Stephen King is a master storyteller, renowned for his profound impact on the literary world.
With a career spanning more than four decades, King has written a series of bestselling and award-winning books.
King has also earned the title of “King of Horror,” particularly due to his many horror books that have an overall sense of doom and terror.
That being said, King has written books, novels, and short stories in a variety of genres: thriller, crime, science fiction, and fantasy. Moreover, his works often transcend genre boundaries altogether to explore the human condition.
If you’re interested in reading a King book (or two), it can be difficult to know where to start.
Fear not, we’ve rounded up what we think are the 9 best Stephen King books…
Different Seasons (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption)
Different seasons is a collection of four short stories. The book includes Rita Hayworth and the Redemption of the Fugitive Convictswhich is the oscar nominated movie The Shawshank Redemption was based on.
This novel follows Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. Once in Shawshank Prison, Andy forms a transformative friendship with fellow inmate Red and begins to face the harsh realities of prison life with hope and resilience… This is a beautiful read.
Set in the 1930s, The green Line follows Paul Edgecombe, a prison guard on death row, as he meets John Coffey, a gentle giant with a mysterious and miraculous gift.
As Paul’s life intertwines with John’s, they discover profound truths about justice, humanity, and redemption in this supernatural and emotionally gripping tale. If you’re in the mood for a good cry, The green Line is for you.
In 22/11/63High school teacher Jake Epping discovers a portal to the past and embarks on a mission to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
It sounds like a crazy premise, but the complex narrative mixes time travel and historical events, and ultimately explores the complexities of altering history and the unintended consequences of such actions.
Salem’s Lot follows writer Ben Mears as he returns to the town of Lot in Jerusalem, only to discover it is prey to a vampire.
As the city descends into darkness, Ben and a small group of allies must confront the evil that threatens to consume everything in its path in this chilling and immersive horror classic.
The Brilliant introduces us to Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who has just become the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel.
But as winter approaches, the evil forces of the hotel influence Jack, leading him to descend into madness, endangering his wife and young son. The book is a masterpiece of psychological horror, and if you’ve seen the film adaptation, you’ll know that the book is quite different.
A group of young friends from the town of Derry, Maine, face off against a shapeshifting entity that emerges from the sewers every 27 years to feed on fear and children. HE.
The story then jumps forward in time and, as adults, the group reunites to confront their deepest fears and the monstrous creature that haunted their youth. Expect an epic tale of horror and friendship from HE.
Mist is a short story that was originally published in 1980 as part of the Dark Forces anthology. However, an edited version of Mist was then included in Skeleton Crewa collection of short stories, poems, and novellas, all written by Stephen King.
The story follows a group of people trapped in a supermarket by a supernatural mist that hides terrifying creatures. As fear and paranoia take hold of the survivors, they must find a way to escape the horror that overwhelms them. Gripping and suspenseful, Mist is a must read.
The first book ever published by Stephen King, Carrie tells the story of Carrie White, a high school student tormented by her peers and abused by her fanatically religious mother.
But when Carrie discovers her telekinetic powers, her quest for acceptance and revenge leads to a prom night no one will ever forget…
The stall is widely regarded as one of the best (if not THE (best) of Stephen King’s books. First released in 1978, it is a post-apocalyptic epic in which a deadly pandemic wipes out most of the world’s population.
The survivors are then drawn into a battle between good and evil, led by the saintly Mother Abagail and the sinister Randall Flagg. It’s a great read that explores themes of survival, morality, and the ultimate struggle for the future of humanity—and isn’t it impressive that King predicted a deadly pandemic 42 years before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the world?