraordinary circumstances.

I want a great crime novel

If you haven’t seen the HBO series based on “The Outsider” (2018) — the novelist Richard Price was the showrunner and Dennis Lehane wrote a couple of episodes — then the twists of this supernatural detective story will remain intact for you. It’s an irresistible setup. In a small Oklahoma town, a teacher and Little League coach is charged with the brutal murder of a young boy. The evidence against him is overwhelming. Until, that is, unequivocal evidence comes to light also placing him in a completely different town at the exact same time.

One of the book’s main characters, Holly Gibney, doesn’t show up until halfway through; and while she’s a character in a prior series of King crime novels (the Mr. Mercedes trilogy), it’s not necessary to have read them beforehand, though you might want to after finishing this one.

Give me a deep cut

This tale of a group of Pennsylvania state troopers and the odd car they keep hidden in a shed has always felt as if it got mysteriously lost. Released the year before King finished his “Dark Tower” epic in a three-book, two-year rush, “From a Buick 8” (2002) is an often contemplative novel that also happens to feature the gnarly dissection of an inter-dimensional bat.

While gross beings make several appearances here, resulting in some of King’s most unsettling descriptions, this is ultimately a book about how events often have no true resolution and life is ultimately inexplicable.

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Stephen King Bibliography

The master list of works by the Master of Horror

Warner Bros / Getty Images

• B.A. in English, Duke University

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors alive, known for writing horror, fantasy, and psychological thrillers. His books have sold more than 350 million copies. Here's some background on the Maine-based writer and a bibliography , featuring details about some of his most notable works.

From 'Carrie' to 'Misery' (1960–1985)

King graduated from the University of Maine in 1970 but did not sell his first novel, "Carrie," until 1974. Here's a look at his work both before and during college.

• 1960: "People, Places, And Things" (limited edition collection of short stories, published with Chris Chelsey)
• 1964: "The Star Invaders" (limited edition)
• 1967 via Startling Stories Magazine: "The Glass Floor"
• 1974: " Carrie ." This was the book that put King on the map; the story of a telekinetic girl and her abusive mother, Carrie goes berserk, killing her classmates after a cruel prank at the prom.
• 1975: "Salem's Lot"
• 1977: "The Shining" This book was made into an iconic 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick, which King reportedly didn't like.
• 1978: "Night Shift" (collection of short stories)
• 1978: " The Stand "
• 1979: "The Dead Zone"
• 1980: "Firestarter"
• 1981: "Cujo"
• 1981: "Danse Macabre" (nonfiction book about horror)
• 1982: " Creepshow " (comic book, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson)
• 1982: "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger"
• 1982: "Different Seasons" (collection of novellas)
• 1983: "Christine"
• 1983: "Pet Sematary"
• 1983: "Cycle of the Werewolf"
• 1984: "The Talisman" (written with Peter Straub)
• 1985: "Skeleton Crew" (collection of short stories, poems, and a novella titled "The Mist" )
• 1985: "The Bachman Books" (collection of short novels)
• 1986: " It "
• 1987: "The Eyes of the Dragon"

From 'Misery' to 'The Green Mile' (1987–1995)

• 1987: "Misery" is the story of a homicidal nurse who takes an injured writer hostage, was turned into a critically acclaimed movie. Kathy Bates, who played Annie Wilkes, won the 1990 Oscar for Best Actress.
• 1987: "The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three"
• 1987: "The Tommyknockers"
• 1988: "Nightmares in the Sky" (photo book with text by King)
• 1989: "Dark Visions" (collection of short stories)
• 1989: "The Dark Half"
• 1989: "Dolan's Cadillac" (novella originally published in monthly installments in King's official newsletter)
• 1989: "My Pretty Pony" (short story)
• 1990: "The Stand" ("Complete & Uncut" edition)
• 1990: "Four Past Midnight" (collection of novellas)
• 1991: "Needful Things"
• 1991: "The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands"
• 1992: "Gerald's Game"
• 1992: "Dolores Claiborne"
• 1993: "Nightmares & Dreamscapes" (collection of short stories )
• 1994: " Insomnia "
• 1995: " Rose Madder "
• 1995: "Umney's Last Case" (short story)

From 'The Green Mile' and Beyond

• 1996: " The Green Mile " was originally published as a monthly serial consisting of six parts: "The Two Dead Girls , " "The Mouse on the Mile , " "Coffey's Hands , " "The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix , " "Night Journey , " and "Coffey on the Mile . " In 2000, "The Green Mile" was adapted into a film starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. The film was nominated for Best Picture, and Duncan was nominated Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of doomed but gentle psychic John Coffey.
• 1996: "Desperation"
• 1997: "Six Stories" (collection of stories)
• 1997: "The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass"
• 1998: "Bag of Bones"
• 1999: "Storm of the Century" (television miniseries written by King)
• 1999: "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"
• 1999: "The New Lieutenant's Rap" (limited edition short story)
• 1999: "Hearts in Atlantis" (collection of novellas and short stories)
• 1999: "Blood and Smoke" (audiobook of three short stories narrated by King)
• 2000: "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" (memoir)
• 2001: "Dreamcatcher"
• 2001: "Black House" (written with Peter Straub)
• 2002: "From a Buick 8"
• 2002: "Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales" (collection of short stories)
• 2003: "The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger" (revised edition)
• 2003: "The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla"
• 2004: "The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah"
• 2004: "The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower"
• 2004: "Faithful." King and co-author Stewart O'Nan began writing their book with no inkling that the long-suffering Red Sox would finally win the World Series after an 86-year drought. It changed the ending they had originally planned.
• 2005: "The Colorado Kid"
• 2006: "The Secretary of Dreams" (series of graphic short story collections authored by King)
• 2006: "Cell"
• 2006: "Lisey's Story"
• 2007: "The Mist" (republished)
• 2008: "Duma Key"
• 2009: "Stephen King Goes to the Movies" (collection of short stories)
• 2009: The Little Sisters of Eluria (limited edition in connection with "The Dark Tower" series)
• 2009: "Graduation Afternoon" (short story published in the magazine "PostScripts")
• 2009: "Throttle" (novella written with King's son, Joe Hill)
• 2009: "Under the Dome." A television show based on the book ran from 2013–2015.
• 2010: Full Dark, No Stars (collection of novellas including "1922," "Big Driver," "Fair Extension," and "A Good Marriage." )
• 2011: "The Dune" (short story published in the magazine "Granta")
• 2011: "11/22/63"
• 2012: " The Dark Tower VIII: The Wind Through the Keyhole"
• 2013: "Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All" (co-written with other authors in King's "author rock band")
• 2013: "Joyland"
• 2013: " The Dark Man" (poem)
• 2013: "Doctor Sleep"
• 2014:  "Revival"
• 2014:  "Mr. Mercedes"
• 2015:  "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams" (collection of short stories)
• 2015:  "Finders Keepers"
• 2016: "End of Watch"
• 2017: "Sleeping Beauties" (co-written with King's son, Owen King)
• 2018: "The Outsider"
• 2018: "Elevation" (novella)
• 2019: "The Institute"

More of King's Short Stories, Essays, Online Publications, and Novellas

• 2000: "Riding the Bullet" (electronically published novella)
• 2000: "The Plant" (unfinished serial novel published electronically)
• 2009: "UR" (novella available only on Amazon's Kindle)
• 2011: "Mile 81" (novella published electronically)
• 2012: "In the Tall Grass" (e-novella written with King's son, Joe Hill)
• 2012: "A Face in the Crowd" (novella published electronically, written with Stewart O'Nan)
• 2013: " Guns" (essay available on Kindle)
• 2015 short stories: " The Dune," "That Bus Is Another World," "Bad Little Kid," "A Death," "Afterlife," "Batman and Robin Have An Altercation," "Summer Thunder," "Drunken Fireworks," "Obits," "Premium Harmony," "Under the Weather," "Morality," "Mister Yummy," "Herman Wouk is Still Alive," "Mile 81."
• 2015 novellas: "Blockade Billy," "UR"
• 2015 poems: "The Bone Church," "Tommy"
• 2015 television: "11/22/63"
• 2016 anthologies: "Hearts in Suspension," "In Sunlight or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper," "Killer Crimes"
• 2016 short stories: "Man with a Belly," "The Music Room"
• 2016 essay: "Five to One, One in Five"
• 2017 film and television: "My Pretty Pony," "The Mist," "The Dark Tower," "Mr. Mercedes," "IT - Part 1: The Loser's Club," "Gerald's Game," "1922."
• 2018 short stories: "The Blue Air Compressor," "The Turbulence Expert."
• 2019 film: "Pet Sematary," "IT: Chapter Two," "Doctor Sleep."

Richard Bachman's Published Books

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, King wanted to write more than one book per year, but his publishers were concerned about over-saturating the market. He also wanted to know if his books were successful only because he had achieved some level of fame; that is, were they best-sellers because they were high-quality books or only because people wanted to read the latest "Stephen King?"

So King invented the alter-ego of Richard Bachman and released four works under that pseudonym: "Rage" (1977), "The Long Walk" (1979), "Roadwork" (1981), and "The Running Man" (1982) before he was discovered. He wrote several additional works as Bachman though, including "Thinner" (1984), "The Regulators" (1996), and "Blaze" (2007).

Stephen King's Unpublished Books and Stories

• 1959: "Charlie" (short story)
• 1963: "The Aftermath" (novella)
• 1970: "Sword in the Darkness" (novel)
• 1974: "The House on Value Street" (unfinished)
• 1976: "Welcome to Clearwater" (unfinished)
• 1976: "The Corner" (unfinished)
• 1977: "Wimsey" (unfinished)
• 1983: "The Leprechaun" (unfinished)
• 1983: "The Cannibals" (eventually developed into King's "Under the Dome" [2009])
• 1984: "Keyholes" (unfinished)
• Stephen King Movies and TV Shows
• Best Stephen King Movies of the 80s
• A Timeline of the History of Hollywood Horror Movies
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): History and Winners
• Snowy Scares: Horror Movies to Feed Your Winter Need
• The Horror-Western Genre
• 9 Exceedingly Creepy Cat Movies
• 9 of the Worst Broadway Musicals of All Time
• Top 10 Halloween Songs
• A Brief History of 3-D Horror Movies
• The 12 Best Movie Franchises of All Time
• 10 Fab Beatle Christmas Gifts
• The Best Not-Too-Scary Movies for Kids

The 20 best books by Stephen King, according to Goodreads users

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• Stephen King is an author famous for his suspenseful horror novels.
• Some of his books have been turned into movies like " The Shining " and " It ."
• We used Goodreads to rank his most popular novels.

While some readers gravitate toward heartwarming love stories or informative nonfiction, others love the wide-eyed suspense and fear of a great horror story or thrilling mystery novel . Stephen King has become a legendary writer since his first book was published in 1974 and has garnered worldwide fans, earned countless awards, and topped bestseller lists with his horror, thriller, science-fiction, and crime reads.  

King has received nearly 17 million ratings from Goodreads reviewers across dozens of novels, so we turned to them to rank his best books. Goodreads is the world's largest platform for readers to rate, review, and recommend books so whether you love a great horror novel or crave a suspenseful book that keeps you up at night, here are the most popular Stephen King novels, as ranked by Goodreads reviewers.

The 20 best Stephen King books, according to Goodreads:

20. a supernatural, science fiction horror story.

"The Institute," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.79

This 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards winner for Best Horror follows Luke Ellis as he wakes up in The Institute after his parents are murdered and he's taken from his home. At The Institute, Luke finds other kids with extranormal gifts like his own and a staff determined to extract them, with brutal punishment waiting for those who disobey. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 85,109

19. The third novel in a thrilling series

"The Waste Lands," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $12.98

In " The Dark Tower " series, readers follow Roland, the last in a knightly order, on his quest to reach the Dark Tower — the only hope for his world. This is the third book, where Roland experiences double memories as a result of saving a boy who had already died in a parallel universe. Roland and his new gang of fellow gunslingers must draw the boy into their world in order to reach the Dark Tower. This novel is full of important character development and genuine entertainment from the plot, one that solidifies readers' necessity to continue the series. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 91,599

18. A thrilling fantasy tale of a mysterious store

"Needful Things" available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.19

In his shop, Needful Things, Leland Gaunt knows that every customer will find the object of their heart's deepest desire. In exchange, Leland asks for a small prank to be carried out on his behalf, generating a novel of chaos in a small town. This story is fascinating as the characters are tempted and lured into complete obsession over possessions, blinded by greed and willing to do anything for the object they want — even murder. It's an intense novel, a thriller and fantasy that swirls with mayhem while still being the small-town horror that King writes so well.

