I know I’m super late to the party, but I just read my first Stephen King novel (Thinner) and absolutely devoured it.
I loved it, so I’m reading Pet Semetary and while it started a bit slow, it’s got its hooks in me now. I’ve already got 4 more books lined up for when I’m done.
I don’t even know why I didn’t start sooner because I love horror, I used to read Goosebumps books as a kid constantly and I love films like The Shining and The Green Mile.
I’m working my way through the more well-known ones (IT, Cujo, Green Mile, Different Seasons etc) but can anyone recommend some deeper cuts that I might also enjoy? I’ve seen on a few rankings that Thinner is usually relatively low and I loved it so I’m looking forward to exploring his back catalogue!
Steven King, at his best, is the greatest American novelist of his generation. His character building is unsurpassed and he can definitely turn a phrase. On the other hand, a lot of his books would have benefited from more aggressive editing and he doesn’t always stick his landings. That being said, he’s been a fixture in my library for decades.
I’m glad to see others recommend 11/22/63, which IMHO is the best “modern” King novel (and maybe his best ever). For less well known books, I read Duma Key recently and liked it a lot. I know it’s been mentioned before, The Talsiman is one of my all-time favorite books.