An Introduction to Reading Stephen King
By: Nathan Patrick Brown
Tags: Stephen King, Horror, Books, Reading, Fiction

Stephen King has a massive bibliography, including 63 novels and over 200 short stories. Even if you’ve never read any of King’s work, you would no doubt be familiar with some of his more famous characters and plots — from demonic clowns to telekinetic teenagers, from a writer and his family trapped in an empty hotel to a cemetery which brings dead pets back to life.

King’s back-catalogue can be intimidating to new or casual readers, especially as he has explored so many different genres, themes, and writing styles over the past five decades. Here are seven of his best works that encompass why he is the King.

Note, this is not a ‘best-of’ list, this is a list which aims to serve as an entry-point to King’s writing for new or casual readers, highlighting the breadth and scope of King’s written world.

1. The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition

Reading this lengthy tome (King’s longest stand-alone work) during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic may be a little too real but it is the perfect way to scare yourself shitless.

I suggest skipping over the original version of The Stand, published in 1978, and going straight to the uncut 1990 reprint, which moved the book’s setting forward by ten years and added about 400 pages which were cut from the original manuscript.

The Stand follows a group of survivors of a deadly virus — a weaponised influenza strain which has killed off most of the world’s population — as they attempt to restructure society against the backdrop of a wider battle between good and evil.

The Stand is a great introduction to King’s specific type of horror-writing — fantastical yet also grounded in realism. Rarely will a character make a choice without King giving you a holistic understanding of that character’s decision-making process, their fears, their anxieties and their hopes. It is this understanding of character that has made King’s writing so popular.

A new CBS miniseries adaptation starring James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, and Marilyn Manson is set to air later this year, so try and finish this one before it gets released. You are in for a wild ride.

References to keep an eye out for: Randall Flagg — one of King’s most persistent villains.

Warnings: Just don’t get too attached to any characters, OK?

If you liked The Stand: Try one of King’s other expansive masterpieces, such as It, Under the Dome, or ’Salem’s Lot.

2. The Long Walk

The Long Walk is one of the seven books written under King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman.

King writes differently as Bachman. Sure, there are similarities in style which led to Bachman being exposed as King — but he seems to approach characters and plots differently as Bachman. The Bachman books are often sillier, grittier, more out-of-left-field. I like to think of Bachman as an opportunity for King to explore themes and ideas that King wouldn’t normally have put out into the world under the King brand and the weight of audience-expectations.

The Long Walk is set in a dystopian future where 100 teenage boys enter a walking competition — where they essentially are forced to walk until they drop, with the final man standing announced the winner.

While published years after Carrie, The Long Walk is actually the first book King ever wrote. It gives the reader a glimpse into the author as a young man, with hints at the brilliance to come, and sparks of the brilliance that was always there.

References to keep an eye out for: None that I am aware of.

Warnings: Once you have finished this book, you will want to discuss it with anyone who will listen, particularly the ending.

If you liked The Long Walk: Try another Bachman book, such as The Running Man or Thinner. Or read The Dark Half for a deeper examination into King’s complicated relationship with his pseudonym.

3. Misery

King excels at the sprawling epic, stories which span decades like It, traverse continents like The Stand or have gigantic casts like Needful Things. However, some of his most captivating stories are set in one place with few characters. Misery is a story about a man confined to a bed, being watched over by his number one fan.

Reading Misery today, it is hard to separate the character of Annie Wilkes from Kathy Bates’ terrifying portrayal in the 1990 film adaptation. Annie Wilkes is undoubtedly one of King’s most complex and unsettling characters. However, reading Misery you may find yourself more enthralled by Paul Sheldon’s desperation, claustrophobia, and tenacity to escape.

Misery is a great story on its own merits, but it also gives us a fascinating window into King’s relationship with his fans, with his writing, and with addiction. You will finish Misery with a greater understanding of who King is and deeper respect for what he does.

References to keep an eye out for: A fun little nod to the Overlook Hotel and the events of The Shining.

Warnings: The hobbling scene from the movie is different in the book — but just as graphic and just as likely to make you feel squeamish.

