First King book?

Hey all. I've never read any SK before, but I've wanted to give him a try for a while. Tried reading Insomnia and gave it up around 50 pages in. Not sure if it was the senior citizen aged main character or what, but it just didn't hold my interest, and seemed to drag. So, my question is this: As someone who's never read anything by King before, what book of his should I tackle next? I was thinking Cujo or the Shining, but I'd love some recommendations.

My all time favorite King book has to be Salem's Lot, but be prepared to leave the lights on at night.

My first was Carrie and I think it can be a good start, but The Shining would be good, too.

I also read Carrie as my first book aged about 12 and I agree with quartzite it could be a good start.

My favourite is The Stand, closely followed by IT and they are really great but long.

Insomnia is an odd one, I gave up on it the first time I read it but I was really annoyed with myself for not being able to read a Stephen King book and gave it another go. I still didn't love it but I finished it. The third time I read it I did love it.

I think if I was giving one of his books to someone who had never read one before I would give them Misery. It's not a spooky supernatural one but it's a scary one and definately one of his best in my opinion.

Many of Stephen King's books begin slow and pick up later so that you can't put it down. I usually trust him to bring the book around and he hasn't failed me yet. I have liked all of his books.

I loved Insomnia, but I think I'm in the minority. His latest book, Duma Key, was very good. It's hard to beat The Stand, too!

#4 Couldn't agree more, The Stand and It are my two favorites also. They are however, both very long and maybe not the best for a first timer. Salem's Lot is a great place to start, or something newer like Duma Key If you are ok with more of a fantasy twist try The Gunslinger.

I started back with Skeleton Crew. You get the terrific novella The Mist and a bunch of other classic stories.

I wouldn't recommend starting with Insomnia (one King book I really didn't enjoy) or Cujo (one King book I actually quit reading).

I loved It and Desperation though they are both longish books.

Misery and maybe Four Past Midnight are both good places to start that won't require a huge investment of time.

I think his early books are the best place to start. Let's face it. Most people who make up King's fan base today started with the books he wrote in the 70's and 80's. Those early books mostly start fast and move fast.

And I think it depends on what you like to read in general, as it did for all of us before we became fans.

If your willing suspension of disbelief is low and the supernatural thing turns you off, go for Misery. If you want to be creeped out, try The Shining or Pet Sematary. If you're into political paranoia, go for Firestarter or The Dead Zone.

Cujo is one of my personal favorites, but I think The Shining may be his best-written book and his most accessible horror novel.

I loved the Stand, It, Duma Key, Needful Things

Also I would mention that the novellas in Different Seasons contain some his best writing.

I think it would be easier to suggest which books of his NOT to read first. ;) I wouldn't suggest The Stand. I loved the book but I think it took a long time to build. Gerald's Game, Insomnia or Cujo.

My first was It, and it uhmm...%&$##% just read it!!!

I was like the original thread poster. I started way too heavy, Rose Madder was my first and I was only 13 so I had problems understanding it, put it down for a later date. My first complete read through was Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Now that I have successfully completed King's entire collection of novels, I think that starting with his short stories gives you an idea what kind of things to expect from his bigger novels. Having to choose from either Cujo or The Shining, if I had to it would be Cujo, but my recommendation is don't start with the ones that have been made into movies....

http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=33569

I think BLAZE or PET SEMATARY would make excellent starting points. Both are pacy and compelling reads (though for totally different reasons) that are classic king.

I actually would not recommend Pet Semantary for most people as a starting point. I found that book scary but very off-putting and if it had been my first King, I might never have read another.

Child_of_Light

I'm not surprised that you didn't like Insomnia. It took me FOREVER to finish it. If you're looking for a good starting point, I HIGHLY recommend The Shining. That was my first SK novel - I read it when I was 14 and I finished it in less than two days. And I recommend reading his earlier novels first, like Carrie or The Dead Zone. They seem to be easier to get into. And if you find that you like his style, I also highly recommend Pet Sematary (VERY, VERY disturbing), and It if you have a lot of time to spend. It is absolutely brilliant and SO much more than your typical horror novel. I also recommend Night Shift - it's his first collection of short stories, and I love each and every one of them.