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 77,940

17. An anticipated sequel to a modern classic

"Doctor Sleep," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $10.22

In this sequel, readers reunite with Dan Torrance, once the young boy from " The Shining ," but now a middle-aged man drifting through life. When Dan settles into a job at a nursing home in New Hampshire, he's coined "Doctor Sleep," using his paranormal abilities to help and comfort the dying. But there is a group of traveling, murderous paranormals who are deriving their energy from the "steam" given off by paranormal children as they're tortured and killed. When Dan meets 12-year-old Abra with the same gift he has, he knows he must try to save her. This is a psychological and gory sequel, hugely satisfying to readers who adored "The Shining." 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 90,138

16. A not-so-sweet story about a Saint Bernard

"Cujo," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.97

" Cujo " is a 1981 psychological horror read about a Saint Bernard named Cujo who gets bitten by a bat while chasing a rabbit and is quickly overcome by a sickness that has turned him uncontrollably towards murder. As Cujo creates a flurry of fear and madness, everyone in their small town fears for their safety in this gruesome and nail-biting read. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 71,244

15. A new suspenseful and haunting horror novel

"The Outsider," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.16

This bone-chilling Stephen King horror won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller in 2018 for its unsettling plot and page-turning investigation. When a young boy's body is found in a park, copious DNA evidence immediately points investigators towards Terry Maitland, a local Little League coach and teacher. Yet after a swift arrest, their investigation slowly brings new and horrifying answers to light.  

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 78,651

14. The second installment of a beloved series

"The Drawing of the Three," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $12.99

This is the second book of " The Dark Tower " series, which follows Roland, The Last Gunslinger, on his quest to reach the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes that his world desperately needs to survive. In this sequel, Roland navigates a world that is a nightmarish mirror of our own to encounter a beach with three doors. Each is a gateway to a person living in New York with whom Roland must collaborate to fight evil forces. This book is a plot-driven horror story mixed with magical realism, a page-turning novel that demonstrates some of the best of King's cross-genre writing. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 106,370

13. A psychological sci-fi novel

"Under the Dome," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.42

On an otherwise normal day, the residents in Chester's Mill, Maine find themselves trapped under an invisible dome, a forcefield separating them from the rest of the world. Told through multiple perspectives, a group of citizens comes together to fight their new enemies in this strange and unprecedented dystopia. There is a large cast of characters in this story, but King writes each one as a prominent individual so readers can easily follow each story. " Under the Dome " is definitely a violent science-fiction thriller, but also comes peppered with dark humor and strong characters, making it a rich read with profound messages about contemporary society. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 91,933

12. A suspenseful true crime mystery thriller

"Mr. Mercedes," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.29

The opening of this book is emotional but quickly turns gruesome, as a man driving a Mercedes plows into a line of innocent people waiting at a job fair. After killing eight and injuring 15, the man gets away and retired detective Bill Hodges is left haunted by the crime. On the verge of suicide, Bill receives a message from the murderer, spurring a mission to catch the killer before he strikes again. The juxtaposition between the conniving and manipulative Mr. Mercedes and the tired but determined Hodges is what makes this King novel such an invigorating read. It continues on to create the " Bill Hodges " trilogy, a fast-paced supernatural series featuring this detective-turned-hero.

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 93,372

11. An autobiographical self-help book about writing

"On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $17.99

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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 134,058

10. A dramatic and emotional book

"The Green Mile," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $9.29

" 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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 167,629

9. A horrifying vampire story

"Salem's Lot," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.36

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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 145,157

8. A paranormal novel with building horror

"Pet Sematary," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.99

In rural Maine, a picturesque family has moved into a perfect home to live a simple and happy life, just to find the town is haunted by horrors that should have remained dead — all seeming to originate from an evil and ominous nearby pet cemetery. This is a slow-burn horror, one that offers less gore but rather builds and builds on disturbing elements and skin-crawling feelings to scare readers in a way only Stephen King can. The developments in this novel are shocking and nightmarish, with even King admitting that this story scared him more than his others. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads:  189,058

7. A historical fiction, time travel thriller about JFK

"11/22/63," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $18.25

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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 244,754

6. The first of a heroic fantasy series

"The Gunslinger," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $11.62

This is the first installment of King's hugely popular series " The Dark Tower ," of which there are eight books and a short story. Roland of Gilead is The Last Gunslinger — the final hero in a knightly order. With a mix of dark fantasy, horror, and Western themes, the story follows Roland as he sets off on his quest for the Dark Tower which holds all of existence together. On his journey, he pursues his arch-nemesis, develops a friendship, and meets a mysterious woman. An added excitement for regular King readers is the tie-ins to other novels: references and Easter eggs that expand and intertwine King's multiverse. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 213,445

5. A supernatural horror story centered on bullying

"Carrie," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $7.99

Stephen King's first published novel focuses on Carrie White, a telekinetic teenager who's able to move objects with her mind. Abused and bullied all her life, one particularly traumatic day unleashes a streak of revenge that cumulates with a famously terrifying prom night scene. This modern horror classic is also a powerful anti-bullying testament, offering the frightening combination of real and supernatural elements that makes it an exceptionally fast read.

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 210,851

4. An intense psychological thriller about an obsessive fan

"Misery," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $13.69

After celebrating the release of a new novel, Paul Sheldon gets in a car accident in the Rocky Mountains and is rescued by Anne 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, Anne 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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 267,279

3. A post-apocalyptic fantasy thriller

"The Stand," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $14.89

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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 386,896

2. An iconic creepy clown horror story

"It," available at Amazon and Bookshop , from $15.97

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. 

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 490,912

1. A modern horror classic

"The Shining," available on Amazon and Bookshop , from $8.36

It should hardly be a surprise that Stephen King's most popular book is also his 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.

Number of 5-star reviews on Goodreads: 652,896

• Main content

Stephen King Revisited

Essays, memories, and even a little history…, stephen king books in chronological order.

Here is the list of Stephen King’s books we’re reading as part of Stephen King Revisited, along with links to the essays and other content we have posted for each book.

Carrie (1974) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by Ray Garton * Richard’s follow-up ‘Salem’s Lot (1975) Historical Essay  *  Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Christopher Golden The Shining (1977) Historical Essay  * Richard’s Thoughts *  Guest Essay by Michael Koryta Rage (1977) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Norman Prentiss Night Shift (1978) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Brian Keene The Stand (1978) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by Josh Boone The Long Walk (1979) [by Richard Bachman] Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by Ed Gorman The Dead Zone (1979) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Chet Williamson Firestarter (1980) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Ian Rogers Roadwork (1981) [by Richard Bachman] Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by JD Barker Danse Macabre (1981) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Hank Wagner Cujo (1981) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Kealan Patrick Burke The Running Man (1982) [by Richard Bachman] Historical Essay  * Richard’s Thoughts The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by Bev Vincent Different Seasons (1982) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts Christine (1983) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by James Newman Cycle of the Werewolf (1983) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts Pet Sematary (1983) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts  * Guest Essay by Stewart O’Nan The Eyes of the Dragon (1984) Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts * Guest Essay by Joseph Madden The Talisman (1984) with Peter Straub Historical Essay * Richard’s Thoughts Thinner (1984) [by Richard Bachman] Skeleton Crew (1985) IT (1986) The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three (1987) Misery (1987) The Tommyknockers (1987) The Dark Half (1989) The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (1990) Four Past Midnight (1990) The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands (1991) Needful Things (1991) Gerald’s Game (1992) Dolores Claiborne (1992) Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993) Insomnia (1994) Rose Madder (1995) The Green Mile (1996) Desperation (1996) The Regulators (1996) [by Richard Bachman] The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass (1997) Bag of Bones (1998) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) Hearts in Atlantis (1999) Storm of the Century (1999) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000) Dreamcatcher (2001) Black House (2001) with Peter Straub Everything’s Eventual (2002) From a Buick 8 (2002) The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla (2003) The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (2004) The Dark Tower: The Dark Tower (2004) Faithful (2004) with Stewart O’Nan The Colorado Kid (2005) Cell (2006) Lisey’s Story (2006) The Secretary of Dreams: Volume One (2006) Blaze (2007) [by Richard Bachman] Duma Key (2008) Just After Sunset (2008) Under the Dome (2009) Blockade Billy (2010) The Secretary of Dreams: Volume 2 (2010) Full Dark, No Stars (2010) 11/22/63 (2011) The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012) Joyland (2013) The Dark Man (2013) Doctor Sleep (2013) Mr. Mercedes (2014) Revival (2014) Finders Keepers (2015) The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015) End of Watch (2016) Charlie the Choo-Choo (2016) [by Beryl Evans] Six Scary Stories selected by Stephen King (2016) Gwendy’s Button Box (2017) with Richard Chizmar Sleeping Beauties (2017) with Owen King The Outsider (2018) Flight or Fright (2018) coedited with Bev Vincent Elevation (2018) The Institute (2019) If It Bleeds (2020) Later (2021) Billy Summers (2021) Gwendy’s Final Task (2022) with Richard Chizmar Fairy Tale (2022) Holly (2023) You Like it Darker (2024)

** Other Posts of Interest: Richard’s SK Top Ten Novels List (as of the beginning of this re-reading process)

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92 comments

Thanks for the list. I might have to read ahead. I have recently read “Carrie”, “Salem’s Lot” and the “The Shining” but I’ve never read “Rage” so I might start there.

Because of the content of Rage (school shooting), it was taken out of publication and I had a hard time finding it. Finally lucked out when the library had an old edition of the Bachman Books compilation which included it. Just a heads up.

I found that there was an audiobook on YouTube that hadn’t been taken down. It might still be there. The narrator was damn good, but the audio was quiet so I’d recommend wearing earbuds or downloading it and raising the volume using a video editing software.

Rage is not what I expected when hearing it was about a school shooting. Overall it’s one of my favorite books though. Definitely worth the hunt!

Damn impressive list of books.

Thanks for the list. But I thought Eyes of the Dragon was published in 1987, no?

It was first published as a limited edition in 1984 via King’s own Philtrum Press — the Viking trade was Feb ’87.

Yep, we went with the date of the Limited Edition for that one and The Gunslinger since they were published a few years before any trade editions.

Whew! I’m not missing any of his fiction works. I counted The Bachman Books as one and not four novels. I am missing some non-fiction. So, I need to buy those STAT.

Ok, I’m set! I counted the Bachman Books as one, also. I do keep searching the tag and yard sales for those original paperbacks, tho 😉

I read CARRIE on Halloween… I don’t think I had ever read it… What a wonderful book… Beautiful writing… Sue Snell- a name that will haunt the edges of my subconscious for awhile… I can’t say how happy I am to be pushed to revisit all these books in order… apparently making a few new book friends as I go… Time to go through the list you just posted and see what books I’m missing… Thank you for the list!

Check, check, and check. Got em all, including the individual original paperbacks of Bachman. Still waiting for my 1st signature though.

Thanks for the list! Tried to keep up on the Works By SK list from his website, only need to find The Secretary of Dreams Vol.1. May order ebooks for the ease of reading. Looking forward to the upcoming DC Revival book tour trip. Even if I don’t acquire a signed book, I enjoy listening to SK. My husband is more into reading software code, but does appreciate Stephen’s wit and humor. Happy reading!

I did this re-read a couple of years ago; I stopped at The Colorado Kid (that and the rest next year, maybe.) It is/was/will be an amazing journey.

I started reading Stephen King from the beginning. I had to wait for the paperback to come out because I couldn’t afford the hardback. What a long wait each time! Now I have all of them in hardback and my hubby buys me each new book the day it comes out. I still have the old paperback and you can tell they have been read & re-read over and over. My favorite is The Stand. I have both the original release and the extended release. I’m now trying to collect all his movies on DVD. Just love Stephen King!

Jan, I have many Stephen King movies and no longer wish to keep dvd’s. If there are any you need, please contact me and I’ll see if I have them. I would want them to go to someone who will really cherish them. 🙂

Mary [email protected]

I’ll try to get a list together if you want to send me a private message thru email to see if I have anything you need.

Loving the title The Bazaar of Bad Dreams!

Interesting. Both versions of The Stand, but only one version of The Gunslinger (presumably the original)?

We hadn’t yet discussed reading the revised version of The Gunslinger, but it might be added to the list!

Cool. I’ve read the revised version four times, but never read the original. Worth the read, or will it just confuse me? (I think I already know the answer..) 😛

I don’t think the original will confuse you at all. The revised version mostly added some foreshadowing and fixed some cultural references that didn’t work for the series as it developed, if I recall correctly!

my question is, if both versions of the STAND are on the list, does that mean both versions will be read? as Richard is reading THE STAND right now, and from the picture posted, it would be the first edition paperback. This means he is reading the shorter version. when he gets to the publication date of THE STAND uncut, will he be reading that entire version as well?

Haven’t heard of the last two. Finders Keepers and Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Where can I find out out those?

Finders Keepers is the follow-up to Mr. Mercedes and will be published in June 2015. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams is a new short story collection and will be published in the fall of 2015. I believe King has said it collects 20 of his stories, so it should be a pretty big book.

I have a question regarding 2 books I don’t find in this list, 1 that maybe should be and 1 that I’m not sure about. The first is ‘Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing’. This was published in 2000 and says Biok-Of-The-Month-Club at the bottom of the title page so I’m not sure if it belongs here or not. The other is ‘The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer’. This was published in 2001 and was also a made for TV movie. It says nothing about King on it but I had always been led to believe he had something to do with either the book or the movie. Can any one clear that up for me? Thanks. -Lyn

Thanks for asking!

As of right now, Rich isn’t including Secret Windows because it was a Book of the Month Club only title, but that could change if enough readers disagree and think it should be included.

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer was actually written by Ridley Pearson.

Did King have anything to do with either the Diary book or the movie? I remember watching it because somewhere there was an ad stating he was involved. Of course that was a few years ago so maybe I’m just remembering it incorrectly. Thanks for the reply!- Lyn

Other than it being based on Rose Red, I don’t recall him really being involved, but I’m sure someone else will correct me if I’m wrong!

