So I just read The Stand by Stephen King

[Psionicist]

Having neglected Stephen King for several years because I didn't appreciate him as a kid, I finally read The Stand, and I enjoyed it very much. Can you guys here recommend other works by King? He is quite a productive author so pointers to his best works would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Remus Lupin]

Well, the obvious choice is to get started on the Dark Tower novels, beginning with "The Gunslinger." They're of uneven quality, as is often the case with King, but I think that in the end he brings it off quite well.

As for the Stand, I recently re-read it myself, and I admit I liked it better the second time through. My main problem with it the first time was the LITERAL Deus ex Machina ending. But I think the second read through made me more sympathetic to it because he clearly builds up the thematic element of sacrifice for the sake of others, and the fact that all of this is ultimately out of the protagonists' hands. Though it still grates a bit, because, after all, if the resolution of the action is out of the hands of the protagonists, what the heck are you reading about them for? Is this a Beckett play?

 

[frankthedm]

If you like doorstoppers, IT might be worth reading.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I liked Pet Sematary a lot.

 

[jaerdaph]

I've read and enjoyed a lot of Stephen King, but my favorite novels are It and Salem's Lot.

His short story collections, especially Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, are very good too. Many of these were adapted into full length movies over the years.

 

[stonegod]

Double plus on the Dark Tower. Under the Dome and the Colorao Kid were also enjoyed, though the latter is a bit of a departure for King and it's ending annoyed the wife to no end.

 

[Pbartender]

Having neglected Stephen King for several years because I didn't appreciate him as a kid, I finally read The Stand, and I enjoyed it very much. Can you guys here recommend other works by King? He is quite a productive author so pointers to his best works would be highly appreciated.

Some of my favorites are...

• The Shining
• Firestarter
• IT
• The Stand (which you've already read)
• The Eyes of the Dragon
• The Long Walk (as Richard Bachman)
• The Running Man (as Richard Bachman)
• The Regulators (as Richard Bachman)
• Different Seasons (Which includes Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, The Body*, and The Breathing Method.)

*Better known as the movie, Stand By Me.

 

[jaerdaph]

Under the Dome and the Colorao Kid were also enjoyed, though the latter is a bit of a departure for King and it's ending annoyed the wife to no end.

The new (it just started the second season) SyFy show Haven is based on The Colorado Kid. It's actually pretty descent.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

His short story collections, especially Night Shift and Skeleton Crew, are very good too.

Totally agree. Tons of great ideas he has for a story aren't worth 800 pages of expansion. In the short story collections to go on for just the right amount of length.

I would avoid any of the mid-career Stephen King books that can all be summed up as "Evil force takes over a small town". It was the first and the best and then he rewrote the same story another 6 or 7 times.

DS

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm not a huge fan of King's work. That said, I think he does his best work in his short stories.

And THAT said, besides his collections of short stories, I read and enjoyed

1. The Shining
2. Salem's Lot
3. Firestarter
4. Needful Things

In that order of enjoyment. The first two are rightfully considered masterpieces of the genre.

My favorite SK short story of all time is Cat from Hell. I read it in an anthology of cat stories, but it is most currently found in his Just After Sunset collection of short stories. (I first encountered it in its TV adaptation on Tales from the Darkside.)

As for Haven vs Colorado Kid, that's not a story I've read. My buddy who HAS read it says Haven is not exactly close to the story.