And don't worry if you can't get into the first book you read. Experiment...he has MORE than enough material to sample!

I recently reread Nightshift and found that stories like "the last rung of the ladder" were excellent,whilst the more mainstream horror ones werent nearly as good.

The book that got me started on Stephen King was Nightshift. I remember what got me to buy the book in the first place was the cover with all the eyes on the hands, that really creeped me out at the time. And after that I was hooked forever bitten by the StephenKingcollectoritis bug which as we all know there is no known cure for. That is why we all love to read and collect his books. I think I probably have a worse case of StephenKingcollectoritis than most people.

beatles1964

Ah yes. That story (I think it's called I am the Doorway) scared the living daylights out of me! I still cringe every time I think about it!

I haven't re-read that book in years, maybe it's time I went back to it. There is one story I havent bothered to go back and re-read because it grossed me out then and it still does whenever I think about it. It's called Survivor Type from one of his other Novels of short stories, maybe Danse Macabre. I know it's not Four Past Midnight or Different Seasons. The story is about a guy who is the sole survivor with the exception of a rat aboard some ship that sank and the things he had to do in order to survive.

beatles1964

I was wrong about it being in Danse Macabre, it was in Skeleton Crew. I should've known that. It's been years since I have re-read Skeleton Crew. Maybe it's time I start to go back and re-read some of King's books I haven't read in quite awhile. And read the ones I haven't read even once, yet like The Dark Tower Series Volumes 4 th ru 7, Lisey's Story,Duma Key and I never got around to finishing Eveything's Eventual and From A Buick 8. So you can see I have a lot of reading to do in order to get caught up on my Stephen King's.

beatles1964

My first as a young pre-teen was Cycle of the Warewolf. It was illustrated with bloody images. :D

I think I started with Nightshift (short stories) as a teenager. My ultimate favorite may be The Stand. It scared the heck out of me. Salem's Lot is a fast, scary read. It depends on what you are looking for.

I read Different Seasons first when i was 12, since i loved the moving Stand By Me, i also ended up reading it in my senior english class.

I remember trying to read The Shining as a young teen, and not being able to finish. But, the first King novel I read cover to cover was It, and then I was hooked. I revisited the Shining years later and thoroughly enjoyed!

My first King book was Carrie - way back in the summer of 1977 - since then I've read them pretty much in order of release. (yeah, I've got some first editions, including Thinner before the "Stephen King writing as" sticker - but they're in nothing close to good condition!)

Somehow I never posted in this thread. My first King book was Salems Lot. I checked it out from the school library when I was in Seventh grade. My dad was always an avid King reader and for some reason at that moment in time it seemed like the thing to do. Good choice on my part!

Back in 1992 I got my 7 year old nephew hooked on King by giving him his first King book which was IT. For the longest time we were afraid to tell his mother that I had bought him a scary Stephen King book about a monster that comes back every 25 years and kills children. Eventually when we did his mother was kind of cool with the idea of him reading King.

beatles1992

Which really came as a real shock and surprise to the both of us at the time. We were real afraid she would totally go ballistic about me buying him a Stephen King book to read. It was one of the paperback editions at the time so it would be easier for us to sneak it back into their house.

beatles1964

I started with Misery, then moved immediately into Pet Semetary. I was pretty young when I read Pet Semetary, and it messed with my head for a while. I've since gone on to reread it at least once a year. I also think that Carrie is a good place to start.

I think a good Stephen King book for someone to start with would be The Stand however I would recommend they start with the original 1978 version and then read the Updated 1991 version of The Stand. Since the later version has over 350 pages that King was told to edit out himself because his Publisher didn't think any of his fans would want to read a book 1,000 or pages long. King sure proved them wrong on that point. I thnk Different Seasons or Four Past Midnight, The Eyes of the Dragon or even The Talisman.

I agree with zwoolard that you can't go wrong by starting with Carrie and then Pet Sematary. Of course, IT, Salem's Lot and everything else mentioned here are all very good starting points if someone is just beginning to read King.