King was only involved insofar as Rose Red was his story and it was his suggestion that fellow Rock Bottom Remainder Ridley Pearson write the tie-in novel when ABC suggested it. Pearson was heavily involved in the movie that was made from the diary, but King had nothing to do with it.

He WAS the pizza delivery guy in Rose Red though…lol

By any chance, will Secretary of Dreams, vols 1 and 2 be rereleased by Cemetery Dance so those of us following along can read them too? 🙂

I’d second that.

However, I don’t think the books belong on this list. They didn’t contain any new stories by King, so essentially you’d just be reviewing the artwork. Which would be interesting — but surely that would then mean that the project ought to include comics, movies, and other adaptations as well, right?

I, too, would like to be able to buy Secretary of Dreams, vols I and II through Cemetery Dance. My husband and I recently retired, and I have a very full plate for the next few months until we sell the house in the Frozen North and finish moving to sunny Florida. I do plan, however, to start reading along and catch up with Richard and the other Constant Readers as soon as I can!

You know,those of us who have read Mr. King’s short story collections have never been disappointed, so it’s strange that perhaps he hasn’t been recognized enough in this venue. However, when you look at the number of movies that have been made from his short stories, you know his talent is obvious. I LOOK FORWARD to the publication of his The Bazaar of Bad Dreams!!!

No “The Plant”?

The Plant is unfinished.

Yet nevertheless it was published (albeit only online). If King had not yet managed to finish “The Dark Tower” (which, to some degree, he admits he hasn’t), would those books be left off?

I’m definitely willing to listen to the argument for re-reading the eBook of The Plant, even if it was only “Part One” and never finished beyond that point. I shall mention it to Richard during our next meeting. At the very least, it’s an interesting piece of Stephen King history…

To me, it feels like too substantial a work to skip. Plus, it’s pretty good! I keep hoping he’ll turn his eye back toward it one of these days.

While I’m at it, I might as well also make a case for “Silver Bullet.” It’s just a screenplay, sure, but (like “Storm of the Century,” which is on the list) it WAS published as a book.

Read my first Stephen King this year – at age 64! It was 11/233/63. I was 13 at the time. Since then I graduated (?) to the Dome then the Stand, lastly the entire Dark Tower series. Bought each movie after I read the book. All but The Dome were really good. Buying a book then seeing the movie or vice versa, remembering I’ve read A LOT of books up until now, is a quirk I am proud of. I can do this as I am disabled, both social security and veterans, so I have the time to indulge. If anyone would care to comment, I am unsure about collaboration books. I don’t know how that works; how an author does this type writing.

Read the Green Mile, then watch the movie. Almost word for word. I even have a copy of the screenplay awesome adaptation

I’m a constant reader who not only loves Stephen’s stories but his Afterword. I also love his use of music throughout his stories. Stephen writes his beginnings with mounting urge to read more and doesn’t disappoint as the story progresses to its crescendo. I enjoyed the first three of the Dark Tower series. One of my favorites is “Dolores Claiborne.” I also enjoy your short stories and noticed a similarity to some of the Classic Horror stories by Robert Louis Stevenson and Edgar Allan Poe. You outdid your writing with the Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. One of my favorites is “The Girl who loved Tom Gordon.” One of my favorites was “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.” Will be a Constant Reader for as long as you write. You write as if you are talking directly to me….very private and personal. Thank you for surviving unsurmountable pain and healing to continue your works. See you in the words….Paula Baskette

I, too, have noticed Mr. King’s love for music. I look for literary allusions and outright authors’ names and titles. For me, Mr. King’s books ‘read themselves’. I’ve read authors in this and other genres who take a LONG time, if ever, developing my interest as the way Mr. King does. I have also been to Maine. It was 1970. Maybe not the same as staying in a Motel 6, but close.

is the “The Dark Tower: The Wind thru the keyhole” 2012, the Dark Tower 8?

You might call it that. SK sometimes refers to it as The Dark Tower 4.5, since the contemporary storyline sites between Wizard & Glass and Wolves of the Calla .

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I bought Secretary of Dreams, Vols II — but somehow miss Vol. I. I am quite a hard time finding that volume published by Cemetary Dance. ????? Bummer. Any suggestions? Linda

Save up a couple of thousand dollars and then go to eBay. It’s hella out of print.

found one at a used book store for 30 bucks!!

I think this is an amazing this to do! Being unemployed with health issues right now and having to help my family make it through the holidays, I can’t afford to go out and buy a bunch of SK books. At only 23, my collection right now is kind of small and i would love to take that journey with you. King is one of the reasons i was inspired to self-publish four books and continue to write through my struggles now. But since I can’t read a long, i’ll read and enjoy these posts! It should be an awesome ride.

Hello! I was curious why some novellas and short stories didn’t make the Revisited list? I’m referring to UR, Throttle, Mile 81, In the Tall Grass, and especially A Face in the Crowd. Thank you for your time!

Hi Tara! We’re only covering short stories and novellas that have been collected in King’s collections or published as standalone editions like Blockade Billy. The collaborations with Joe Hill won’t be in the next collection due out in 2015, but some of the others you mention almost certainly will be, so they’ll be covered then. Thanks for asking!

Wasn’t My pretty pony published as a standalone? it is not included. Also I think for sure, Riding the Bullet and the plant need to be added. They were landmark ideas at the time. Displaying King’s foresight of the future of publishing. The revised editions of the Gunslinger and Salem’s Lot need to be included. If storm of the century is included then silver bullet has to be as it was published in book format. It may be hard to find, but so is Rage (as King pulled it from print). Secret Windows needs to be included as well, it is listed in the front of King works. I am assuming we are not including six stories, because it is impossible to get a copy for less than $750. Bottom line we should avoid cutting as many corners as possible.

Also to be considered: American Vampire Vol 1, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, and Stephen King Goes to the Movies. An arguement can be made for each.

Thanks for the feedback, Gary!

you can count CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF as SILVER BULLET, as that is the book the film came from, RAGE is not that hard to find at all, millions of copies of THE BACHMAN BOOKS in its collected form are still easy to find at a used book price ( any more than $20 and you are getting robbed) both STEPHEN KING GOES TO THE MOVIES and SIX STORIES publish previously published material , same to all those who request SECRETARY OF DREAMS 1 and 2. .and RIDING THE BULLET is also in EVERYTHING IS EVENTUAL.

with blockade billy being listed as included in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, is it going to be dropped from the list?

Might Richard consider recording his readings into audio books?

I kind of love this idea! I’ll pass it along. Thanks!

I love this “Stephen King Revisited” Re-Read Along.These are my guesses: you might not have read “Cycle of the Werewolf” and “Storm of the Century”. I didn’t even try guessing “The Plant”. As it seems, I am also, awaiting, a complete, affordable hardcover. I am loving the revisit of “the darkly frightening “RAGE”;ever more terrifying because of its seemingly; psychic, precognition; of our present exponentially increasing social situations. All The Best Mr. Chizmar, Regards, Ronald Scott Sippel.

Where’s “Thinner” (written as Richard Bachman)?

Hiding in the mid-1980s, between The Talisman and Skeleton Crew.

I have already purchased Finder Keepers and look forward to its release. Is Cemetery Dance handling “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams” too? I want to pre-order that book also. Stephen King Rules!!!!! Many Thanks!

Why was My Pretty Pony not addressed in one of the earlier posts? I have the oversized book and it is really good and should be on the list.

It’s collected in Nightmares and Dreamscapes and will be discussed there.

Is the e-book publication of Riding the Bullet that was published in 2000 different from the version of that story that was in Everything’s Eventual in 2002?

I was at a book signing for ‘Revival” and the guy in line in front of me was chatting everyone up. He turned to me and said, “So which Stephen King books have you read?” Me: “All of them.” What other answer could there be?

I have read all of the Stephen King books in the list except the illustrated ones – The Dark Man and Secretary of Dreams I and II (which are illustrations of existing short stories) – and Faithful (just could never get into it. I have read most of his books more than once. I have also read My Pretty Pony, which is not in the list.

How is Blockade Billy affected now that is it being included in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams? We have not included other books that are included into collections

That’s a good question. The other novellas like My Pretty Pony and Dolan’s Cadillac didn’t have trade editions for the mass market from SK’s New York publisher like Blockade Billy, so it is a little different in that sense, but it is also now in a collection. We’ll probably make a decision when we get closer!

new king book announced The Suicide Prince !

The title is now End of Watch

Please check the link to “Richard’s Thoughts” for Firestarter – it is incorrectly pointing to instead of [www.stephenkinrevisited.com]

Fixed! Thank you!

What happened to Creepshow?

Richard decided to skip it since he doesn’t consider it to be a real SK book.

I have been reading Stephen King’s books since I was 12. Have not missed one of his books !! Would never tell my age, but has been a long journey and have loved everyone !! He has a fantastic mind.

Wow! I love Stephen King and when i bought my first kindle in 2011, i decided to re-read all his books by order! Glad to see others doing and blogging about it! 4 years passed, and i’m still not done 😀

What about the collections in Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight.

They’re on the list. We’ve already covered Different Seasons.

I’ve been loving this. Thanks for all the work you’ve put in here.

Was any thought given to including Nightmares in the Sky? Might be a bit insubstantial, but could make a good inclusion if for no other reason than to highlight the book for people who don’t know about it.

I started a re-read of all his books this past Summer. I am reading The Library Policeman from Four Past Midnight now. I cheated and read some Bazaar of Bad Dreams but who can blame me lol. I read Mr. Mercedes but have resisted Finders Keepers thus far. That will likely change when End of Watch is released as I am going to go see him for the reading, Q&A session in Dayton this Summer. Hoping to be one of the 400 picked for a signed copy. I have an early edition of Pet Sematary I would LOVE to have signed, the first book I read of his and by far my favorite every since. Trying to gather all his DVD’S now. I have Rose Red, IT, The Mist, Children of the Corn, Shawshank Redemption, the Green Mile, Creepshow & Dreamcatcher. Still have a ways to go lol. I have all his paperbacks and about 37 hardcover so that collection is coming on nicely :). Thanks for the comprehensive list and awesome site. Love that others love his work as much as I do to reread them all over again! I’ve read all his works at least once and my favorites at least a dozen times lol. Reading them chronologically makes it feel like a journey though. And like Roland I will probably restart the same journey over and over again for all my days…

The first Stephen King book I read was “Salem’s Lot” in 1975. We were living in Topsham, ME then. As I sat in the house it the evening reading the book I was scared out of my wits as I could picture all those ME sights. From then on, I was hooked. Thanks for all the joy you’ve brought to my reading life, Mr. King.

I am one of your biggest fan I have ever book you have written even the ones under Bachman I have a hard copy and paper back I love all your books that’s all I own I will only read your books thank you for the wonderful books

I have a suggestion for Stephen King.Thinner in reverse entitle it Fatter make it about a gypsy curse making a thin guy fat and have it end with him dying from a heart attack.

I never knew that there was a last book in the dark tower series the wind through the keyhole Wow!!

When are you going to put up more reviews and comments of the books? They are the next best thing to reading King

What about Secret Windows: Essays and fiction on the craft of writing from 2000? Not the usual… I think he did it exclusively for his book club members.

Is there anywhere to see a list in the order books were written, including the Bachman ones, and not the order that they were published? Thanks!

Bev Vincent compiled this list for the early stuff, through 1984. After that, we think it can be assumed things were pretty much in sequence:

1965-1966 Unpublished: The Aftermath 1966-1967 The Long Walk 1968 Unpublished: Sword in the Darkness 1966-1971 Rage 1970-1981 The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger 1972 The Running Man 1973 Carrie 1973 Blaze 1973 ‘Salem’s Lot 1973-1974 Roadwork 1974 The Shining 1975-1976 The Stand 1976 Two incomplete novels: Welcome to Clearwater and The Corner 1977 The Dead Zone 1977 Firestarter September 1977 – March 1981 Cujo February 1979 – December 1982 Pet Sematary 1979 Christine 1979 Danse Macabre September 9th, 1981 -December 28th, 1985 It 1982-1986: The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three 1982-1983 The Talisman 1982 Incomplete: The Cannibals August 19th, 1982 – May 19th, 1987 The Tommyknockers 1983 The Eyes of the Dragon September 23rd 1984 – October 7th 1986: Misery 1984 Thinner

Gwendy’s Magic Feather is missing. Still holding out hope this site will come back, even if it’s picked up by someone else.

Thanks as well to SK for recommending works by John D. McDonald, John Sandford, Elmore Leonard , Robert Parker ,Michael Connelly and C. J. Box over the years. I managed to read all their works with pleasure as well as Stephen’s. I have read many others but these are the outstanding few that make the cut…..Paul.

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All 75 Stephen King Books, Ranked

We're sorting through the exhilarating highs, bewildering lows, and many unexpected diversions.

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

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 , just shy of 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 that flows incessantly west towards 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. I have interviewed hundreds of horror writers from all across the genre’s wide spectrum, and when asked for their inspirations and their gateways to fearful fiction, so many leap immediately to King. Nat Cassidy, author of this year’s Mary: An Awakening of Terror , put it best, describing King as his “mother tongue.” 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 King’s published work in all its darkness, weatherworn beauty, and surprising weirdness. The man has written over seventy books, so some nod to brevity is required. Any published stories compiled within a larger collection will not be ranked singularly. That still leaves over sixty novels and more than a dozen collections of tales. Together, they form a dark constellation of stories that generations have traced, in wonder and fear and hope.

