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Favorite Stephen King Audiobooks
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I've listened to most of Stephen King's audiobooks.Here are my favorites:
The Green Mile Frank Muller was the perfect Stephen King narrator, and the Green Mile may be his crowning achievement. His Dark Tower narrations are great too, but sadly, he was debilitated by a motorcycle accident before the last 3 were written.
Misery Lindsay Crouse. Crouse's Annie Wilkes still gives me nightmares. (I've listened to this audiobook 3 times & I can't wait to hear it again.
On Writing narrated by Stephen King. Some don't like SK's voice, but I find it very earnest & what better person to narrate this autobiography/writing guide than the master himself?
11.22.63 narrated by Craig Wassan. I stayed up late captivated by this one until I finished it.
CAVEAT: I still haven't read the audiobooks versions of The Stand, IT, or The Dead Zone which are among my favorite of King's print books.
Karlton wrote: "I've listened to most of Stephen King's audiobooks.Here are my favorites:
The Green Mile Frank Muller was the perfect Stephen King narrator, and the Green Mile may be his crowning achievement. H..."
I am one of those who doesn't like King's narration.
He has a way of "swallowing" his "L's". Once I picked this up it drove me crazy.
I'm enjoying the Mr. Mercedes trilogy read by Will Paxton
Nope couldn't do King narrating. Rather read than hear him.
Will Patton is an excellent narrator. He has done several King books and short stories as well as many other novels.
I recently listened to The Drawing of the Three and I was blown away by Frank Muller's narration! The book became one of my favourites when I read the kindle version but the audiobook was even better. That's what I love about audiobooks - a good narrator can add so much to a story! It was the first one I've listened to by Frank Muller and I'll definitely be seeking out more of his work once I'm finished with The Dark Tower.
John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "I recently listened to The Drawing of the Three and I was blown away by Frank Muller's narration! The book became one of my favourites when I read the kindle version but t..."Oh yes, actually when I listened to the preview on audible ages ago, I thought the narration sounded awful, like an 80s film trailer or something haha. But I thought I'd give it a try as it's a re-read. I read the first three books a few years ago but never continued so I'm re-reading them now before carrying on with the series. Now I find his voice is perfect for Roland and I'm not sure how I'll feel about switching narrators when I get to book 5. I've never heard anyone pronounce 'Cuthbert' the way does though :)
John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "I recently listened to The Drawing of the Three and I was blown away by Frank Muller's narration! The book became one of my favourites when I re..."Great, I'll check it out! I suppose I'm still quite new to audiobooks, I haven't listened to that many so still hoping to discover more good narrators!
John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "I recently listened to The Drawing of the Three and I was blown away by Frank Muller's narration! The book became one of my favourites when I re..."I loved Frank Muller's narration. In my mind, he was Roland. After his accident he was no longer able to continue the series, George Guidall took over. I was worried that it would ruin the series for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. He maintained the series very well.
Janice wrote: "John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "John wrote: "Gemma wrote: "I recently listened to The Drawing of the Three and I was blown away by Frank Muller's narration! The book became one of my favouri..."That's good to know about the rest of the series!
And such a shame what happened to Frank Muller.
Stephen King is still my favorite Stephen King narrator. It adds such a heart felt level to the story.Next to that:
- Eli Wallace on Insomnia. That recording is just priceless. Utterly Devine.
- Steven Weber on It. I can't believe such an unassuming actor who can be overlooked could produce such a layered, textured, live narrationthat conveyed such feeling and characterization that made me think I was listening to a full cast audiobook. And I prefer his The Shining too. Kubrick - I like the stories he told infilms, but I really don't get the hype he gets.
Michael wrote: "Stephen King is still my favorite Stephen King narrator. It adds such a heart felt level to the story.Me, too! I loved his reading of "Bag of Bones." That said, many of his books have been wonderfully performed by others--Anne Heche reading "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon," Jeffrey DeMunn, reading "The Colorado Kid," Sissy Spacek reading "Carrie," ... so many more terrific performers, but King himself brings something extra to his books.
