Which Stephen King book should I read first?

Question

I want to start reading Stephen King's books, which should I start with?

Answer 1

Start from the begining - Carrie (I believe King was 19 when he wrote it). It is an entertaining read and will give you a good idea of what you are in for!

If you want a good feel for his works try them in this order.

Carrie
Fire Starter
Salems Lot
It
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Stand
The Green Mile
The Drawing of The Three
The Cell

The Stand and Fire Starter are by far my favorites...

Answer 2

My first Stephen King read was 'Salems Lot and that lit the fire for me way, way back in high school. I am what King refers to as "Constant Reader" I then read Carrie. So either one would be a good start.

"The Stand" is by far my all time favorite but I wouldn't start with it.

I personally did not enjoy "Cujo" or "Misery" because IMO the plot did not move very fast---but they made excellent movies. "The Shining" is good as both a book and a movie (the original movie only)

Also, as previous people said, any of his collections of short stories is an excellent choice. They have a variety of themes any numerous are not horror. The movies "Stand by Me" and "Shawshank Redemption" were from two of his short stories.

I also like his Gunslinger series of books (The Dark Tower)but they can get confusing to those who are not used to his ways of writing and thought process.

You are in for a thrilling ride! Welcome to the club!

Answer 3

My favorites are Gerald's Game and Desperation. Gerald's Game is about a woman who gets stranded, handcuffed to her bed when her husband has a heart attack during a sex game. The catch? They're visiting their cabin in the mountains that nobody knows about. Desperation is classic Stephen King about a couple who get pulled over on the highway through backroads Nevada in the middle of summer by a REALLY strange cop. Only Stephen King could write a book where a yeast infection can save your life. Also, Hearts In Atlantis, this book got me started. The Gunslinger series is great too, I loved the last installment.

Answer 4

I wouldn't start with any thing big (you many not even like his style!). I'd recommend starting with some of his shorter pieces, of which he's written quite a few. He's got several compilations of short stories (Night Shift, Skeleton Crew) and a few larger volumes that contain collections of those shorter pieces (such as the Bachman Books and Four Past Midnight).

Skeleton Crew has one of of my favorite stories by Stephen King: The Mist.

Four Past Midnight contains The Langoliers, a very well thought out "time-warp" mystery.

The Bachman Books has The Long Walk, a rather haunting piece about an athletic event in the future.

If you try a few of these and they take your fancy, I'd hit The Dark Tower series; it'll enthrall you for years to come!

Answer 5

Ralph has the Drawing of Three in his list but that is part of a sequeal of books. The series is called The Dark Tower and I would suggest starting witht he first one, The Gunslinger. Thay are all pretty good up until book 5, Wolves of Calla. I am sorry but as much as I love Kings stories, IMO he can't write a good ending. I like all his books/series until 3/4 the way through then I am disappointed.

Answer 6

The Eyes of the Dragon...

He wrote this for his daughter who was 13 at the time, and hence it was the first Stephen King book that my dad let me read... It was FABULOUS! It has Magicians, Kings, Plots, Poisons, Deaths, Betrayal, Loyalty, and it is a very well written story!

I think that you should definately read it!

In fact i want to go and read it for the third time, and I am now 20... but I don't have it at this house... :(

Answer 7

I would suggest two options. Don't go to the extreme just yet, meaning ones like The Stand (which is my favorite). Either start at the beginning, with Carrie, or The Dead Zone. Great starters. Personally, when I'm getting into an author, I like to start at the beginning, so I can trace his development, but with King, I started with Pet Sematary, then The Shining. Now that I think about it, Misery is an excellent one to start with too. Very exciting and not too long.

Answer 8

You should read Carrie I just read it and it is phenominal!!! Another great book by Stephen King is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gorden!! Good luck

Answer 9

Some of his books are rather long, but if you are just starting with him I would have to say you should read The Gunslinger(Dark Tower I). I thought it would be some cheesy cr*p because I had never heard of it before. However, once I started reading the series I could not put it down. Its now my favorite set of books.

Answer 10

Start with Nightmares and Dreamscapes and then Everything's Eventual. Next move to "The Long Walk" then onto "IT" or "The Stand." Read "The Tallisman" and "Black House" then tackle The Dark Tower Series.