Below, I've ranked King's books in order from worst to best. Let’s get started.

That Faithful has made this list at all is a sign of my obsessive completionism. This chronicle of the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 season is almost unreadable to anyone who isn’t an aficionado of baseball. Early passages in which King and fellow uber-fan O’Nan head to off-season training in Florida do capture something of the enthusiasm and nostalgia for the Great American Pastime. Beyond that, Faithful is a series of stats and fixtures as obscure as King’s most convoluted mythologies. A book for baseball fans only.

Hard Case Crime The Colorado Kid

King’s first venture with the Hard Case Crime imprint is the most minor of novellas. The Colorado Kid is a half-baked tale of small-town journalism and an unsolved crime. 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.

Scribner Sleeping Beauties

Around the world a sleeping sickness plunges women into a strange, cocooned state. If awakened, they turn homicidal. King and his son screw this global story down to a small town and its prison, where the plague is revealed to be something far odder and more mystical. It’s a bold attempt to tell a large-scale, female-focused story, but the politics, the metaphysics, and the characters never feel fully developed. It has all the hallmarks of classic King, but it’s his most unengaging novel.

The early-to-mid noughties saw the zombie shamble back to the forefront of the horror scene. At the same time, ‘90s technophobia got a new burst of digital energy. Cell brings the two together, with a malicious cell phone signal turning the populace into the very-next-thing-to-undead. Despite its barnstorming first chapter and a moving, uncharacteristically ambiguous ending, Cell is often considered the “worst” Stephen King novel. It’s hard to argue. Characters are flatter than usual, King has done the dream-invading antagonist far better elsewhere, and rather ironically for a story structured around a single-minded road trip, the book never feels like it has any particular destination in mind.

Dreamcatcher

This oh-so-weird tale of “shit weasels” and aliens made of cancer is the other candidate for King’s least-loved novel. In this case, it’s an opinion that the author largely shares. There is some justification here; King wrote the book while recovering from his life-threatening car accident, and he confesses that the book was written under the influence of Oxycontin. It shows. A superbly graphic opening (I repeat: SHIT WEASELS) is stretched too far and too thin. The final third is a confusion of italicized fragments as the heroes fight the alien foe on a psychological battlefield. Kudos for taking us back to Derry, where it is hinted that a great villain still slumbers, but it’s not enough to save this scatological misfire.

Scribner If It Bleeds

Roughly once a decade, King releases a collection of novellas that show his gift for building character and worlds on a smaller scale. His most recent offering is the weakest, relying too often on rehashed themes. The title story is an entirely unnecessary sequel to The Outsider (2017), led by a character King loves, but who leaves me cold. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is a campfire tale of friendship between a teenage boy and an old man, featuring King’s patented Haunted Technology™. Rat is a Poe-esque story of madness and creative isolation that he’s already done so much more effectively several times before. Only The Life of Chuck swings for greatness. An elegiac experiment about the difference a single life can make, it’s genuinely lovely, but it doesn’t save the collection from feeling a little disposable.

Gallery 13 Cycle of the Werewolf

Cycle of the Werewolf began as an idea for a spooky calendar before King expanded it into an illustrated novella, organized around the monthly lycanthropic attacks on the town of Tarker’s Mills. As the bodies mount up, Marty Coslaw, a ten-year-old wheelchair user, investigates which of the townsfolk howl with the moon. Cycle is King’s slightest book; despite the pulpy gorgeousness of Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations, the format is unavoidably superficial. Perhaps the greatest shame is that it means we never got a full-blooded werewolf novel from King.

Hard Case Crime Later

If King occasionally repeats himself, well, it’s partly due to his obsession with certain themes, and partly because… c’mon… after fifty years and seventy-five books, how could there not be retrodden ground? It’s exceedingly rare that King fails to bring something new to the mix, however, and Later does offer a particularly malicious ghost and a thrilling link to one of King’s truly great novels. But otherwise it’s a strangely enervated trip to King’s school of supernaturally gifted children. Like The Colorado Kid , it's published under the Hard Case Crime imprint, but whereas that book had a damp squib of an ending, Later closes with one of the most astonishingly batshit answers to a question that no one was really asking.

Gallery Books Finders Keepers

Though he’s written over fifty standalone novels, several loose sequels, and developed a whole multiverse connecting his fictional worlds, it took King forty years to try his hand at straightforward series fiction. The Bill Hodges Trilogy follows a middle-aged detective and his neurodivergent sidekick as they solve crimes. This, the middle volume, is easily the least engaging. As a crime story, Finders Keepers is… fine, one of King’s many explorations of the twisted relationship between writer and reader. In this case though, he has nothing particularly new to say on the subject.

Gallery Books Gwendy's Button Box

Gwendy’s Button Box is a belated return to Castle Rock, the fictional Maine town that we shall visit many times in the following entries. It also features a villain with the initials R.F. For the initiated, this anchors the story firmly in King’s wider mythology. For everyone else, it’s a simple Faustian bargain between the darkly-becloaked fellow and twelve-year-old Gwendy, for whom the titular box brings both personal reward and broader tragedy. I asked Richard Chizmar what it was like to collaborate with King. His answer: “Sheer terror and a wonderful experience.” Though the terror doesn’t manifest on the page, some of the wonder does, resulting in a book that’s closer to Ray Bradbury’s idyllic American fables than horror. It’s a lightweight start to a trilogy that grows in grandeur.

Scribner The Wind Through the Keyhole

Nearly a decade after the conclusion of the epic Dark Tower series, King returned to Mid-World for this inessential yet enjoyable addendum to the story. It falls somewhere in the middle of the overall saga as Roland and his Ka-Tet (this will all make sense later, I promise) weather a brutal storm telling stories. What follows is a pair of nested tales featuring dragons, wizards, and the fearsome Skin-Man. The Wind Through the Keyhole is only a minor extension of the vast world-spanning series that preceded it, but it does add flesh to the skeleton in Roland’s oedipal closet.

Scribner The Institute

I was so excited when news of The Institute broke. Gifted children, a creepy facility deep in the Maine woods, massive page length, and early comparisons to IT : the stars seemed aligned for a return to the classic King of the paperback racks. In reality, The Institute is a solid novel, though only in its gasping escape sequence does it ever become more than that. It suffers a little from similarity to Stranger Things , and the orphaned Luke doesn’t quite capture the heart like other King children. But no one else writes adult fare from a child’s perspective so well, or so terrifyingly, and there are moments when the cold apathy of the Institute’s staff is more disturbing than any kiddie-devouring entity could hope to be.

Gallery Books Black House: A Novel

Black House is King’s first direct sequel, continuing the story he and Peter Straub began in The Talisman . Jack Sawyer the boy-hero has grown up to become a police-officer in pursuit of the child-killing “Fisherman.” It’s only fair, one supposes, that after setting the first book in King’s New England, the sequel should relocate to Straub’s Wisconsin. That’s seemingly as far as Straub’s influence goes, however, as Black House essentially serves as a satellite text to King’s increasingly engulfing Dark Tower mythos. Black House is a fun read with a memorably awful villain, based on the unmentionable crimes of real-life killer Albert Fish. However, I wonder if in forcing the book to serve the beam, it doesn’t squander some of the unique magic that King and Straub bottled the first time around.

Scribner The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah

It’s almost impossible to convey the complexity of the Dark Tower series, even if you proceed in book order. So what chance is there when starting with the sixth book of seven? Especially when that book is a metafictional experiment connecting not only our world and the world of The Tower, but also all the worlds created by Stephen King. Oh, and King… he’s a character in this one—a sort of literary MacGuffin whose survival is key to saving existence. It’s a testament to King’s character that he somehow pulls this off with humility and self-deprecation. Song of Susannah is not a bad book, just one that’s forced to do a lot of heavy metaphysical lifting in a series already weighted with mad ambition. By this point, though, you’re already in all the way.

Gallery Books Christine

The first of King’s big ‘80s bestsellers to feature on this list, Christine is beloved by many. To me, it’s the King book that comes closest to hubris (and yes, that includes the previous entry in which King himself is a nexus of all realities). This story of a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury and the twisted love triangle between the car, the boy, and his girl has plenty of rockabilly B-movie appeal, but not enough to warrant nearly 600 pages. It’s clearly a labor of love, as the effort of obtaining rights to a long list of ‘50s lyrics shows, but it’s the least successful book of King’s early prime.

Scribner Elevation, by Stephen King

Another recent novella set in Castle Rock, Elevation is at once a tragicomic fairy tale and a critique of the petty prejudice of small New England communities. Scott Carey is losing weight by the day, though his mass and appearance remain unchanged. At the same time, he comes into the orbit of a beleaguered lesbian couple. Frustratingly, Scott’s condition is never explained, nor does that speculative aspect of the plot entwine satisfactorily with King’s well-meaning but naive take on LGBTQ+ issues. Nonetheless, the climax is a small moment of bittersweet joy, most reminiscent of my favorite short story, “Pop Art,” written by King’s son, Joe Hill.

Pocket Books End of Watch

The concluding chapter of the Bill Hodges Trilogy is better than the second and slightly inferior to the first. There is a sense that King has either lost confidence in the gritty crime aspect of the series or that he’s just bored. Either way, he can’t resist injecting some supernatural shenanigans into the mix. The concept of a bed-bound villain with the ability to drive his victims to suicide is potentially chilling, but when King introduces a mesmeric mobile phone app, things take a turn for the silly. End of Watch refines the central pairing of Bill and Holly to great emotional effect and more than earns the pathos of its ending, but I was glad to move on from the series. The book itself suggests that King felt the same, but no! He’s since given us another two Holly-centric stories, with yet another, the unambiguously titled Holly , coming next year.

Gallery Books The Tommyknockers

What is it about being high that gets King thinking about aliens? Dreamcatcher was written on painkillers and The Tommyknockers was created with King’s “heart running at one hundred and thirty beats a minute and cotton swabs stuck up my nose to stem the coke-induced bleeding.” This story of extra-terrestrial ghosts and their weird technological influence is often considered to be the nadir of King’s fiction, so readers may be annoyed to find it ranked above Christine . However, despite the ridiculousness of the premise and an anticlimactic ending, the book has an endearing, freewheeling whimsy. And an early section, in which the alcoholic James Gardener drunkenly navigates the cocktail party from hell, is a great example of how sometimes King’s character-building diversions can be the real treasure buried in the story.

Gallery Books The Regulators

1996 was the year that Stephen King seemed to grow bored of the standard approach to novel writing. Not only did he opt to write The Green Mile in Dickensian installments, but he also wrote Desperation and The Regulators as a pair of “sister” novels with the same characters, though in very different universes. The former was credited to King whilst The Regulators, the more off-kilter of the pair, was posed as a posthumous release by Richard Bachman (King's pseudonym). In The Regulators , the demonic Tak possesses an autistic child and leverages the boy’s obsession with TV shows to transform a suburban street into a lurid pastiche of the Old West. It’s a bizarre, often nasty variation on the community spirit that is so often the warm heart of King’s fiction.

Gallery Books Thinner

Thinner was the last novel published under the Bachman alias before King’s alter-ego died of “cancer of the pseudonym” in 1985. It’s a simple morality tale about a man cursed to lose weight regardless of how much he eats, but it has all the Bachman hallmarks—a streamlined narrative, amoral characterization, and an ending that is pure, cruel comedy. Thinner is one of a series of morsels served between the grand feasts of The Talisman and IT , but it leaves a delightfully nasty taste.

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The Complete List of Stephen King Books in Order

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If you’re a bookaholic, then you must’ve come across Stephen King’s name at least once or twice. Even if you’re not a fan of the horror genre, it’s almost impossible not to know such a great writer.

So, you prefer movies over books? A lot of well-known movies are based on novels and stories by Stephen King, such as; It, The Shawshank Redemption, Carrie, Dreamcatcher, and the list goes on.

We’ll go through the complete list of Stephen king’s books in order, but first, let’s see who’s Stephen King.

Carrie (1974)

Our #1 Recommended for Stephen King Book..!

This is the Master of Horror’s debut novel that kicked off a career like no other. It follows the story of a tortured teenage outcast who uses her supernatural abilities to enact murderous revenge on her cruel classmates.

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Table of Contents

Who is Stephen King?

Stephen King is an American author, born on September 21, 1947. He is among the most famous horror writers. Before writing, he used to work as an English Teacher.

A lot of his novels take place in his hometown, Maine, such as; ‘Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary, and Carrie. He describes places that he knows, creating a parallel universe of them, which makes the plot interesting.

His first official short story was “The Glass Floor.” It was sold to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Our author married Tabitha Spruce, the famous writer of One on One, in 1971.

What Did Stephen King Write?

Stephen King wrote a total of 63 novels. He also wrote around 120 short stories and 20 novellas. He has 5 published non-fiction books.

7 of his books were published under a pen name, Richard Bachman. The reason for that is that he didn’t want to publish more than one book under the same name. Later, he collected all 7 novels in The Bachman Books.

We’ll see his most popular books first and then we’ll get to the chronological list of his books.