IT and the Updated version of The Stand, The Talisman and The Shining are just a few of my favorite King books that I have reread on more than one occasion. In fact I would even go so far as to say that you really can't go wrong by choosing any of his books to getr someone started down the road to reading Stephen King.

Beatles1964

I really liked The Stand, but it's rather long. Cujo and Misery would be good to start with. I started with Eyes of the Dragon and Girl who loved Tom Gordon, both good starters, good for younger readers too. (I was twelve!) With Stephen King it's hard to go wrong, except don't read Bag of Bones until you're a fan. That one just...

Also, his short stories are awesome! I like Skeleton Crew, because its got The Mist in it, along with a bunch of other chilling little bites. Everything's Eventual is pretty good too.

I really liked The Stand, but it's rather long. Cujo and Misery would be good to start with. I started with Eyes of the Dragon and Girl who loved Tom Gordon, both good starters, good for younger readers too. (I was twelve!) With Stephen King it's hard to go wrong, except don't read Bag of Bones until you're a fan. That one just...

Also, his short stories are awesome! I like Skeleton Crew, because its got The Mist in it, along with a bunch of other chilling little bites. Everything's Eventual is pretty good too.

I started the Stephen King experience by reading They Eye of The Dragon.
My wife is a HUGE Stephen King fan and she had been trying to get me to read him.
I then moved on to The Long Walk, then The Running Man.
I am now reading The Stand.

So far I havn't been disappointed.

I would suggest reading The Long Walk first, it's a pretty interesting read.

You know, Schayde, that's a very, very different introduction to King than I bet most people had. Most people think of King as a horror writer, but she's starting you off with his fantasy and science fiction books. Four books in and you haven't touched any of his best-seller horror novels. I'm really interested to know what you think. I bet your opinion of King is very unique.

Skeleton Crew was my first King. Got the hc for my 16th bd. I remember telling all my friends about one story, I think it's called "Survivor Type"? where a man, stranded, begins amputating his hands and forearms, one bit of an appendage at a time, and eating them to survive since he can't find anything else to eat, until by the end of the story, he's just a stump...w/out a leg to stand on!

The Gunslinger.

I had just watched the movie 1408 and thought it was great. I was trolling around some message boards when some people were talking about how there was a door in the movie that went to another dimension or world or something and how it was like Drawing of the Three. Then the rest of the message basically turned into a discussion about the Dark Tower and it sounded interesting so I picked it up that day. I rushed through all seven incredibly quickly and I will say they are probably the reason I got into reading as much as I have. I liked reading but I'm a guy who likes to read one thing at a time and since I was always reading stuff in school I read very few novels that weren't assigned to me.

After I finished the Dark Tower series I read 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, Duma Key and Skeleton Crew not necessarily in that order. I really liked all of them and have been a fan ever since.

There are still a bunch I haven't read, but now I read them with the monthly group read we do on this site.

My first King book was read to me by my 6th grade teacher. She read The Eyes of the Dragon to the class over the period of a couple weeks. I thought it was such a great book. Then about 2 years later, when I was 12, my mom had a paperback copy of The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands lying around the house so I picked it up and read it. I loved it so much that I've been reading him ever since.

Let's go way back. Saw the (original) movie Carie as a double feature at the Drive In movies (remember those?) in 1977. Bought the book soon after and have been a big Stephen King fan ever since.

Really racking my brain to try to remember my first King novel - I'm pretty sure it was It (after a few stories from Skeleton Crew)

My first SK book was Needful Things and I think that's an excellent introduction to all things King. It's almost an amalgamation of his different styles - there are supernatural elements, psychological elements, the small-town mentality stuff that he's brilliant at. The main characters are superb and the way it builds to an inevitable climax is magnificently done. Always been one of my favourites since I first read it nearly 20 years ago.

Insomnia was also the first Stephen King novel I read, and I wasn't blown away by it either. I was about 14 at the time and it took me two months to finish it.

I agree with BuffaloPhil: Needful Things is probably the best introduction to Stephen King, followed by The stand, It, Carrie and The shining.

Hi i was baptised into kings kingdom with The Stand. It enthralled me from its first paragraph and propelled me along the finest journey i've had the pleasure to take. It is a true American classic. With that epic piece of story telling he had me and I've enjoyed most of his stuff ever since.

