Pet Sematary
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Least Scary?
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Annika
(last edited Sep 13, 2013 03:55PM)
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Sep 13, 2013 01:37PM
I've never read any Stephen King books, and I want to, but I don't know which would be the best book to start with. Which is the least scary of his books in your opinion? Also, I wouldn't want it to be too gory.
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I have read a couple and I would say Pet Sematary and Carrie. Both are excellent just more supernatural and intense.
As far as I'm concerned 'Pet Sematary' and 'Carrie' are his two *most* scary. 'Christine' is vivid too; stays in the memory.Instead, I would recommend 'Dead Zone' and 'Firestarter' for more mildness. Both are political in nature; intrigue with slight touches of the supernatural.
Stay away from, 'Cujo'--just plain nasty.
I agree with Feliks. Pet Semetary had me shivering in my boots, and Firestarter is a little more on the milder side. The Talisman is really good one, too. It's the one that introduced me to SK. I can't get enough of it. I've read it like five times, and I'm about due for another go at it. :)
Hearts in Atlantis is more on the milder side, too, if I'm remembering correctly. It's made up of maybe five short stories that are all connected. There may be a couple of creepy parts in it, but I don't think it's too bad.
I'd go with Thinner. Not scary, just tense.
Eyes of the Dragon! not at all scary in my opinion. And a great read. It's what got ME started on Stephen King originally...
My fiance' just reminded me of one that would be perfect to start out with- The Green Mile! It's an excellent book & very mild.
Feliks wrote: "Instead, I would recommend 'Dead Zone' and 'Firestarter' for more mildn..."Not sure about that, but I guess it depends on the reader. "Dark Zone" has the whole child-abuse sub story, which could be considered scary.
And "Firestrater" has the scene with the, ah, thingy build in the kitchen sink. But then again, King and Not Scary isn't something you usually hear in the same sentence...
I would say "The body" from "Different Seasons", and "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" from the same collection.
If you want to be careful avoid "The Dark Half".
Try one his latest, Joyland, not gory.
Different seasons is perfect for you...stay definitely away from Salem's lot.
Speaking purely for myself, I only found SL scary at the climax. He built suspense properly during the first two acts, but it wasn't all that vivid to me. Seemed a bit clunky and contrived. The way he visited little scenes and rustic relationships all around the town (guy who finds wife cheating, etc). Merely the final conflict had impact. I loved the old house. But I look back on all of it now and its like, 'oh yeah that was King's vampire tryout..'.
Probably "Different Seasons"
Definitely not Pet Cemetery, it was freaky creepy. The whole idea gave me the shivers, and I heard once that SK found himself freaked out by the story (that might be a myth). Carrie's not a lightweight either. His scariest are usually the psychologically-based frights, at least for me, (Shining, Misery, etc) and, to me, his least scary are the more I'd say his more speculative works (Deadzone, Firestarter, as Felik's wrote-- Deadzone not Darkzone, maybe his more "alien" based stories, depending on whether aliens or supernatural frightens you). I didn't find Salem's lot that scary, but I did find it entertaining, for example, because Vampire's don't scare me (while, for me, The Stand is ultra scary, because it's so plausible -- i.e. virus devastates world).
Oops, my mind must have been wandering when I wrote that - probably was to occupied thinking about B-Movies. :)
Try Eyes of the Dragon- its more fantasy than horror, or Joyland. They are both an easy read and will help ease you in to the world of Sai King (if you ever progress to the Dark Tower series you will understand what I mean by Sai) ;)
I would also agree that "Firestarter" and "Green Mile" are probably the least scary. You might also want to consider "Dead Zone."
I recently read Under The Dome is not very scary, more mystery.
Josephine wrote: "Definitely not Pet Cemetery, it was freaky creepy. The whole idea gave me the shivers, and I heard once that SK found himself freaked out by the story (that might be a myth). Carrie's not a lightwe..."It's definitely not a myth that "Pet Sematary" freaked SK out, you should read the introduction he later added to the novel. When he was done reading "Pet Sematary" he actually put the manuscript away in a drawer and thought nobody would want anything to do with it. He didn't even plan on publishing it.