I really enjoyed The Bill Hodges Trilogy. I would really like to read The Shining & The Stand, and then hopefully Doctor Sleep. But here's the thing:I'm terrified of 'It'. My first exposure to the story was when I was about 12 years old/7th grade. A good friend of mine had seen the movie and told me about it. That alone freaked me right on out, but curiosity was also running high, so sometime that year, a friend & I rented it to watch on a weekend night. And to my absolute (literal!) horror, she fell asleep in the middle of 'It'!!!
Anyway, that night I had a vivid nightmare starring "P", the clown. I was far beyond frightened in any 'fun' type of way afterwards!
It got so bad, I refused to shower unless someone (preferably my mom) was on the same floor with me at the time & I still left the bathroom door a bit ajar.
That's pretty dang rough for that age, haha! ;) I grew out of it, and have watched
many horror movies since / read horror books & none to this day have ever impacted me as much as 'It'. And I still find clowns scary.
I did see (and later read some of) 'Carrie', The Shining,
Pet Sematary, Thinner, Misery, Dolores Claiborne, Christine, Cujo, Riding The Bullet, Dreamcatcher, The Langoliers, etc... no problems.
Still, I am a bit cautious about reading any of his "horror" books.
I would really like to get the audiobook of 'The Shining' to start with, is it a lot scarier than the movie version?
Leslie wrote: "I really enjoyed The Bill Hodges Trilogy. I would really like to read The Shining & The Stand, and then hopefully Doctor Sleep. But here's the thing:I'm terrified of 'It'. My first exposure to the..."
If you are now grown up it is unlikely you will be as affected as a 12 yr old. That said, when I read "The Shining" in my early 30s, I couldn't keep the book in the house overnight because it was so scary--my husband was away on business, and had he been there with me, it wouldn't have been so unsettling. By the time I read "The Stand," I was fine. Years later, nothing scares me enough to interfere with my sleep.
Janet, thank you--I am now in my early 30's, so perhaps I should wait on The Shining? lol... I am still slightly 'scarred' from 'IT'--I can't even look at the book/movie cover to this day without getting properly freaked out!
When I was 13/14, I watched The Exorcist and Poltergeist, etc., and found I was less affected than many of my friends by those.
I know many factors come into play when it boils down to exactly why an individual finds certain aspects or things frightening. I know at least a few reasons why I was so frightened by 'It'. The Shining does seem to have very different elements of course, but I think I
may be better off starting with 'The Stand'.
In retrospect, did you find 'The Stand' better than 'The Shining'?
I am not too phased by much now, by the way--'Thriller' = one of my favorite book genres!
Leslie wrote: "Janet, thank you--I am now in my early 30's, so perhaps I should wait on The Shining? lol... I am still slightly 'scarred' from 'IT'--I can't even look at the book/movie cover to this day without ..."
I want to listen to Salem's Lot. I'm a little chicken. Has anyone listened to it? Is it really scary?
Leslie wrote: "Janet, thank you--I am now in my early 30's, so perhaps I should wait on The Shining? lol... I am still slightly 'scarred' from 'IT'--I can't even look at the book/movie cover to this day without ..."
Hah yes. I think a lot comes down to when in your life you see the movie or read the book. I had strict parents so never saw The Exorcist. I'd read the book and enjoyed it. It was one of those legendary films I kept hearing about from childhood as being "so scary", and seeing pictures of in movie books. Then I finally got around to see it as an adult. I fell asleep during the exorcism, when the priests were incessantly chanting "the power of Christ compells you". It was like a lullabye. I frankly found the theatrical version of the film just so disjointed that a few times I had to rewind to see if I'd missed stuff. Like when you first see Regan at the party and she messes her pants, and her mother goes "She hasn't been well", I was like "Ah what? Did I miss something? The last time we saw them Regan was in bed and acting all cutesy. Did I miss something? And no, I didn't. Then I saw the extended cut and it was much closer to the book and not as disjointed. The theatrical it seemed like "OK, I want to get to the obscene bits as quick as we can, who cares about the actual story".
Exorcist III on the other hand, that still chills me each time I see it.
I wouldn't consider The Stand to be a horror book. It is an apocalyptic book, not a book with monsters or goo, etc. I think it is a really good book.
Leslie, I can totally get why you were scared by It - It's about childhood, and the things that scare children. I read it in my mid to late teens, and it still remains my favorite King book.