The Chronological List of His Published Books  

• Carrie, novel, (1974)
• ‘Salem’s Lot, novel, (1975)
• The Shining, novel, (1977)
• Rage, novel, (1977)
• The Stand, novel, (1978)
• Night Shift, story collection, (1977)
• The Long Walk, novel, (1979)
• The Dead Zone, novel, (1979)
• The Mist, novella, (1979)
• Firestarter, novel, (1980)
• Roadwork, novel, (1981)
• Danse Macabre, non-fiction, (1981)
• Cujo, novel, (1981)
• The Running Man, novel, (1982)
• The Dark Tower, novel series, (1982 – 2012)
• Different Seasons, story collection, (1982)
• Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, novella, (1982)
• The Body, novella, (1982)
• Apt Pupil, novella, (1982)
• The Breathing Method, novella, (1982)
• Pet Sematary, novel, (1982)
• Christine, novel, (1983)
• The Talisman, novel, (1984)
• Cycle of the Werewolf, novel, (1985)
• Thinner, novel, (1984)
• Skeleton Crew, story collection, (1985)
• The Bachman Books, novel collection, (1985)
• It, novel, (1986)
• The Eyes of the Dragon, novel, (1987)
• Misery, novel, (1987)
• The Tommyknockers, novel, (1987)
• Nightmares in The Sky, non-fiction, (1987)
• The Dark Half, novel, (1989)
• The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition, novel, (1990)
• Four Past Midnight, story collection, (1990)
• The Sun Dog, novella, (1990)
• Secret Window, Secret Garden, novella, (1990)
• The Library Policeman, novella, (1990)
• The Langoliers, novella, (1990)
• Needful Things, novel, (1991)
• Gerald’s Game, novel, (1992)
• Dolores Claiborne, novel, (1992)
• Nightmares & Dreamscapes, story collection, (1993)
• Insomnia, novel, (1994)
• Blind Willie, novella, (1994)
• Rose Madder, novel, (1995)
• The Green Mile, novel series, (1996)
• Desperation, novel, (1996)
• The Regulators, novel, (1996)
• Bag of Bones, novel, (1998)
• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, novel, (1999)
• Hearts in Atlantis, story collection, (1999)
• Why We’re in Vietnam, novella, (1999)
• Low Men in Yellow Coats, novella, (1999)
• Hearts in Atlantis, novella, (1999)
• Stephen King’s N, novella, (1999)
• Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing, non-fiction, (1999)
• Elevation, novella, (1999)
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, non-fiction, (1999)
• Gwendy’s Button Box, novella, (1999)
• Dreamcatcher, novel, (2001)
• Black House, novel, (2001)
• Everything’s Eventual, story collection, (2001)
• From a Buick 8, novel, (2001)
• Faithful, non-fiction, (2004)
• The Colorado Kid, novel, (2005)
• ‘Salem’s Lot Illustrated Edition, novel, (2005)
• The Secretary of Dreams: Volume One, novel, (2005)
• Cell, novel, (2006)
• Lisey’s Story, novel, (2006)
• Blaze, novel, (2007)
• Duma Key, novel, (2008)
• Just After Sunset, story collection, (2008)
• Stephen King Goes to the Movies, story collection, (2009)
• Under the Dome, novel, (2009)
• The Secretary of Dreams: Volume 2, novel, (2010)
• Full Dark, No Stars, story collection, (2010)
• 11/22/63, novel, (2011)
• GUNS, non-fiction, (2013)
• Joyland, novel, (2013)
• Doctor Sleep, novel, (2013)
• Mr. Mercedes, novel, (2014)
• Revival, novel, (2014)
• Finders Keepers, novel, (2015)
• Joyland Illustrated Edition, novel, (2015)
• The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, story collection, (2015)
• Blockade Billy, novella, (2015)
• UR, novella, (2015)
• End of Watch, novel, (2016)
• Charlie the Choo-Choo, children’s book, (2016)
• Sleeping Beauties, novel, (2017)
• The Outsider, novel, (2018)
• The Institute, novel, (2019)
• If It Bleeds, story collection, (2020)

What Are the Most Popular Stephen King’s Books?

Stephen King has many great writings, but some of them really out-stand. 

1. Carrie (1974)

Carrie is the first novel that introduced King to the world as a published writer, it was even transformed into a movie. The actions take place in the future, in 1979 in a fictional town.

The novel talks about Carrie, a teenager who has telekinetic powers. Her schoolmates bully her and she’s oppressed by a dominant mother. Will she be able to fit in? Or her powers will help her get revenge?

2. ‘Salem’s Lot (1975)

This horror novel talks about Ben Mears, a writer who returns to Jerusalem’s Lot, his hometown, after 25 years of being away. He starts writing a story about Marsten House, an abandoned mansion that’s purchased by an Austrian immigrant, Kurt Barlow.

Suddenly, a little boy in the town dies and his brother becomes a vampire and starts infecting people. A battle starts between the vampires and others, including Ben.

Also Read:- A Full List of Books by Author Bob Goff and Their Reading Order

3. The Shining (1977)

The story takes place in the Overlook Hotel, where Jack Torrence lives with his wife and son Danny. Jack tries to write a play while overcoming his rage issues and alcohol addiction.

The word “Shining” refers to some psychic powers that Danny has. Meanwhile, in the same hotel, there are evil forces trying to possess Danny, when they fail, they possess Jack instead.

How will the evil forces affect Jack’s plan?

The novel was adapted to a movie in 1980.

4. The Stand (1978)

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic time. After a plague kills most of the population, people split into 2 groups. A battle starts between them, the battle between the good and the bad.

The story goes on. There have been many adaptations of the novel. The most recent one is a mini-series of the same name. It was being filmed in September 2019 by CBS, but it all stopped due to Covid-19.

5. The Long Walk (1979)

Published under his pseudonym, the plot of this book is in the future. It talks about a dystopian America, ruled by a dictator.

The protagonist is Raymond, a 16-year old who has to participate in “The Walk.” It’s a competition held between 100 teenage boys who have to keep walking at a certain speed, the winner is whoever stays alive.

Along “The Walk” we keep discovering more about this society, and the lives of the participants.

6. The Dead Zone (1979)

The book talks about John Smith in 2 different phases. As a kid, he had a skating accident that transferred him to the dead zone. Then as a young man, he goes into a coma for 5 years and wakes up with psychic powers.

He wakes up with some troubles as some of his memories are in a dead zone in his mind. He can now tell some things from the past, and others from the future.

Ever since then, everything starts going downhill for Johnny.

Also Read:- List of Famous Enid Blyton Books for Children

7. Cujo (1981)

Ever heard of a monstrous dog? The protagonist of this story is the dog Cujo. He’s a friendly family dog. Cujo gets bitten by a bat and turns into a killer.

Cujo belongs to the family of Joe Camber, but he doesn’t start attacking before Joe’s wife and their son leave.

Later, out of bad luck, Donna Trenton’s car breaks down, so she takes her son Tad and goes to Joe Camber’s repair shop to fix it, only to find themselves trapped in the car, with Cujo trying to attack.

8. The Running Man (1982)

The story takes place in 2025. It’s published under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. The story takes place in a fictional dystopian America. The protagonist, Ben Richards, is broke and he needs money to treat his ill daughter.

He participates in a game show called “The Running Man” where participants have to keep running from the police for a month They earn money for each surviving hour, and they earn money for killing officers who chase them.

The only problem is that he’s being watched by everyone around the planet, and they might turn him in to win. Is Ben going to win?

9. The Dark Tower Series (1982 – 2012)

The Dark Tower tower series consists of 8 books. The series takes place in a parallel universe, where the Dark Tower connects all the universes. Roland Deschain is the last gunslinger, and he’s on a quest to find the Dark Tower.

Throughout his journey, he meets different people, friends, and enemies. What makes this series stand out is that in a way it connects most of King’s novels. You can find references and elements mentioned from some of his stories like; ‘Salem’s Lot, The Stand, The Talisman, The Eyes of the Dragon, and It.

10. Pet Sematary (1983)

If you have the chance to bring your beloved dead ones back to life, will you take it, regardless of what comes next? Apparently, our protagonist, Louis, will.

The story takes place in Maine, where Louis moves with his wife Rachel, his kids Gage and Ellie, and their cat Church. They meet their neighbor Jud, who takes them on a trip to a pet cemetery.

This trip reveals a lot about Rachel and Louis’s past. Later, when Church dies, Jud takes Louis to a cemetery, behind the pet’s one. Louis follows Jud’s instructions and buries Church, only to find it home alive on the very next day.

The same thing happens when Gage dies, and when Rachel dies too. However, that resurrection has its own consequences, and things will never be the same.

Also Read:- Harry Potter Books In Order: Complete List & Reviews

11. It (1986)

The famous horror movie from 2017 and 2019 is originally a novel by Stephen King, written in 1986. The novel narrates the story of seven kids in a fictional town; they’re followed by “It,” some sort of a monster that has the ability to disguise and change his look.

We see the protagonists as kids, then we see them three decades later as adults, with all the childhood trauma they have from being chased by “It.”

The adults reunite when they find out that innocents are being killed. They think that “It” might be responsible for that. The story depicts their fight against “It,” with some flashbacks of their childhood with him.

12. Misery (1987)

Misery is the name of the heroine of a series of novels, written by the protagonist of this story, Paul Sheldon. He writes about her for years and finally, he kills her in the last book to start a new series, Fast Cars.

Killing Misery will bring Paul some misery of his own, as later, he gets involved in a car accident, and he’s rescued by Annie, a mentally unstable nurse who’s at the same time his number one fan.

Annie is angry at Paul for killing Misery, and she tortures him. She even makes him burn the manuscript of Fast Cars to bring Misery back to life. Will he do as she tells, or will he suffer the consequences?

13. The Green Mile (1996)

The Story takes place in Georgia, in 1932. It narrates the story of John Coffey, a prisoner who’s in jail for killing two young girls. John Coffey has healing powers; he can heal people and even transfer the diseases to others.

Paul, the captain of the prison guards discovers John’s healing powers when he heals a rat. He even heals Paul himself. Later, we find out that John is innocent.

What happens to those who were healed by John’s powers? Will they die? Live for ages? Or have some powers too? That’s what you’ll discover in the story.

Frequently Asked Questions

A: The Stand is the Stephen King’s longest novel. It has 1152 pages in total.

A: Stephen King has written more than 60 books and over 200 short stories. He has also published 5 nonfiction books.  Apart from these, King has published children’s books, graphic novels, and essays. He also writes screenplays.

A: Lisey’s Story is Stephen King’s favorite novel of his own. Other than this, books such as IT, Misery, 11/22/63, The Stand, and Survivor Type are also some of his favorites.

With over 100 published books, we can fairly say that among Stephen King’s books, you’ll find the breathtaking horror stories you’re looking for.

He cultivated genres like; supernatural fiction, gothic drama, dark fantasy, and psychological horror.

What’s your favorite book off the list? And what do you plan on reading next?

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Last Updated on May 12, 2024 by BiblioLifestyle

Are you an avid Stephen King fan?  If so, then you’re in the right place!  In this article, I’m sharing a list of all of Stephen King’s books in order.  Whether you love horror classics like IT and The Shining or more recent works such as The Outsider and Doctor Sleep, here you will find them all listed chronologically by date of publication.  Get ready to take a trip through time – from Carrie, published back in 1974, to his latest collection coming out in 2024. Plus, you’ll see first-hand how masterful one of the greatest authors has been for now almost 5 decades.

But first, who is Stephen King?

Stephen King is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy.  He has published over 60 novels and over 200 short stories throughout his career, many of which have been adapted into films or TV series.  Stephen King’s books often focus on themes such as alienation, violence, and the struggle between good and evil.

What should be the first Stephen King book to read?

I personally recommend that you start with Salem’s Lot ( Amazon or  Bookshop ) — In the novel, Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book.

For beginners, I think it’s a great place to start, and it’s also a personal favorite. If you’re looking for more options, I highly recommend you check out my: 8 Must-Read Stephen King Books and Where To Start article because Stephen King has written so many books and narrowing down the ones worth your time as a beginner can get overwhelming.

What is Stephen King’s longest book?

The longest Stephen King book is The Stand, which was first published in 1978 and has since gone through several editions. This classic post-apocalyptic novel follows a group of survivors who set off on a journey to rebuild the world after a devastating plague ravages the planet. Clocking in at 1,154 pages (in its uncut form), The Stand is a must read for any Stephen King fan. In addition to The Stand, other long novels by Stephen King include IT and Under the Dome, both of which contain over 1,000 pages. If you’re looking for something longer than 1,000 pages but shorter than The Stand, try 11/22/63 or Bag of Bones. These two books have around 800-900 pages each and are filled with King’s trademark suspense and horror.

What is Stephen King’s newest book?

Stephen King’s newest book is a story collection entitled YOU LIKE IT DARKER ( Amazon or Bookshop ) which will be released in May 2024.  In this new collection of twelve short stories, Stephen King takes readers on a journey into the darker realms of life.  From exploring hidden secrets and unexpected inheritances to delving into the mysteries of the universe with themes of fate, mortality, and the unknown.  So prepare to be thrilled and chilled as you delve into the depths of darkness with “You Like It Darker.”