That seems deliberately naive on his part. Not sure why he would indulge in a self-pretense like that. After a certain point anything he penned would've been sell-able.
Misery, Rose Madder, and Dolores Claiborne fall outside the scary ones but all are incredible reads.
I would say Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, or Skeleton Crew, which is a collection of short stories so you can kind of pick and choose. I would also recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, which is not really scary but a little suspenseful at places.
Annika wrote: "I've never read any Stephen King books, and I want to, but I don't know which would be the best book to start with. Which is the least scary of his books in your opinion? Also, I wouldn't want it t..."I found books like Pet Sematary and It terrifying. Misery and Gerald's Game - more on the suspenseful side. That's just me.
Who else is super excited for Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining?
Not me ::waving hand::
It was different for me. I didn't find Pet Sematary that scary at all (except for one small part), but I found Gerald's Game and Misery pretty terrifying.
The girl that loved Tom Gordon was not that scary I think. Unless you have a fear of being lost then never mind... Dragon eye is more adventure... Shawshank redemption (if I spelt it right) was not scary at all drama story... Dolores's Claiborne (again spell check) drama book also very well written 4stars for me one of my faves...
allright.i feels scare when eventually i finish reading books from stephen kings.really...really...THE KING OF HORROR!!!
Fred wrote: "I'd go with Thinner. Not scary, just tense."Yep! Good choice!
Personally, I started with his short stories anthologies. He's written so many books over the years... I've heard IT was the best by far. It's on my to-read shelf at home...
If you want something that's not too creepy or violent, yet still good and with that certain flavour of what to expect from Stephen King, I would suggest 'Dolores Claiborne'. It shows Mr. King's strengths at being both dark and beautiful.
Oh yeah. DON'T begin with 'Pet Sematary'. It's probably his most disturbing book to date.
All I've read, I think are Carrie, and Pet Sematary. I think these are his most scary too. They stick with you. His books though, once you finish him, you get this feeling the world is way more supernatural than you know.
His recent Joyland more mystery than scary.
I have a friend who said he had to put the book down when he was reading it. He had a young child, and everything was too relatable. I think whether books are scary or not depends on your mindset, memories,and personal fears.
Least scary? Read his sci-fi he wrote as Richard Bachman. The Running Man is the complete opposite of the movie, and really start.Aside from that, I'm surprised no one's asked this yet...
What scares you? We need a case study before giving a diagnosis.
Benjamin wrote: "Oh yeah. DON'T begin with 'Pet Sematary'. It's probably his most disturbing book to date."Misery was the one that put me off Mr King for a while. I guess I don't want to spend my time with cruel people.
Benjamin wrote: "Oh yeah. DON'T begin with 'Pet Sematary'. It's probably his most disturbing book to date."Feliks wrote: "As far as I'm concerned 'Pet Sematary' and 'Carrie' are his two *most* scary. 'Christine' is vivid too; stays in the memory.
Instead, I would recommend 'Dead Zone' and 'Firestarter' for more mildn..."
His scariest book for me. Ppl say the Shinning, Pet Semetary stayed with me. Timmy walking up and down the road, his voice like a weak radio signal "he knows things". Scariest hands down. I love Christine so glad you mentioned that one, it's my one of my favs!!
Pet Sematary kept me up at night. I often feel the need to justify why I found it so creepy cause it sounds like it could be corny. Stephen King has quite a range of different styles. The Green Mile is one of my favorite books of all time, and while I wouldn't consider it scary, it definitely made me uncomfortable. Skeleton Crew is an excellent suggestion, because the stories range from slightly eerie to a little gory (avoid survivor type if you're sensitive to gore). My biggest piece of advice is to not form a solid opinion on King until you have read at least a couple of his works. He's got something for literally anyone and everyone.
maybe try shawshank redemption..... or green mile..... or maybe even misery :)
Least scary, Joyland but I enjoyed it.
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