Leslie wrote: "It got so bad, I refused to shower unless someone (preferably my mom) was on the same floor with me at the time & I still left the bathroom door a bit ajar. ..."And now you are channeling Stephen King, perhaps.
Wizard and Glass is a book in the Dark Tower Series. In it, Eddie ( one of the characters) poses this question...
"When is a door not a door?"
Leslie, as you channel Stephen King, what is the answer to the question?
Hunchback Jack wrote: "Leslie, I can totally get why you were scared by It - It's about childhood, and the things that scare children. I read it in my mid to late teens, and it still remains my favorite King book."What was disturbing to me was "Pet Cemetery". PC was the only King book I am reluctant to revisit.
I though "It" rocked.
"It" was made into a Television show and one of my favorite lines of all time comes out of that show. Tim Curry plays Pennywise. John Ritter is Ben Hanscom. Annette O'Toole is Beverly Marsh.
Here is the scene with the line:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMK0G...
Leslie wrote: "Janet, thank you--I am now in my early 30's, so perhaps I should wait on The Shining? lol... I am still slightly 'scarred' from 'IT'--I can't even look at the book/movie cover to this day without ..."
I actually think you can probably handle either one just fine. "The Shining," however is pretty tight and one of King's best shorter novels, while "The Stand," has been revised a couple of times and is possibly the best of his longer works. Hey, go for both! I hadn't really read any horror books until I encountered King, and avoided scary movies, too.
I'm surprised "Rose Madder" didn't come up, I figure because audiobooks play a role IN the book it's the best way to read it!Also, "Dolores Claiborne" read by Frances Sternhagen and "Gerald's Game" read by Lindsay Crouse are top notch!
David Morse really gave me shivers in his reading of "Revival", so I definitely recommend it to!
Aurelia here. Stephen King's End of Watch, performed by Will Patton, made it to AudioFile's Best of 2016 Mystery and Suspense list. Mostly, King is simply too scary for me, but I managed this trilogy by not listening at night and loved Patton's narration. Here's the original review: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/revi...
For the Stephen King newbie or big fan, here is an interesting list of King's books from Bookriot:http://bookriot.com/2017/01/26/the-ul...
Thanks Kathleen! A helpful guide for those who are interested in going deeper into his work.
My most recent favorite was 'The Bazaar of Bad Dreams'. A collection of short stories read by a variety of narrators, most doing a fine job.
I just finished listening to the entire Dark Tower series. The first few books were the amazing audio read by Frank Muller! He did wonderful accents! The last books in the series were still good, but the accents weren't the same. I sometimes wish in a series the newer narrator would just listen to a sample of the previous book to imitate accents and pronunciations.
Nicole wrote: "I just finished listening to the entire Dark Tower series. The first few books were the amazing audio read by Frank Muller! He did wonderful accents! The last books in the series were still good, b..."I was skeptical when I learned that George Guidall took over after Frank Muller's accident. But I thought he took over the reigns quite well and I was pleasantly surprised.
Nicole wrote: "I just finished listening to the entire Dark Tower series. The first few books were the amazing audio read by Frank Muller! He did wonderful accents! The last books in the series were still good, b..."I agree, he did a great job! I was only missing Eddie's voice. Other than that he did a nice job!
The Chuck Benson narrated version of IT is fantastic! He sounds like the voice over from 70s/80s era horror movie trailers. The added crackle and hiss of the audio tapes really sets the mood!Check out a sample of it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OeQQmNgvKig
A new audio version of Stephen King's Pet Sematary was recently released. Audible says it is the first time it has been released as a full book. I've liked many of King's books, but not the ones with horror. I'm suspect I don't want to listen to this one.
Kathleen wrote: "A new audio version of Stephen King's Pet Sematary was recently released. Audible says it is the first time it has been released as a full book. I've liked many of King's books, but..."I guess I've come to this thread a bit late but I have just finished that and I think you are probably right, it does contain significant horror Kathleen. In fact I think for the last third of the book King puts the lead character Lewis through one of his most nightmarish ever journeys. In a way it is a shame though because one of the characters (Jud) is one of King's best and a lot of the book is a relatively gentle ride. However, it does develop into a horror fest by the end.