Stephen King’s latest novel is entitled HOLLY ( Amazon or Bookshop ) which was released in September 2023.  Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town. Personally, I love the character Holly, so I was really excited to see her front and center in this one.

Stephen King Books in Order of Publication

This list of Stephen King books includes his: novels, novellas, nonfiction, and short story collections.  This does not include all his individual short stories, essays, anthologies, and other unpublished works.

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 1974 – 1980

• Carrie (Novel: 1974)
• ‘Salem’s Lot (Novel: 1975)
• Rage (Bachman Novel: 1976)
• The Shining (Novel: 1977)
• Night Shift (Story Collection: 1977)
• The Stand (Novel: 1978)
• The Long Walk (Bachman Novel: 1978)
• The Dead Zone (Novel: 1979)
• Firestarter (Novel: 1979)
• The Mist (Novella: 1980)
• Danse Macabre (Nonfiction: 1980)
• Roadwork (Bachman Novel: 1980)

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 1981 – 1990

• Cujo (Novel: 1981)
• The Dark Tower (Novel: 1981)
• The Running Man (Bachman Novel: 1981)
• Apt Pupil (Novella: 1982)
• The Body (Novella: 1982)
• The Breathing Method (Novella: 1982)
• Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Novella: 1982)
• Different Seasons (Story Collection: 1982)
• The Plant [Installment One] (Epistolary Novel: 1982)
• Christine (Novel: 1982)
• Cycle of the Werewolf (Novel: 1982)
• The Plant [Installment Two] (Epistolary Novel: 1982)
• Pet Sematary (Novel: 1983)
• The Eyes of the Dragon (Novel: 1983)
• The Talisman (Novel: 1983)
• Thinner (Bachman Novel: 1984)
• The Plant [Installment Three] (Epistolary Novel: 1984)
• Skeleton Crew (Story Collection: 1984)
• Cycle of the Werewolf (Novel: 1985)
• IT (Novel; September 1986)
• The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three (Novel: 1986)
• The Eyes of the Dragon (Novel: 1987)
• Misery (Novel: 1987)
• The Tommyknockers (Novel: 1987)
• My Pretty Pony (Novel: 1987)
• Nightmares in the Sky (Nonfiction: 1987)
• Letters from Hell (Novel: 1988)
• Dolan’s Cadillac (Novel: 1988)
• The Dark Half (Novel: 1989)
• The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition (Novel: 1989)
• The Langoliers (Novella: 1990)
• The Library Policeman (Novella: 1990)
• Secret Window, Secret Garden (Novella: 1990)
• The Sun Dog (Novella: 1990)
• Four Past Midnight (Story Collection: 1990)
• The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands (Novel: 1990)

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 1991 – 2000

• Needful Things (Novel; October 1991)
• Gerald’s Game (Novel; May 1992)
• Nightmares & Dreamscapes (Story Collection: 1993)
• Dolores Claiborne (Novel: 1993)
• Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America With Three Chords and an Attitude (Nonfiction: 1993)
• Insomnia (Novel: 1994)
• Blind Willie (Novella: 1994)
• Rose Madder (Novel: 1994)
• Desperation (Novel: 1995)
• The Regulators (Bachman Novel: 1995)
• The Green Mile: The Two Dead Girls (Novel: 1996)
• The Green Mile: The Mouse on the Mile (Novel: 1996)
• The Green Mile: Coffey’s Hands (Novel: 1996)
• The Green Mile: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix (Novel: 1996)
• The Green Mile: Night Journey (Novel: 1996)
• The Green Mile: Coffey on the Mile (Novel: 1996)
• The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass (Novel: 1996)
• Six Stories (Novel: 1996)
• Bag of Bones (Novel: 1998)
• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Novel: 1999)
• The New Lieutenant’s Rap (Novel: 1999)
• Hearts in Atlantis (Novella: 1999)
• Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling (Novella: 1999)
• Low Men in Yellow Coats (Novella: 1999)
• Why We’re in Vietnam (Novella: 1999)
• Hearts in Atlantis (Story Collection: 1999)
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Nonfiction: 1999)
• Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing (Nonfiction: 1999)
• The Green Mile: The Complete Serial Novel (Novel: 2000)

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 2001 – 2010

• Dreamcatcher (Novel: 2001)
• Black House (Novel: 2001)
• From a Buick 8 (Novel: 2001)
• Everything’s Eventual (Story Collection: 2002)
• The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla (Novel: 2002)
• The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Revised Novel: 2003)
• The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (Novel: 2003)
• The Dark Tower (Novel: 2004)
• Faithful (Nonfiction: 2005)
• The Colorado Kid (Novel: 2005)
• The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 1 (Novel: 2005)
• Cell (Novel: 2006)
• Lisey’s Story (Novel: 2006)
• Blaze (Bachman Novel: 2006)
• The Colorado Kid (Chadbourne) (Novel: 2006)
• The Colorado Kid (Miller) (Novel: 2006)
• The Colorado Kid (Potter) (Novel: 2006)
• Duma Key (Novel: 2008)
• A Very Tight Place (Novella: 2008)
• N (Novella: 2008)
• Just After Sunset (Story Collection: 2008)
• The Little Sisters of Eluria (Novel: 2009)
• Stephen King Goes to the Movies (Story Collection: 2009)
• UR (Novella: 2009)
• Under the Dome (Novel: 2009)
• Blockade Billy (Novella: 2009)
• The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 2 (Novel: 2010)

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 2011 – 2020

• 11/22/63 (Novel: 2011)
• The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (Novel: 2012)
• GUNS (Nonfiction: 2013)
• Joyland (Novel: 2013)
• The Dark Man (Novel: 2013)
• Doctor Sleep (Novel: 2013)
• Mr. Mercedes (Novel: 2014)
• Revival (Novel: 2014)
• Finders Keepers (Novel: 2015)
• The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (Story Collection: 2015)
• End of Watch (Novel: 2016)
• Gwendy’s Button Box (Novella: 2017)
• Sleeping Beauties (Novel: 2017)
• The Outsider (Novel: 2018)
• Elevation (Novella: 2018)
• The Institute (Novel: 2019)
• If It Bleeds (Novella: 2020)
• The Life of Chuck (Novella: 2020)
• Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (Novella: 2020)
• Rat (Novella: 2020)

STEPHEN KING BOOKS IN ORDER FROM 2021 – 2024

• Later (Novella: 2021)
• Billy Summers (Novel: 2021)
• Gwendy’s Final Task (Novel: 2022)
• Fairy Tale (Novel: 2022)
• Holly (Novel: 2023)
• You Like It Darker (Story Collection: 2024)

Should Stephen King be read in order?

While Stephen King’s books don’t have to be read in order, fans of his work often prefer to do so. Reading the books in chronological order allows readers to experience King’s works as they were intended and appreciate the references made throughout his works. That said, while reading Stephen King in order is not essential, it can help enhance your overall reading experience. I also recommend you check out my: 8 Must-Read Stephen King Books and Where To Start article to help narrow down the books your need to add to your reading list.

What do you think about this list of Stephen King books in order of publication?

Have you read any of these Stephen King books?  Are any of these books or his other works on your TBR?   What book by Stephen King is your favorite?  Let us talk all about Stephen King books in the comments below.

MORE READING:

• 8 Must-Read Stephen King Books: Where to Start

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Read most of the books on the list, though I’ve struggled with his later books.

Hi W, thanks for sharing your thoughts! Your sentiment is a common one I’ve heard from readers but I still read them all as I’m a die hard fan.

I’ve only read 112263 and I loved the writing style and the narrative. This book makes me feel like I need to read all of Stephen King but Jesus! There’s more books that I expected. I’ll start with your 8 must. Thank you for guidance and taking the time to order them.

Hi Tyna, thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts! I absolutely loved 11/22/63, so we have that in common. But yes, there are soooo many books and it can get overwhelming. The eight books I recommended will give you a taste of his range over the years. I also recommend his story collections because they don’t require the same commitment as his novels. Happy reading!

Thank you for making this available. It let’s me see what I’ve missed. I read my favorite author in order and try to be patient for the new releases. Saving and printing.

I’m so happy to hear you’ve found this list useful Susan! I too like to read all the books from my favorite authors, so it’s nice to know there are other readers out there who do the same. Happy reading!

Making a list is a subjective thing, but with that in mind, I think The Shining, Eyes of the Dragon, and Different Seasons should be included on a must-read list!

Hi Cyndi, thank you so much for sharing! You’re right, lists are subjective but the one book you mentioned that I personally struggled to not include was The Shining. It’s a favorite of mine and it’s a book from King I still think about. On a brighter note, I tend to revisit some of my favorites and revise my lists every so often, so who knows, it may pop up one day. Happy reading!

How likely is it in getting a signed copy from Stephen King ( you like it darker ) in a hardback copy. Needing one for my wife Kellie . Please lead me in the right direction .

Hi Paul, I don’t a relationship with Stephen King, his publisher, agents or representatives so I have no idea how you could get a signed copy of You Like It Darker. So sorry I’m not able to help. Your best bet will be keeping an ear out to see if he’s doing any events and if possible, show up there. Good luck!

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Stephen King Books In Order

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Stephen King is a prolific American author who is known for his suspense and fantasy novels. King has written several novels since his first short story sale in 1967 that have become pop cultural signposts. Every Stephen King reader has a favorite tale or series, from Christine to Cujo.

His works have sold more than 350 million copies. Many of these have been adapted into movies or series for television. He has written many books, including non-fiction and over 200 short stories. King also has an alias named Richard Bachman. Stephen King was born September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. He has an older brother, David. His parents Donald and Nellie Ruth divorced when he was young.

When he was eleven they moved from Indiana to Durham, Maine. King went to elementary school in Durham and graduated in 1966 from Lisbon Falls High School. He attended the University of Maine at Orono where he wrote for the school’s newspaper.

He also was active in Student Senate and supported the anti-war movement at UMO. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of the Arts in English. His daughter Naomi Rose was born the same year. Following graduation, King failed a draft board examination for service and was not drafted to participate in the War. He married Tabitha King in 1971.

He had met Tabitha when they were students in the library stacks where they both worked. King worked as an industrial laundry laborer as a result of not being able to find a teaching position right away. He sold several short stories to magazines and finally found a job teaching English at Hampden Academy in the fall of 1971. He continued to write in his spare time while teaching.

Stephen King’s first novel Carrie was accepted for publication in 1973 by Doubleday & Co. In between the Kings moved to southern Maine due to the poor health of Stephen’s mother. King wrote what would become Salem’s Lot while the family stayed at the summer cottage.

His mother died the same year from cancer at the age of 59. Carrie was published in the spring of 1974. The Kings moved to Colorado for what would ultimately be a year, during which time Stephen King wrote The Shining, which is set in the same state.

Carrie was made in to a feature film starring Sissy Spacek as an outcast high school girl who discovers she has mental powers. It is being made into a 2013 revision starring Chloe Moretz. The Shining was made into a full-length movie in 1980 starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Stanley Kubrick. Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for Best Actor for the role.

The Kings bought a home in western Maine near the lakes and returned there to live for some time. During this period, King wrote The Stand, set in Colorado, and The Dead Zone. The Shining was published in 1977 and The Stand was published the next year.

After spending some time in England, the Kings returned to Maine and bought a house in Center Lovell. They then moved closer to Bangor for a position Stephen had been offered at the University of Maine Orono teaching Creative Writing. In 1979 they returned to Center Lovell, then bought a home in Bangor. King wrote a number of additional novels from 1977 to 1980 as well.

He finished Rage, Night Shift, a collection of stories, The Long Walk, and Firestarter. Cujo was published in 1981. The book would be made into a feature-length film the same year that gave hundreds of children nightmares about a terrifying, crazed rabid dog.

King has little to no memory of writing it. It was during this time period that King’s family staged an intervention for his drug and alcohol addiction. Confronted with the numerous substances he abused, King quit all drugs and alcohol in the late 1980s. He debuted as a director with an adaptation of his short story “Trucks”, called “Maximum Overdrive”.

King published the first of his Dark Tower series in 1982. The novel was called The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger. It would be followed by six more books through the years and is King’s own stated magnum opus. The story spans two worlds that are strangely connected and may be in more ways than one. Roland is The Gunslinger, a courageous man of honor with a storied past.

He is pursuing the mysterious Man In Black, and meets a child named Jake who hails from Manhattan. Part John Wayne, part archetype, the series is inspired by a number of things dear to King, including spaghetti western movies and Kurosawa’s “The Seven Samurai”.

The second story in the Dark Tower series is called The Drawing of the Three”. It was published in 1987. Roland is in a bind once again, waking up on a beach filled with hungry carnivorous lobsters. Three doors appear to him that are linked to different worlds.

They take him to meet different people. These include a dangerous sociopath named Jack Mort, a woman with multiple personalities named Odetta, and Eddie Dean, who is desperately addicted to heroin. Roland must navigate his way through the various timelines and worlds on Earth while just maybe being able to act in them to save a life.

Multiple Stephen King novels have been adapted for television or made into movies over the years. Along the way, they’ve become pop culture icons. Christine, a movie about a car come to life, was made in 1983. The Dead Zone, starring Christopher Walken, also came out that year about a man developing the power to see the future after waking from a coma.

Children of the Corn debuted in 1984 and led to an impressive seven sequels. Firestarter also became a feature film starring Drew Barrymore in 1984 and later became a tv series. Stand By Me was made into a movie in 1986 and enjoyed wide critical success.

