Now, I've read a lot of King but not nearly all. So I can only rank what I've read. And I also sort of see Uncle Stevie's work in two parts: pre-Bag of Bones and post-Bag of Bones. So I'm going to rank them in two "eras" accordingly. And I'm only looking at novels, not anthologies.
Pre-Bag of Bones Favorites
- 'Salem's Lot
- The Dead Zone
- The Dark Half
- Misery
- The Shining
- Pet Sematary
- It
- Needful Things
- The Green Mile
- The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
- The Stand
- The Tommyknockers
- Insomnia*
*I didn't actually finish this one, but I'm grateful to it for introducing me to the work of Stephen Dobyns.
You'll see I never read beyond the first Dark Tower book. And there's a lot more I haven't read, too, and might never get around to.
I used the press conference scene in The Dead Zone for a dramatic interp piece once. I had to do a lot of different voices!
Post-Bag of Bones Favorites
- Duma Key
- Bag of Bones
- Lisey's Story
- Revival
- Dreamcatcher
I really, really disliked Dreamcatcher. I started both Under the Dome and Finders Keepers but never finished either of them. Cell, meanwhile, is one I really want to read but—dare I say it—I'm a little frightened to!
'Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone, and Bag of Bones are the only Stephen King books I've read more than once. I'd definitely re-read Duma Key, though, too. In fact, there are a lot of books on this list that I find myself periodically wanting to go re-read, but then other books are stacked and waiting and I never quite get back around to old favorites.
Do you read Stephen King? If so, which of his books are your favorites?
2 comments:
'Salem's Lot chilled and depressed me so that I swore off Mr. King until the first TV series of THE STAND made me return to him. His DUMA KEY I so enjoyed that I bought the audio book of it to listen to on my blood runs -- which I have done more than once: it was a truly outstanding narrative performance by the voice actor. :-)
It, The Tommyknockers, and The Stand are ones that stand out a lot in my mind. I enjoyed the Dark Tower series. Most of his newer ones have blurred together in my mind, so I'm not remembering which is which when I recall specific characters or scenes.
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