I just finished listening to Sleeping Beauties by King and his son Owen. The narrator, Marin Ireland, was absolutely amazing! I was a really big fan of the Joyland audiobook as well, also read by an amazing narrator, Michael Kelly.
Kathleen wrote: "A new audio version of Stephen King's Pet Sematary was recently released. Audible says it is the first time it has been released as a full book. I've liked many of King's books, but..."Fantastic news about Pet Sematary. I've got it in my library now. It has been a long time coming though!
Kathleen wrote: "A new audio version of Stephen King's Pet Sematary was recently released. Audible says it is the first time it has been released as a full book. I've liked many of King's books, but not the ones with horror. I'm suspect I don't want to listen to this one...."This one was the most unsettling of all the ones I read. It is fingernails on a chalkboard.
We're listening to Different Seasons in the car as we run errands, etc. It consists of four Stephen King novellas, which, so far, are very good. The first is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different Seasons. the second is Apt Pupil which is supposed to be the weakest of the four. I'd classify it as psychological horror. We haven't started the third. All are wonderfully narrated by Frank Muller who could enhance any listening experience.
One of the best road trips ever was when my husband and I drove 12 hours to visit family and we listened to 'Salem's LotIt is still my favorite Stephen King audiobook.
I am just making my way through The Stand. It feels wrong to say that I am enjoying the book, but there it is I am enjoying it.
Joanne wrote: "I am just making my way through The Stand. It feels wrong to say that I am enjoying the book, but there it is I am enjoying it."Yes I can't wait to see the new miniseries. They are showing it on Prime in Australia.
I've both versions of the audiobook, the initial release and the newer one. the revised edition of the novel. I got the old one on tape and converted it. The tape was a bit bad in spots and needed some untwisting, an audio cleanup, but it is pretty good all up.
Michael wrote: "I've both versions of the audiobook, the initial release and the newer one. the revised edition of the novel. I got the old one on tape and converted it. The tape was a bit bad in spots and needed some untwisting, an audio cleanup, but it is pretty good all up."That's funny, because that is exactly what I did from a library tape that had seen a fair share of use. I had to take a couple of the cassettes apart to untwist the tape to get it to play, and my tape deck still wanted to "eat" the tape in some rough spots, but I got it. That one was read by Grover Gardner, who isn't my favorite narrator, and I had watched the television miniseries so I kept picturing a miscast Molly Ringwold as a character throughout the book. I enjoyed it, but I learned to read the book before watching the show. I'd love to see the new version but I am not buying yet another video streaming service (CBS All-Access) to do it.
I don't know how I missed this thread. It's hard to choose only five, but here goes:Lisey's Story narrated by Mare Winningham
Duma Key narrated by John Slattery
Pet Semetary narrated by Michael C Hall
The Shining narrated by Campbell Scott
The Dead Zone narrated by James Franco
An honorable mention is Sleeping Beauties narrated by Marin Ireland. This is my least favorite King book, but her narration is sublime.
Michael wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I am just making my way through The Stand. It feels wrong to say that I am enjoying the book, but there it is I am enjoying it."Yes I can't wait to see the new minise..." I saw that it was going to be on Prime. I am also watching the 1994 version to compare. It is turning out to be a favorite.
Doug wrote: "so I kept picturing a miscast Molly Ringwold as a character throughout the book...."Ah gee I saw it after reading it and thought Molly Ringwald fit the role well to be honest. I'm also one that thought Sheridan's Flagg was great too.
Michael wrote: "Doug wrote: "so I kept picturing a miscast Molly Ringwold as a character throughout the book...."Ah gee I saw it after reading it and thought Molly Ringwald fit the role well to be honest. I'm al..."
I didn't care for Molly's Frannie, but I think part of that was the hair.
I think Sheridan was the perfect Flagg! Also perfectly cast, in my opinion, were Laura San Giacomo as Nadine, Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail, Ray Walston as Glen Bateman, Matt Frewer as Trashy, Bill Fagerbakke as Tom Cullen and most especially Rob Lowe as Nick Andros! They were all pretty perfect for me.
Audiobooks
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The Stand (other topics)The Stand (other topics)
The Stand (other topics)
’Salem’s Lot (other topics)
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And the Dead Zone has shown up for preorder!