King’s Running Man was made into a 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a contestant in a dystopian television game show where the winners regain their freedom. Other notable movies include Pet Sematary, a spooky thriller about dead pets come to life, and 1990’s Misery, which Kathy Bates won an Oscar for as the kidnapper of a famous author.

Shawshank Redemption earned rave reviews and The Green Mile grossed over $135 million at the box office alone featuring Michael Clarke Douglas as a doomed inmate with special abilities.

9 Responses to “Stephen King”

I had no idea you had this many publications!

I’m keeping this list as there are many titles I had no idea you had written!!

Please keep writing – your novels are always spectacular!!!

Shannon Dixon Lake City, MN

I have two comments, one general, and one specific. I’m using Your Stephen King section as an example. When you list anthologies for an author, does that mean that all of them have a story in them by the author? If so, are these stories also listed separately or did Stephen King acually write something for an anthology that was never published separatly. I’m asking this because my local library facility is not big on buying anthologies for some reason. A specific question. You have a book listed for Patricia Cornwell called “Chasing the Ripper” with a date of 2014. I can find this book nowhere, and my local library says there is no such book. When you look at the list of an author’s books in one of her efforts, you never see this book listed. Can you give me any information on this effort of hers.

Thanking you for all you do for us readers.

For sure – happy to answer 🙂

In regards to anthologies – right now they’re a bit of a mess. Whether they edited it or wrote a story in it – they’re all added to that section. Occasionally, we may list the short story separately and link to the anthology but that is usually only if the short story won or was nominated for an award.

At one point I would love to organize that section better, list if they are an editor, or list the short story title within the anthology. It’s on my “wishlist”. Sadly, it seems most people just don’t care about anthologies ha, so it’s really low on the priority list.

Chasing the Ripper is available on Amazon. I just checked and see it on there. It’s an ebook only.

Thanks for the feedback much appreciated.

Was there a book written for Maximum Overdrive, if so, is it under another title.

Yep it was based off Trucks which is a short story inside Night Shift .

Can’t get enough love to pieces other than the short story in one of your collection books is there an actual book for 1408

Where’s ‘Cycle of the Werewolf’?

Under the dome parts 1 and 2 are two more of his books that can be added to the list

Hi Tiffany,

Under the Dome is just one novel, which is already on the list under the standalones. I know that some stores list both Part 1 & 2 – what the publishers did is take the original novel, and then split it into 2 later on for additional sales. However it was originally published as one big novel.

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The 17 Best Stephen King Books Ever Written, Ranked

The master of suspense has enough famous horror novel options to last you months.

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For those who like to read through an author's entire catalog, King's collection will give you plenty to check off the list. Or for readers who just need a new thriller book to give them a good scare , take a wander into King's impressive imagination. Here's a few we think make a great place to start. Just don't blame us if you end up having nightmares.

Anchor Books 'Salem's Lot

King's second book cemented his place as the master of horror. In it, Ben Mears returns to Jerusalem's Lot to find inspiration for his book, and maybe exorcise some personal demons. But then, two young boys go into the woods and only one comes out alive. Something sinister is afoot, and it's up to Mears and his allies to contain it.

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Stephen King The Outsider: A Novel

An 11-year-old boy's corpse shows up in a park and all evidence points to beloved citizen and Little League coach Terry Maitland. He's quickly arrested, but he has an alibi. The thriller twist in this one will take your breath away as only King's imagination can. 

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Stephen King Night Shift

This collection of short stories offers King's bone-chilling creations in bite-sized packages. It includes stars like Children of the Corn and deeper cuts like Gray Matter , wherein a reclusive alcoholic begins to change in a horrifying way. 

Stephen King Doctor Sleep

This sequel to The Shining brings back Danny Torrence, who now works at a nursing home and specializes in ushering dying patients into the great beyond. When he meets a young girl who has an even stronger version of the shining than he did, the two find their lives unexpectedly in peril (again). 

Scribner The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

Another Stephen King book that became a major motion picture, this first installment in The Dark Tower series introduces readers to Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger. His world represents a haunting mirror of ours, through which he relentlessly tracks The Man in Black. The entire series is more than worth a read. 

Stephen King The Stand

When a deadly flu wipes out 99 percent of the world's population, the survivors are shellshocked. Randall Flagg, or The Dark Man, emerges as an agent of chaos and destruction who's ready to take advantage of the instability. But Mother Abigail urges peace, and a terrible choice soon emerges. This dystopian suspense both feels like an escape, and horribly current. 

Stephen King The Institute: A Novel

One of the newer offerings from the super-prolific King takes us inside a creepy institute that houses kidnapped children with special abilities. A 12-year-old resident discovers the staff are extracting the kids' powers and discarding them, and he soon hatches a plan to escape. The problem? No one ever has. 

Stephen King Under the Dome: A Novel

On an otherwise normal day in Chester, Maine, an invisible dome suddenly seals off the town from the rest of the world. Nothing can go in or out and cars burst into flames upon contact. A crew of intrepid citizens try and figure out how to deal with it, while a crooked politician wants to hold onto his power at any cost. 

Stephen King Rose Madder: A Novel

Rose Daniels has just barely survived an abusive marriage for 14 years, but she finally manages to flee. Her ex-husband Norman isn't only a psychotic monster – he's also a cop. An aura of foreboding pervades the whole story, and you won't be able to put it down.  

Stephen King 11/22/63: A Novel

Jake Epping is a teacher whose whole life changes when his buddy Al reveals that his diner has a secret storeroom door that leads to one day in 1958. Al's obsessed with stopping the JFK assassination and soon enlists Jake to help, who soon takes on the 1958 life of George Amberson. This time-travel story is as chilling as it is engrossing. 

Stephen King Finders Keepers: A Novel

The second installment in the Bill Hodges trilogy covers the murder of a reclusive writer by an obsessed fan, who squirrels away his idol's collection of notebooks before getting locked up for another awful crime. But when he gets out 35 years later, he discovers someone has stolen his haul. It's up to Hodges and crew to prevent his revenge.

Stephen King Misery: A Novel

When Annie comes to nurse the author Paul Sheldon back to health, she brings not only her medical expertise, but an obsession with Sheldon's work. She didn't like the way Sheldon killed off his main character, Misery, and wants him to make it right. And she's got some macabre ways to convince him. 

Stephen King Pet Sematary: A Novel

After Dr. Louis Creed moves his family to a small town in Maine, accidents on the highway outside their house tragically takes his cat and later, his son. Rather than coming to terms with the permanency of death, Creed interferes with the natural order, with horrifying results that show why drivers speed past the town so quickly.

Stephen King Needful Things: A Novel

Nothing in the little curiosity shop owned by Leland Gaunt has a price tag, but everything's for sale. The residents of Castle Rock, Maine, can find whatever they desire in Needful Things , for a little money and a lot of menace. And the deals the residents will make will turn your blood cold. 

Stephen King It: A Novel

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know at least some of the story of monster that terrorizes the small ton of Derry, Maine. But even if you've seen the movie, this expansive horror tome is worth your time. 

Stephen King The Shining

When Jack Torrence gets the chance to move his family to the picturesque Overlook Hotel for the winter, it seems like the perfect chance to work on his novel while taking care of a beautiful place. But the hotel has its own agenda, and his five-year-old son Danny is the first to sense it. If you liked the iconic Jack Nicholson movie, you'll love the book it was based on. 

Stephen King Carrie

Unless you grew up under a rock, you're probably already aware of the Carrie story.  But if you haven't read the chilling tale of the outcast teenager who uses her telekinetic powers to punish her cruel classmates, you should definitely check it out. 

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You Like It Darker

Release Date: May 21st, 2024

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER. “You like it darker? Fine, so do I,”  writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in  You Like It Darker , readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again. “Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to  Cujo , a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful. King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

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-->stephen reads from you like it darker -->.

Posted: April 3rd, 2024 8:53:00 pm EDT

Tune in to the YouTube Premiere of Stephen reading an excerpt from his upcoming collection You Like It Darker on April 18th at 2pm EST. YouTube (Don't worry, you can still see it after the premiere!)

-->YOU LIKE IT DARKER Readers Announced -->

Posted: April 3rd, 2024 8:51:32 pm EDT

Exciting casting news: award-winning narrator Will Patton will read the audiobook edition of YOU LIKE IT DARKER with select stories read by Stephen King himself! Pre-order your copy today for delivery on May 21st !

-->Stephen featured in THE ANGEL OF INDIAN LAKE -->

Posted: March 13th, 2024 12:48:43 pm EDT

Surprise! Stephen King makes a cameo in the audiobook edition of The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones, coming from Simon & Schuster Audio on March 26 th . He joins a full cast including Isabella Star LaBlanc, Barbara Crampton, Angela Goethals and Andrew J. Robinson. Learn more at Blood Disgusting

-->AudioFile's Best of 2023 -->

Posted: December 6th, 2023 1:33:51 pm EST

HOLLY, read by Justine Lupe who reprises her on-screen role of Holly Gibney from the TV show ‘Mr. Mercedes’, is featured as one of AudioFile Magazine’s Best of 2023! Check out all of their selections here.

--> Holly on Amazon's Best Books of 2023 List -->

Posted: November 16th, 2023 1:52:20 pm EST

-->Excerpt from Cujo sequel -->

Posted: November 7th, 2023 1:47:05 pm EST

Are you rabid for more Stephen King? Then fear not — or maybe fear plenty . The author's new collection of short stories, You Like It Darker , will be published by Scribner on May 21, 2024. The book features 12 tales from the Carrie author, many never-before-published. Included in the new stories is "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to King's 1981 novel Cujo , in which a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance — with major strings attached. And you can read an excerpt from the story on EW now. Read the start of Stephen King's Cujo sequel in excerpt from story collection, You Like It Darker on EW now

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1 Of Stephen King's Darkest Novels Was Supposed To Be A Comedy

Every sports figure & comedian who roasts tom brady in netflix's special explained, “he is my god”: hideo kojima declares furiosa better than mad max: fury road in reverent review.

• The Great God Pan is deemed one of the best horror stories ever in the English language by Stephen King.
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains relevant with themes of fear and identity appreciated by King.
• The Plot is hailed as one of the best novels about writers and writing by King, with high suspense levels.

Stephen King is one of the most acclaimed and prolific horror and thriller authors of all time, and, like the best writers, he is also an insatiable reader who does not hold back on giving recommendations. King’s interests are vast and varied, and over the years, he’s lavished praise on classic novels from bygone eras and contemporary writers just getting started in the book industry. From referencing his favorite books in interviews, providing his thoughts for the blurbs of novels, and even giving shout-outs on his social media, there are many places where readers are likely to discover a recommendation for a great horror or thriller book from King.

Checking out some of the excellent book recommendations by King is a great way for readers to broaden their horizons and discover some works they wouldn’t otherwise have read. For those who love King’s books and are looking for something new, the obvious place to look for recommendations is from the man himself, as he’s been influenced by, thoroughly enjoyed, or even wished he wrote many of these novels. From classic authors who were writing long before King was born to modern writers who grew up reading his work, King recommends many great horror and thriller novels .

10 The Great God Pan (1894)

By arthur machen.

“ One of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language .”

The Great God Pan is a fantasy horror novella by the Welsh writer Arthur Machen that was first published in 1894 and went on to influence everybody from H.P. Lovecraft to Stephen King. A story of sinister woodland rituals, disappearances, and suicides, The Great God Pan was highly controversial when first published but has been recognized as a highly influential work in the horror genre. In an interview on King’s website , he described it as: “ One of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language .”

The Great God Pan was a truly terrifying story written well over one hundred years ago. With a story that started as an experiment on a woman, it soon led to countless mysterious events and deaths that forced readers to confront the cosmic horror of the universe. King stated that his novella N. from his story collection Just After Sunset is " a riff on Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan.... Mine isn't anywhere near [as] good [as the original], but I loved the chance to put neurotic behavior—obsessive/compulsive disorder—together with the idea of a monster-filled macroverse ."

9 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955)

By jack finney.

Although it was first released almost 70 years ago, Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney has not lost any of its incredible relevance. Lauded by Stephen King as a story to be “ read and savored for its own satisfactions ” (via Simon and Schuster ), Finney’s sci-fi horror novel had a lot to say about fear of the other, McCarthyism, and Cold War anxieties at the time of its release, but can be just as easily applied to contemporary fears. With a story about people being replaced with emotionless duplicates, Invasion of the Body Snatchers gets to the heart of humanity's psychological anxieties.

It’s no surprise that King has a soft spot for Finney’s novel, as Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ alien invasion story has much in common with King’s book Dreamcatchers . Originally published under the title The Body Snatchers , Finney’s book has been adapted for the screen four times, which showcases the eternal relevance of its story’s themes. A truly fascinating read, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a great classic recommendation from King.

8 The Shrinking Man (1956)

By richard matheson.

Stephen King described American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author Richard Matheson as “ the author who influenced me the most as a writer ” (via New York Times .) With this in mind, it is no surprise that King is a fan of Matheson’s The Shrinking Man , which, much like King’s The Shining , steps right into the heart of the psychological horror genre. While Matheson is responsible for other acclaimed horror works, such as I Am Legend , The Shrinking Man foreshadows much of the work that King would later write.

