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What's your FIRST Stephen King book?
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RW
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Nov 20, 2019 04:52PM
Started with 'Salem's Lot, in probably fifth or sixth grade. I remember getting psyched up and scared before I even started reading the thing.
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I was in a local used book store (about the time Night Shift came out), in their horror section and was having trouble picking out a book. All the summaries on the back of the book seemed the same, haunted house this, demon spirit that. A woman, who was also in the horror section, must have noticed me trying to find a book, so she took a book off of the shelf and handed it to me and said to e that if I wanted to read a really good horror novel, to read this one. So I looked at the title - Salem's Lot. I thanked her and bought the book. I was reading something else so I gave the book to my mother, who also enjoyed reading horror novels. Two days later, she told me to finish the book I was reading because this book by a guy named King was really good. So I did and have not looked back. A great start to reading his novels.
Salem’s Lot in junior high...I haven’t read all his book and well I’m mostly been reading either him or Hill’s. I am still trying to get a hold of the Bachman Books.
MiseryI was a sophomore in high school and my parents rented the film adaption one weekend while I was staying at a friend’s house and returned it the next day. I was irritated because it was a three day rental and and I had told them that I wanted to see it, so I got the book from the library and read it instead.
Cujo in 7th grade, followed by Under the Dome.
My first was the first: Carrie. Why? My sister tell me so
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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was my first ever King - I was in my early teens and heavily into R.L Stine, but felt it was time to start migrating to 'adult' books. So I browsed the library and found this. I knew the name Stephen King so I figured it would be a great start to my 'adult horror' forrays. It was the only one of his on the shelf, so it was definitely the name that attracted me, more than the story (I didn't even know Tom Gordon was an actual person) but reading it I knew that this was the way of the future. No more YA Stine for me!I honestly didn't know any of his books, just his name, and I kinda like that because it meant I didn't have any preconceived notions about the stories themselves.
It was CARRIE for me, in paperback from a used book store. I also read SALEM'S LOT the same way soon after. When THE STAND came out in paperback, I plunked down full price for that one.
I think it was Christine, though it could have been Salem's Lot.
I think it was Pet Sematary... I was so scared hahaha
For me, it was The Shining, shortly after the paperback came out. I was very into horror as a young person, but became too cool for it in college. After graduating, I was on vacation and had forgotten to pack the book I was reading. I went into a small store and picked up a copy of The Shining. It rekindled my love affair with horror! (It's never flagged since! :)) Thanks, Stephen King!
The Dark Half. There are a lot of twins in my family and the whole mythos of this story was strange and familiar at the same time, especially the bond between the writers babies. Most unnerving thing next to that would be the part played by the birds
Pretty sure my first was IT. I saw the mini-series when I was itty bitty, and it terrified me. My parents wouldn't let me read King until I was in my mid to late teens, and probably due to my age, I wasn't a huge fan of the book. I think it might be time for a re-read.
My first was The Shining. I picked it up at a yard sale when I was still in high-school.
Cujo - my brother let me borrow it, but it was a rough read as I loved dogs and it was hard to get through the book. But the only impression it left was for me pursuing King novels! :) lol
Salems Lot
it was right after the miniseries premiered and I had to read it.
Misery! It was the only one my parents would let me read at the time because there wasn't any supernatural stuff in it. I tore through it, and they couldn't stop me reading as much of his stuff as I could since then.
My first Stephen King book was 'salems Lot when I was 18 or 19, I've been reading him ever since and I've almost read all of his books.My favourite one though is The Stand.
My first was Desperation. I might have been 12, maybe 13. I was drawn by the french book cover. Desperation's scared the crap out of me back then and I still enjoy reading it from time to time (though "It" is clearly my favorite one)
My first was IT, I believe. I was only 12 years old and didn't understand a lot of it, until I reread a decade later. :)
Mine was
Night Shift, it was second hand and with that hand with eyes on the cover. One of the stories is "Jerusalem's Lot" which is a take on Lovecraft's "Rats in the Walls" and I remember lying in bed, shit scared and imagining hearing voices coming from the walls, lol.My favorite now is Dolores Claiborne by the way, very underrated.
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Reading Desperation right now :)
Misery. I was 13. My life was never the same and I'm so thankful to the Master for that :3
Levan wrote: "I stumbled upon this and it got me thinking. What was your FIRST ever Stephen King book - and did it make a lasting impression on you?Mine was actually Carrie, then 'Salem's Lot, then Pet Sematar..."
Carrie was my first too, and I think Pet Sematary was second. I still haven't read Salem's Lot!
I think it was Thinner or Four Seasons back when I was 12 years old.
Eye of the Dragon. I wanted to read the Stand as a little kid who loved fantasy (it was the edition with the man in white fighting the man in black). My dad was a huge Stephen King fan and saw me looking at it. He told me I wasn't allowed to read it until after I read Eye of the Dragon, so I did. It was a good choice, knowing my reading proclivities up to that point. I still have the extremely beat up paperback copy he gave me, but I'm looking for a good price on a first edition hardback. Even better if I can get King to sign it at some point, sort of in memorium for my dad.
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Carrie was my first Stephen King book. Yes, unfortunately, I'm that old. A friend of my parents had just finished it and asked me if I liked scary books and I said, "Sure." He handed it over to me and I began my long journey over the years of reading King's works.
Ronald wrote: "Carrie was my first Stephen King book. Yes, unfortunately, I'm that old. A friend of my parents had just finished it and asked me if I liked scary books and I said, "Sure." He handed it over to me ..."Mine, too. It was a Literary Guild selection that my mom had ordered. I pilfered it as soon as it came in and read it first. (My mom was seriously peeved with me.)
Mine was Needful Things but I never finished it! I wasn't much of a reader at the time. I'd sooner count my first as Four Past Midnight. I couldn't put it down! Especially when I read the Library Policeman. The due date to return the book in the story just happened to be the day I was born, It was such a weird coincidence!
Nightmares and dreamscapes. Absolutely loved the short stories as a beginner. 35 years later and the finger coming out of the toilet still remains in my memory better Han any others. Mr King is epically awesome!!
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Carrie at age 13. So, it definitely made an impression. My favorite books of his are The Talisman; 'Salem's Lot and The Dark Tower Series.
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Clown in a Cornfield (other topics)It (other topics)
Carrie (other topics)
The Stand (other topics)
Pet Sematary (other topics)
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