Other great books almost as good, which scored highly on Kings Rictor scale for me where:

CHRISTINE, THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, IT, NEEDFUL THINGS

But would suggest DUMA KEY, or CELL which are more recent.Both would serve as good starters before the feast to come.

Also as previously mentioned, Different seasons; Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption, or the Breathing Method, or check out NightShift, with an awesome tale called Strawberry Spring , skeleton crew and the jaunt.

My first King only last year - listening to Duma Key. I was enthralled.

I then listened to Dreamcatcher, read Bag of Bones and Gerald's Game, then listened to Under the Dome and am finally reading the uncut version of The Stand.

I can't believe I dissed King for so long without trying one of his books - the ones I have read are all quite amazing each in its own way.

#46 I think you should also try reading:

IT
Pet Sematary
Cujo
The Shining
Carrie
Salem's Lot
Needful Things
Four Past Midnight

These alre also very good King books. I have to admit some of the Movie and
Mini-Series versions are better than others that were made of his books. I love IT,
Pet Sematary, The Stand, Needful Things, Misery, Salem's Lot and Carrie are
just some of the Movie & Mini-Series versions I love. I have most of them on VHS
Video Tapes & DVD's. I'm missig several of his Movies in my Collection.

Beatles1964

Hi beatles1964:

I definitely plan on continuing to read King. I have been slowly but surely acquiring books via Bookmooch and the Thrift store and have the following ones that I haven’t read/listened to yet:

Christine
The Dead Zone
Desperation
Dolores Claiborne
The Eyes of the Dragon
Firestarter
From a Buick 8
Insomnia
It
Needful Things
Pet Sematary
The Tommyknockers

Tommyknockers is next month's group read, FYI.

#48 - Yes, please do feel free to join the group read in October if The Tommyknockers sounds interesting.

The good thing about starting Stephen King is that there is SO MUCH good stuff out there for you to discover (though there are a few clinkers out there too).

Thanks, Bookmarque and jseger9000 - I'll see if I can join in. I've got about 400 pages to go on The Stand and am finding less time to read now that Marching Band season has ramped up (being Band Boosters treasurer and all!) but perhaps I can keep two going at once....?

I wouldn't suggest The Tommyknockers and The Stand at the same time. Aside from possible SK overload, both are books that involve a large cast of characters.

Then again, I NEVER read two books at once. It is more than my little pea-brain can handle, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Ah. Thanks for the head's up.

I'll have to try to finish The Stand by the end of the month. I want to, anyway, because I've gotten an ER book that I need to read then review in addition to my new focus on Stephen King.

Until I wrote yesterday's post I didn't realize that I had a full 400 pages to go. For some reason it's dragging a bit for me right now - Mother Abagail has just gone off because she had the sin of pride, one of the characters is contemplating a radical action (vague to avoid spoilers) and they're organizing a new government. I'll pick it back up at lunch today and I'm sure it will ramp up again. Any book that's 1153 pages is bound to be a bit draggy at one point or another.....

It's a bit late to tell you now, but if you haunt the used book stores there's an abridged version of The Stand available.

It was the original version of the book. Later, when he went from being 'Stephen King, author' to 'STEPHEN KING!', he released his originally intended, uncut, 1,100 page version. I haven't read that version yet. Honestly, The Stand isn't my favorite of his books.

I actually have a copy of the original version that I bookmooched a while back. Then I read about the uncut version but didn't go out of my way to get it - was going to read the original until I found a hardcover copy (don't even know if it's been released in paperback) at the thrift store for $1.50. So I bought it and decided to read the uncut version because otherwise I'd wonder forever what King originally intended. It would have made me crazy to read the original knowing there was an expanded version. Like all books, there are fans and detractors of the uncut one, but I'm really liking it - just at a less good place right now.

I'm going to put my original (paperback) copy of The Stand on bookmooch soon.

And, for the record (although you've probably mentioned it elsewhere on another thread) what's your favorite, jseger9000? Or favorites?

I have a number of favorites I guess.