The Shrinking Man tells a terrifying story about Scott Carey, who, after ingesting a cloud of radioactive spray, finds himself slowly shrinking every day until he starts to waste away. The slow, unnerving horror of The Shrinking Man powerfully deconstructs American masculinity and middle-class fears during the 1950s . King highlighted the importance of The Shrinking Man and Matheson's work in his non-fiction book, Danse Macabre , which is about the horror genre.

7 The Haunting of Hill House (1959)

By shirley jackson.

While Stephen King is always quick to praise great contemporary works when he finds them, he’s also a writer with a great appreciation for the history of horror. For this reason, it is no surprise that King is fond of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House , which he has called one of the finest horror novels of the late 20th century. As one of the best-haunted house stories ever told, Jackson’s novel has been adapted for film numerous times and serves as the basis for Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House .

In King’s nonfiction book Danse Macabre , he wrote a lengthy chapter on “Horror Fiction,” in which he praised Jackson’s novel and explained the influence that The Haunting of Hill House has had on the horror genre as a whole. King cited The Haunting of Hill House , along with Henry James’ The Turning of the Skrew, as “ the only two great novels of the supernatural in the last hundred years ” (via Guardian .) King was also a fan of Flanagan’s adaptation and said that although some aspects of the story were revised, he believed “ Shirley Jackson would approve .”

6 Sharp Objects (2006)

By gillian flynn.

Way before American author Gillian Flynn received widespread recognition after the release of her novel Gone Girl , Stephen King had already recommended her debut Sharp Objects in 2006, calling it an “ admirably nasty piece of work ” (via EW ). King took to the story of Camille Preaker, a newspaper journalist who must return to her hometown to report on a series of brutal murders. With plenty of intrigue, mystery, and suspense, Sharp Objects is exactly the kind of book that would connect with a King reader, as it encapsulated a lot of what was great about his writing.

Flynn’s debut novel gained even more exposure after HBO adapted S harp Objects into an eight-part miniseries starring Amy Adams in 2018. It appeared that King had not forgotten the novel even 12 years later, as he tweeted about the show and said, “ Adora's husband Alan gives me the creepy-crawlies .” For a man who came up with some of the scariest stories of all time, stating that something gives King the “ creepy-crawlies ” sure is a big compliment.

5 The Strangler (2007)

By william landay.

American crime novelist William Landay impressed Stephen King with his second novel, The Stranger , which King recommended to his followers on X. King called Landay “ so good he makes my teeth hurt." The Strangler was a mystery thriller set in Boston in 1963, in which a serial killer casts a dark shadow over the Irish-American Daley family. What starts with the suspicious death of a police officer in the line of duty soon reveals itself as a story of betrayal, corruption, and family.

King also had kind words for Landay’s other work and referred to him as the writer best known for Defending Jacob but also praised his debut work, Mission Flats . King’s recommendation came from a reader looking for a different kind of crime novel than what’s normally popular, so King obviously thinks Landay is doing something unique. This signature writing style led King to state that Landay’s writing made him feel “ pure envy .”

4 Life Or Death (2014)

By michael robotham.

The crime thriller Life or Death by Michael Robotham tells the story of Audie Palmer, who spent a decade in prison for armed robbery and has endured beatings, stabbings, and threats at the hands of prison guards and inmates. However, Audie escapes the day before he is supposed to be released, and everybody from the police, FBI, and even high-profile gangsters try to hunt him down. But Audie’s not running away; he’s trying to save a life.

Stephen King gave his recommendation to Life or Death (via Robotham ) as described it as a “ nerve-shredding thriller ” that has “ the heart and soul so often missing from lesser crime and suspense novels .” King said it was a fantastic pageturner that he “ couldn’t stop reading ,” although at the same time, he “ didn't want Audie's story to end .” In a compliment of incredibly high praise from an author of King’s caliber, he described Robotham as “ an absolute master .”

3 You (2014)

By caroline kepnes.

While most people might think of Penn Badgley’s portrayal of Joe Goldberg when they think of You , the popular Netflix thriller was adapted from a novel by Caroline Kepnes. Kepnes's original novel was full of suspense, leading to Stephen King describing it as “hypnotic and scary,” as he recommended (via Better Reading .) As a story of obsession and romance, You was an exciting tale that brought to mind other obsessive literary characters, such as Annie Wilkes, the antagonist of King’s novel Misery , which similarly featured a character who took their infatuation with another person a little bit too far.

Kepnes was ecstatic at hearing that King enjoyed her novel and stated that she was “jumping up and down” and trying to tell the people working in the Beverly Center Mall what happened when she first heard the news. ” They’re looking at me like I’m crazy because it’s one of those places where people don’t get excited and everyone is trying to be cool, and I’m like ecstatic ,” Kepnes said. Kepenes added that King’s work has had a big impact on her, and she highlighted the character of Brady Hartsfield from King’s Bill Hodges trilogy in particular.

2 Fever (2016)

By deon meyer.

To have a book compared by Stephen King himself to one of King's greatest works is an extreme honor, and this was exactly what happened to South African writer Deon Meyer. In 2017, King took to social media to tell his followers that they have “ a nice surprise coming ” and jokingly added, “ no, not Brexit .” as the South African novelist Deon Myer’s latest book Fever was about to be released. King said Fever was reminiscent of his book, The Stand , and compared it to the equally thrilling novel The Passage by Justin Cronin.

Fever is set in South Africa after a deadly virus has swept the country and killed most of the population. A shockingly relevant story released just a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fever explored similar themes to King’s The Stand , which also centered on a deadly pandemic. Told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy and his father, Fever truly added humanity to its post-apocalyptic story.

1 The Plot (2021)

By jean hanff korelitz.

The Plot is a mystery thriller by the American novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz that Stephen King called “ one of the best novels I’ve ever read about writers and writing ” (via Korelitz .) As a highly psychological and suspenseful book, it made sense that King connected with its story about a once-promising novelist, although the protagonist Jacob Finch Bonner’s life went on a different trajectory and was teaching without having published anything new in years. After one of Bonner’s students dies without completing his masterpiece novel, he can’t help but steal the work for himself.

King finally added that “ the suspense quotient is through the roof."

What follows is a story of deceit, plagiarism, and struggles to hide the truth, which Stephen King called “ insanely readable and terrifying .” King finally added that “ the suspense quotient is through the roof ,” lavishing his influential praise on The Plot . HBO plans to adapt Korelitz's novel into a miniseries, as they had previously done for her book You Should Have Known , which was renamed The Undoing for television.

Sources: Stephen King , Simon and Schuster , New York Times , Guardian , EW , Michael Robotham , Better Reading , Jean Hanff Korelitz

• Stephen King

7 Stephen King Books That Should Be Movies, Ranked

S tephen King is, as his name suggests, the king of horror fiction (while occasionally delving into other genres). The combination of his vivid writing style, characters with unique personalities and special abilities, and epic stories that unfurl with riveting suspense make his work rife for cinematic interpretation. Within these spine-chilling stories, King infuses keen observations on the human condition, and how evil — both supernatural and real — manifests in our society. Stephen King's literary works have produced some of the greatest films of all time including Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining, " Brian De Palma's "Carrie," and Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me." Over 70 of his novels and short stories have been adapted into films or television shows, but since he is such a prolific writer — often churning out several books each year — there are countless that have yet to be adapted. This list ranks seven of Stephen King's engrossing page-turners that would be incredible to see on screen.

Read more: The 15 Best Horror Movie Directors Of All Time

"Later," Stephen King's version of "The Sixth Sense," features a teenage boy named Jamie Conklin with the ability to communicate with ghosts who cannot tell a lie.  Blumhouse was set to produce it as a miniseries starring Lucy Liu, but there have been no updates on the project since 2022. Similar to M. Night Shyamalan's acclaimed film, "Later" blends poignant moments of sadness, chilling gore of the ghosts' gruesome deaths, and thoughtful contemplation of our mortality and connection to dearly departed loved ones. "Later" also uses the gritty backdrop of New York City, with its corners and shadows rich in history and hidden mysteries, to foreground a story that juxtaposes Jamie's coming-of-age with the contemplation of mortality. But what would make a film adaptation of "Later" so exciting is its balance of different genres, specifically the intense emotion of bildungsroman narratives with the intrigue of a crime thriller.

Not to be confused with  Christopher Nolan's compelling Alaskan mystery "Insomnia," Stephen King's novel of the same name employs the disease as a catalyst for his protagonist's connection to the supernatural. After the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts begins having bizarre and unsettling visions and wandering on the street in the middle of the night. The use of strong visual effects could make the images of his nightmares really pop on screen. "Insomnia" takes place in Stephen King's renowned Derry, Maine, and features references to both "It" and "The Dark Tower." "Insomnia" could help expand the Derry Cinematic Universe! Much like his epic "It," the dense novel is over 800 pages, making film adaptation a challenge. Nevertheless, it would be fascinating to see how a filmmaker interprets the complex inner workings of Ralph's mind, especially the blurs between reality and hallucination.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" would be perfect for an indie filmmaker because the simple narrative takes place in the Appalachian wilderness and would require a very limited cast. Since the story centers on a nine-year-old girl named Trisha McFarland who separates from her mom and brother on a hike, a film adaptation would have to rely on a phenomenal, star-making child performance. 20 years ago, this certainly could have starred Dakota Fanning. Once Trisha's food and supplies dwindle, she begins to imagine having conversations with her idol, the baseball player Tom Gordon, and has strange visions of an evil lurking in the woods. A genre with roots dating back to "The Lord of the Flies," survival horror has often included younger children, allowing the audience to experience unsafe environments through the heartbreaking prism of their innocence. It would be fascinating to see a director frame the foreboding woods subjectively to reflect Trisha's growing blur between reality vs. her imagination as her hunger and thirst creep in. A film adaptation with Chris Romero serving as a producer was announced in 2019, but there's been no movement as of publication.

With Guillermo del Toro tackling "Frankenstein" and Maggie Gyllenhaal reimagining "Bride of Frankenstein," it seems the perfect time for a filmmaker to breathe life into Stephen King's electrifying version of this classic tale. While not directly taken from Mary Shelley's novel, "Revival" melds its existential questioning of our origins and the afterlife with a Lovecraftian finale of epic proportions and scathing religious critique. Much like the finale of "It" with the giant spider, there are large-scale visual nightmares that would be difficult to pull off, but very haunting if done well. "Revival" explores the lives of Jamie from his childhood in New England to his heroin addiction as an adult, and his stalker Charles Jacobs, a pastor who becomes a carnival husker and experiments with electricity after the death of his wife and child. Since the story spans the main characters' lives across decades, it would require a pair of heavyweight actors to give their intricate relationship the chilling tension it deserves.

One of the coolest aspects of "Duma Key" is the Florida setting; Stephen King uses the sweltering heat, jagged shells, abundant foliage, and haunted ghost ships to create a striking coastal atmosphere for his spooky story. It revolves around Edgar, a wealthy contractor who loses his arm and suffers a brain injury during a worksite accident. After his wife leaves him due to his psychological instability, he rents a bright pink beach house on the island of Duma Key. In another attempt to find some inner peace, he returns to his former hobby of making art. His paintings become supernatural windows into psychic visions and unleash an ominous force of evil. It's a really inventive concept, and the focus on such a visual medium makes the story ideal for cinematic interpretation, especially when combined with the vivid tropical setting and its labyrinthine mysteries of the shore and sea.

The Long Walk

It's been a while since we've seen a captivating dystopian thriller, and "The Long Walk" would make a excellent addition to the genre. However, it would take a skilled director to make what is, as the title implies, one long walk feel suspenseful and terrifying on screen. "The Long Walk" is set in a future America overruled by a totalitarian regime that hosts an annual event forcing teenage boys to walk four miles per hour without stopping. Three strikes, you're out. The last man standing wins. The prize? Whatever the winner wants for the rest of their life. "The Long Walk" brings to mind other popular movies such as "The Hunger Games" or "Squid Game." Audiences have a strange fascination with stories about life-and-death competitions for wealth and happiness. Perhaps it's because this era of economic and political instability has made it feel like even more of a dog-eat-dog kind of world. A film adaptation of "The Long Walk" could be a truly pulse-pounding and thought-provoking viewing experience. It's apparently going to get the live-action treatment thanks to "The Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence , but things are still in pre-production.

Carnivals, depicted in films such as "Nightmare Alley" and "Freaks," have always been a mesmerizing cinematic backdrop, one that juxtaposes sparkling wonder with enigmatic oddities. It has always been a space for both joy and terror. Stephen King's "Joyland" is his pulpy homage to crime novels that follows a young carnival worker who hunts for the killer of a young girl brutally murdered on the haunted house ride. Her spirit still haunts the amusement park. Stephen King uses this setting to paint a colorful world with its own vernacular and cast of quirky characters. It would be interesting to see how a director would bring King's detailed rhythms of midway life onto the screen, juxtaposing the jovial iconography of cotton candy and puppy dog mascots with the twisted mystery of the funhouse or hall of mirrors — bringing to mind Jordan Peele's boardwalk sequence in "Us." "Joyland" blends nostalgic warmth, the supernatural, and the gritty underbelly of the fairground lifestyle. It has a thrilling climax that takes place on a swaying Ferris Wheel in the middle of a raging storm that would look amazing on screen.

Read the original article on SlashFilm .