If you liked Misery: Try another self-contained, intense story, like Gerald’s Game or The Shining.

4. 11/22/63

Published in 2011, this is Stephen King’s newest entry on this list and is a good encapsulation of the direction he has taken in recent years, focusing more on character pieces with just a hint of supernatural terror lying underneath.

11/22/63 is essentially a piece of historical fiction, with a time-traveller from 2011 going back in time to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

It’s really fun to see King playing with something new, especially with how he brings the 50s and 60s to life and how he creates his own set of rules for time-travel.

Ultimately, 11/22/63 is one of the best things King has ever written. He suckers you in with a high-concept plot and before you know it you are emotionally invested in the characters and ready to be destroyed by King’s twists and turns.

I do hate the title though.

References to keep an eye out for: A couple of kids from Derry.

Warnings: You may get more out of one of the easter-eggs in the book by having read, or at least seen an adaption of It. A basic knowledge and understanding of the JFK assassination may also prove useful.

If you liked ll/22/63: Sample some of King’s later work, such as The Outsider, Duma Key or Revival.

5. Different Seasons

Different Seasons is arguably King’s best collection of novellas and all four of the novellas show off King’s drama chops rather than straight-horror. This man can write in any genre he wants.

Even if you are not familiar with Different Seasons as a collection, I am sure you are familiar with some of the stories contained within it; Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (adapted into the film The Shawshank Redemption), The Body (adapted into Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me), Apt Pupil (adapted with no title change), and The Breathing Method (not yet adapted but still great).

Some of King’s best work is buried in his short story collections. With a lower word-count, his short stories excise the filler and cut to the quick. I enjoy King’s pages of rambling and inner-monologues, but it can be a nice change of pace to get in, get the thrills, then get out. His novellas walk the line somewhere down the middle.

Different Seasons is a great way to sample some of King’s non-supernatural writing and to get a taste of his skills as a writer of short/shorter fiction.

References to keep an eye out for: Castle Rock, Shawshank Penitentiary, Cujo, Jerusalem’s Lot, a character from The Body will also appear in Needful Things.

If you liked Different Seasons: Look at some of King’s other novella and short story collections, such as Hearts in Atlantis or the recently published If It Bleeds.

6. The Gunslinger

The first entry of King’s magnum opus, The Dark Tower series, is like nothing else he has ever written. Set in a different world — or is it not that different after all? — The Gunslinger follows Roland Deschain as he chases the Man in the Black (aka Randall Flagg!) on a quest to the Dark Tower, the centre of the universe.

Full disclosure, I hated this novel on its own, but I loved every subsequent book in the Dark Tower series. So if you have to slog through it, slog through it, because it will be worth it in the end.

Plus, it does have the best opening line of any of King’s writing: “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” So simple, yet so effective.

References to keep an eye out for: Dark Tower easter eggs, references, themes and even characters are littered throughout King’s entire bibliography. Don’t be surprised to find a minor character introduced in a book from 1975 to pop up in a Dark Tower book published in 2003 — this is one of the joys of King’s world-building that casual readers can often overlook.

Warnings: Do not watch the 2017 film ‘The Dark Tower’ starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, it will only lead to disappointment and regret.

If you liked The Gunslinger: Obviously you should continue on to the rest of The Dark Tower series, but if you like King writing in different worlds you could also check-out The Eye of the Dragon.

7. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen King’s best book may be his memoir on how to write.

With On Writing King shares insightful recollections on his writing process, habits, and publishing journey. The book is filled with practical tips and tools to improve and encourage aspiring writers.

Even if writing is not something you are interested in, On Writing is fascinating as it helps explain how King can be so prolific and where he gets his ideas. Recollections of his history with drug and alcohol abuse, his upbringing, and his family relationships also give the reader a greater idea of who the writer is.

We are lucky to have King’s toolbox at our fingertips.

Warnings: Just because King makes it look easy doesn’t mean it is.

If you liked On Writing: Try some of King’s other non-fiction work, such as Danse Macabre, his reflections on horror in popular culture.