'Salem's Lot which I had thought was over-rated until we had our group read of it a while back. That was the book that put Stephen King on the map and for good reason.

It is his finest hour. It's also a thousand plus page book that (to me at least) never feels like it.

Desperation/The Regulators. I enjoyed each book individually (though Desperation has the edge on The Regulators to me at least) but for best effect they should be read back-to-back.

Those last two aren't held in such high esteem by others, but I love 'em.

The only books I haven't much enjoyed are The Dead Zone, Insomnia, Rose Madder and the Dark Tower stuff.

Stephen King is like Cigarettes. You discover him when you're young and underage and usually due to peer pressure in high school. Before you know it, you're hooked.

#56 jeseger9000 - thanks for your opinion! I've got It but it seems it will take second or third or whatever place in my King reading after The Tommyknockers and possibly Dolores Claiborne. I've also got to squeeze in my ER book and am interested in some Jeff Shaara that I found at the Thrift Store recently. And the Friends of the Pittsboro Library sale is tomorrow so who knows what gems I'll find there, King or otherwise.

I'm finding that I have to dip into other, non-King books as I'm reading The Stand to circle back to the story, so to speak. Trashy romances mostly.

#57 bardsfingertips - I must be having a Late Teenage Crisis - I'm 57 years old. I was 21 when his first book came out. Horror never appealed to me, which is how I perceived King, so I always avoided his books like the plague.

Ah, ignorance.

So now I'm a convert although I tried listening to his first book of the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, read by the author, and it stunk in 4 dimenisons. I'm not sure if it was just his reading of it or if I wouldn't even like it if I were to read it.

#58 - Well, I read The Gunslinger rather than listening to the audio and I didn't like it either.

So far, I've noticed the more deeply tied into the Dark Tower a King book is, the less likely I am to enjoy it.

That Dark Tower mythology works best when it rumbles in the background (like It or even The Stand), but at times it chokes out the story (like Insomnia, a book you will not even understand without some familiarity with the Dark Tower).

#58

I was not really sucked into the first book of the Dark Tower series. I commend him on doing something totally different for him at the time.

However, the Drawing of the Three (when he figured out that the Tower Universe was going to be an actual universe) he won me over. For me, that is the first book. I feel The Gunslinger was a test run.

The Gunslinger is also some of the earliest stuff he's had published (under his own name). Didn't he start the first story while he was in high school?

By the reason I don't like the Dark Tower stuff in general is that I just don't like dark fantasy. For the same reason, I loved Clive Barker's early stuff, but haven't liked most of his novels.

Like many here I woul recommend starting with some of the early stuff. King's books have changed significantly over the years in my opinion. While he is still a talented writer and can spin a good yarn, I found his earlier books to be scarier and less manipulated. (I don't know if that is exactly the right word, but close.) The later books/stories, say the eclipse books and later, seem to either have a very obvious political message or they are trying too hard to fit into the Dark Tower Universe.

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed a lot of those later books, and loved the Dark Tower (until he wrote himself into the story and then ended the story prematurely because he glimpsed his own mortality). I feel though for pure enjoyment value the earler works are best.

tjm568 I wasn't aware that King wrote himself into the story. Because I only read as far as The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands and had only barely started Dark Tower IV Wizard and Glass. It's been way too long now for me to pick right up where I left off at so I just plan on startting to read the whole Dark Tower series again beginning with The Dark Tower I: The Dark Tower. Just like I never finished reading the complete series of Ann Rice's The Vampire Chronicles the last time and I started reading them all over again beginning with Interview With the Vampire. The other time I was reading through the entire series of The Vampire Chronicles I never completely finished reading Memnoch the Devil. So far I've finished reading Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and haven't yet begun to read Queen of the Damned. I hope no one here will spoil it for me and allow me to find out for myself how he inserted himself into the story.

Beatles1964

#63-Beatles, the first Dark Tower book is The Gunslinger.

Hey I knew that. It was a test to see if anyone was alert. You don't think I could possibly make a mistake and not know that The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger and that The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower is when the Gunslinger finally achieves his goal and
reaches the Dark Tower.For years Johnny Cash was called the Man in Black maybe the Gunslinger was looking for Johnny Cash.

