Which Stephen king book should I read first?

[P.L.]

Stephen King is my favorite author. "Misery" is a great read for a newcomer.

[Linda]

I would recommend the first S. King book I read-The Stand. I read it shortly after it was first published (1980?) and it got me hooked on King.

[Dirk]

I am just rereading The Dark Half from King and in my opinion it is one of his best. Together with Cujo who got me the creeps till now. The Dark Half is a litlle bit biographic. It's like King und Bachman and the way he lived with the second half of himself.
Since Cujo I never left a cupbord open in the night. Also now I check the cupboard of my children when I bring them to bed.

[Claudia]

As for me, I am not a horror fan. Stephen King's Dark Tower Trilogy I really liked but the two favorites which are in novella form are Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. I think as an author he put a lot of thought and love into these two books. The Green Mile movie is almost word for word with the book. Both are favorites of mine. As for the scary ones, the movies did me in and I can't imagine how scary the books are.

[Therese]

I would say the Shining (it's a Classic and one of my favorites by King), misery, pet semetary or rage. Rage was the first one I ever read by him and got me into reading more of his books.

[[deleted user]]

I'd say "It" because of its length (that's a good thing), great characters and many bits of horror.

[Bruno]

I agree with the folks in this thread that said his novellas and short stories are a good entry point into his work. He has a couple of omnibuses out that are well worth the read. "Different Seasons" and "Skeleton Crew" were my favourites.

IT was the first book that really grabbed me and its a relentless read. After I'd finished it everything seemed a bit wierd and 'off', almost as though you could peel off reality and find the maggots underneath. The movie, which a lot of people said was scary, was a drink of water compared to the book.

[JELISSA]

IT

[C.S.]

The Stand. Best book ever.

[Anna]

Something to which you haven't already watched the film adaptation.

[Nazar]

The first 'SK' book I read was Skeleton Crew. I was rather into short stories, as I never use to like to read anything greater than 250 pages.
Then I came across 'The Stand.' The book is in excess of 1500 pages. I very much had doubts that I would have the patience to read such a book.
In the last five years I have read that book three times.

[John]

I recommend The Shining

[Jocilyn]

Kathy wrote: "I would recommend Salem's Lot as your first King book. It was mine, and I've read all of his books. My favorite is The Stand and the Gunslinger series."
currently reading the gunslinger!!

[Jocilyn]

Steven wrote: "I've never read any of his books, but would like to get into them. I've actually seen some of the movies. If it helps, I'm into sci-fi/fantasy and horror. I especially like Edgar Allan Poe. Any adv..."

I started headfirst into reading "IT". while it is one of my favorite novels of all time, i don't think it is a good book to start on. the story is very intense at parts and i even had moments of having to put my copy down.

i recommend starting out with "The Talisman". while i haven't finished it yet, it is my favorite King novel so far. I went into this book not knowing a single thing about it. the copy of it my father gave me was falling apart and didn't have a blurb so i just went in and started reading. has it taken me months to read? yes, i'm a busy gal, but it isn't because it's hard to read.

this novel tells the story of a twelve year old boy named Jack Sawyer, who has to travel to California in order to obtain a treatment for his dying mother.

jack sawyer is a character you can easily love. it is very obvious that he cares about his mother, and he has a light and happy attitude. this kid does have a mouth on him sometimes, but he is a good person. this book often references things from the time it was written (1984) or things from before. being a gen z kid made some of these references hard to understand.

this book also holds my favorite King character to date. Wolf. wolf was the main reason i wanted to continue reading this book. he gives us light humor and we see how jack changes and adapts because of him. He was definitely one of the main reasons jack matured so much through this book.

so yes, the talisman would be a wonderful place to start. it also gives you a good idea of King's writing style, which can change depending on what book you first start out on.

[Jocilyn]

Shannon wrote: "I think Carrie. But my favorite is Pet Sematary."

although carrie white owns my heart, i don't think it is the best King book to start out on. This was King's very first novel, published in 1974, and it is much different from his other novels. this book is written in a way that can be boring to some if they don't really care for the interview/ investigation style. the characters are absolutely unforgettable, and the entire story is absolutely heartbreaking. While it is one of my favorite King works, i don't think it is a good one to start out on.

i haven't gotten to read pet semetary yet though, how was it??

:)

[Jocilyn]

Juulia-Gabrielle wrote: "There is so many way you can ask yourself "which first King book" ? Do you want to get introduced to the scary King ? The shocking King ? The eerie King ? Are you prone for small books or large boo..."

this is a good response! i never recommend starting out on It after i did for a few reasons

1. i was absolutely obsessed with the 2017 movie almost a year after it came out. i saw the movie on opening night for a family friends birthday party, but as i stayed home every day over the summer, ended up watching it multiple times in one day. this is also the time i learned i love horror in general. movies like psycho and shows like the twilight zone made me incredibly happy. i told my parents of my obsession and one day my mother brought home a copy of the novel for me and i immediately sat down and begin which leads into

2. the beginning is boring and hard to read. while i was incredibly excited to read the story and that's what got me through, most people are only there for what they've seen in the movies and can get impatient.

3. this is a longgggg book and i sometimes found myself glancing over the pages rather than truly reading them

4. there are moments of geniunely scary/terrifying things in this book, more related to the humans rather than the monster!

5. King is absolutely amazing with imagery meaning you can absolutely see in your head what is being written

this novel is a force to be reckoned with!