Beatles1964

#63 Sorry, didn't mean to spoil anything for you. Wizard and Glass was the high point in the series as far as I am concerned. Actually, I think books 2,3 and 4 are some of King's most entertaining work.

#63 Sorry, didn't mean to spoil anything for you. Wizard and Glass was the high point in the series as far as I am concerned. Actually, I think books 2,3 and 4 are some of King's most entertaining work.

Hey tjm568 you didn't spoil anything for me. I'm glad that someone caught on so quickly. Since I never got around to actually reading Wizard and Glass, Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah,or Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower I can't comment one way or the other. Which is why I plan on starting to read the entire series all over again. Anyway, I liked The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three when he had to go through the doors and bring them from their world to his world and also the Giant Lobstrosities on the beach and The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands with the crazy Riddle playing Locomotive Blaine the Mono.

Beatles1964

I also started reading SK by asking a similar question...which book should I begin with? and people recommended me The Shining. I've read a lot of SK by now but The Shining is still my all-time favorite so maybe you can start with that.

I also read Insomnia and I have to admit the first few chapters didn't appeal to me but I carried on and when I finished the book, I really liked it. It's not a book I'd put in my top 5...maybe not even in my top 10 but I would certainly not place it in my "worst" pile. Maybe you should give it a go again when you're more familiar with his work =)

My favorite SK books are
The Shining
Misery (finished this one right before going to bed and couldn't fall asleep)
Desperation (very creepy parts in this one, gave me trouble sleeping as well)
Four past midnight

I also recommend his short stories, I don't like all of them equally but I certainly like (even love) most of them. I loved The skeleton Crew and I'm currently reading Nightmares and dreamscapes which is also thrilling. I'd still like to read Nightshift, Cujo, It, Needful things, Pet sematary but I'm having trouble finding most of them. I have It in my bookcase but haven't found the time yet although I'm very curious since I love the movie and I've read a lot of positive comments about the book.

I also started the Dark Tower series ones and read The Gunslinger but don't know if I liked it to be honest. I finished it but put the idea of reading the series aside for a while...but I do like to read them one day =)

My first King novel was IT. I was 14 when my parents gave me that book as a present. I had wished for it and obviously they thought I was mature enough to read it. Boy, did that book give me nightmares back then *argh* Great stuff, to be sure, and it got me hooked on King - for the next six years or so I read pretty much everything by King I could get a hand on: Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining (still one of my favourites), Pet Semetary, Cujo, Firestarter etc. However, while his novels are really good, he's at his best when he writes short stories - Nightshift is awesome!
As for The Gunslinger: It's a difficult book, I think, and I'm with Sapphiregirl on this one. When I had finished the book I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. It's not very accessable. You can see that a very young writer has written this, and it seems he doesn't know where the story will lead. However, it's a fascinating book - fresh ideas, an enigmatic hero (who becomes a lot more human later on) and very few explanations. I like that. Still, it was a very difficult read. I started on Drawing of the Three afterwards and just couldn't stomach it so I put it aside for about half a year. When I picked it up, I was hooked - I've been reading nothing but the Dark Tower since late October, 2010.

Loved Insomnia too!

My first book by King was Needful Things. That was a rough first read. If I was to suggest a first book for you to read, it would be Cujo, Pet Sematary, or It.

I have not read many Stephen King books but I have watched most of the movies. I have recently started on The Dark Towers and have read The Gunslinger, I just couldn't wrap my head around that one. I did go on to The Drawing of the Three which I am Loving!

The Drawing of the Three is an excellent book, in my opinion.

To pick one for your first you should think about what fears you have and feed those it always makes his books so much better. I love anything that I think could actually happen which is why my favorites are the stand and misery.

My first one was Salem's Lot and I would recommend it for begginers!

Another good one to start: Pet Sematery

I have not read Pet Sematery but I have seen that movie. It scared the crap out of me. To this day it is the scariest movie ever for me!

I thought The Drawing of the Three was excellent also. I am now almost through with The Waste Lands. To me, it is a mix of the first and second books. At times I get lost and have to regroup butf or the most part I am enjoying it but not as much as the second.

tabitha6 That was my impression, too, of the Waste Lands.

Hopefully Wizard and Glass doesn't put you off the series. It's not a bad book; it's a good tale, actually. It just feels...long. Romances, go figure.

But Wolves of the Calla reminds me of a western movie, and was pretty entertaining.

And, that's where I left off, and I need to get back on. Maybe, I just don't want it to end :-)

bardsfingertips that is how I feel about most series! I get so into the characters that I don't want them to leave. I have done that with many Dean Koontz series.

My first was The Shining so I would obviously recommend that one. Its definitely top ten favorites for me. Carrie, Salem's Lot and Cujo are also very good. If you're into fantasy Eyes of the Dragon is a good one to start with.

My first was Salem's Lot, which turned King into a literary god in my eyes. Then comes the Stand, and then the Shining. Basically, those early "S" books are my recommendations, and let's not forget the Bachman books, which were also vintage King; Rage, The Long Walk, Thinner, and the Running Man.

I find it very sad that I can not remember which SK book I read first! I started reading them in my teens, about 15+ years ago, and I have no idea which one was first!

I just read my first Stephen King novel, Bag of Bones last year. I really enjoyed it and was surprised on the literary quality of the story.

Here's my review of that novel:

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/book-review-22-stephen-kings-bag-of-bon...

Marion

Pet Sematary was the first King novel I read. It's one of his scariest, in my opinion. Some of his short stories are also exceptional, especially his earlier ones. My favourites are 'Quitters, Inc.' and 'The Ledge'. As others have said, The Shining, The Stand and It are probably his best novels, but the last two are the length of War and Peace. (Of course, they're much easier to read...)

I think it was salem's lot in the 1970's. I remember watching the mini-series, and then reading the book. I think it was the first full length book I ever read.

In my teenage years I devoured King (and Koontz) books. I think my first taste of King's writing was a battered copy of Night Shift given to me by a grandparent. I started reading it in the back of the car on the journey home. I was hooked! Standout stories for me were Graveyard Shift (I could really picture the descent into hell), I Am the Doorway (awesome concept), The Boogeyman and Grey Matter (both really creepy), Battleground and Trucks (really tense action), The Ledge and Quitters, Inc. (non-supernatural high concept stories). Despite its bad rep The Mangler terrified me as a child, and when I got to the last paragraph I had to go into another room where there were people (I'd been reading in the parlour). Children of the Corn is amazing (and a partial influence on my first novel). The Last Rung on the Ladder is also a beautiful work, personal horror and it really hit me in the gut.

I worked my way through many other King novels, including the Bachman Books, enjoying Pet Sematary, The Shining, Desperation, and my all-time favourite, IT. I love the way the IT story is revealed over the two timescapes, and the many faces of horror that appear within the novel.

I loved both King and Koontz for their differences. Koontz generally got down to things straightaway, whereas King would spend a lot longer building up the story. Koontz usually offered some kind of 'scientific' explanation, whereas King was happy to allow a hidden world without it needing explaining. I was so proud of all those horror books on my bookcase, and always looked forward to going back to them.

Well if you've never read King before I would reccomend starting with one of his collections of short stories such as Graveyard Shift or Everythings Eventual.

The Shining. 1981. My freshman English teacher was reading it. My mother wouldn't let me see the movie. A girl every guy in school had a serious crush on had read it and was raving about (she was also raving about Daniel Steele, so I could n't take her too seriously). So it was a natural progression that I would read this book.

Scared the cheese n'rice outta me. Had nightmares for months. Freaked me out when I reread it 30 years later.

My favorite. Bar none.

Night Shift. Still a favorite.

Hello there... Newb here. I just joined LT yesterday to test the waters...

I'm a lifelong King fan, so naturally, this was the first group I sought out (though not the first I actually participated in... I did a few rounds in the threads first to get a feel for the place.).

Anyway, my first Stephen King book was The Shining, if I remember correctly, and I was somewhere around 9ish when I read it that first time. There have been many, many re-reads since then, and it still remains one of my favorite of King's books, and a favorite book in general, to this day. :)

Look forward to chatting with you all!
Becky