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What's your FIRST Stephen King book?
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Lupe
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Apr 15, 2024 09:28AM
Misery was the first one I read!
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“Everything’s eventual” in 2002. That was my first and from that book my favorite story was 1408, I reread it multiple times as teenager
My first one was IT, I grew up obsessed with the IT remake when it first came out and ended up watching the original movie too and thats how I basically got into horror and all the classics. I didnt read the book until last year though because of its length but I am glad I did, I really enjoyed it.
The Shining. I read it I think when I was 12 or 13 one summer when I was at the beach. so much creepier than the movie!
I started at the beginning...with "Carrie"...after I saw the first movie in the 70s...Jeff Mc
Salem’s Lot for me,and still my fave King.
Storm of the century was the first one I ever read yet I really liked pet cemetery.
Becka wrote: "Storm of the century was the first one I ever read yet I really liked pet cemetery."I was very impressed with Pet Sematary, but found it too upsetting to read again.
The Outsider, although I didn't finish it. I still have the bookmark in place as I'm still debating whether or not I'm ever gonna finish it
The Revival was recommended to me I've read it and I didn't feel the horror I was promised :(haven't read any other book by him
Mine was Firestarter in 6th grade. It was awesome 😎
FranWeird wrote: "The Outsider, although I didn't finish it. I still have the bookmark in place as I'm still debating whether or not I'm ever gonna finish it"It's my second least favorite book of his that I've read, and I've read a lot. I say move on.
I'm pretty sure it was The Stand, but maybe it was Carrie. I read both my freshman year of high school, but can't recall which was first.
The Stand was my first Stephen King book. It was great but long
It was the German edition of "IT" that belonged to my sister. I was about eight and thought: "That's WAY too many pages!" That was in the mid-nineties, and it wasn't until 2011 that we got the unabridged version. The book I tried to read, at 800-900 pages, was a pebble compared to the 1,500-page brick.
Rachel wrote: "“Everything’s eventual” in 2002. That was my first and from that book my favorite story was 1408, I reread it multiple times as teenager"His peak compilation for sure.
My first King wasn't even a proper horror novel. The Eyes of the Dragon, up on my grandmother's bookshelf when I was around eleven or so. Shortly afterward I sought him out and discovered a used paperback of Bag of Bones for pennies on the dollar at one of my favorite used book places in Fells Pt. Read it like a ladybug sucking up all of the authorial juice from the aphids of King's sentences and went spelunking for more in every moldering shelf in every damp book venue in the city. Man, the used book scene in Baltimore was an American version of Jinbocho back then, scuttled among stores selling bulk carpeting and sudsy laundromat signs. Suffice to say a lot of us probably would have never discovered our favorite books without used bookstores, and if you haven't stepped in one for a minute, it probably wouldn't hurt to go haunt the door of one today. It's a lazy Sunday for most of the world right now.
Salem's Lot was my first (in high school back in 1978). I loved it. But it was The Dead Zone and Christine that made a lasting impression on me!
I wish I could say mine was one of his classics, but my first one was actually “Cell”. Growing up, I knew the name Stephen King, but I never really read any of his novels. Then one day I randomly decided to pick up “Cell” and read through it.
My very first time reading a King novel, as a bullied and ridiculed teenager, was Carrie. I would later go on to enjoy the much longer ones. I think, not just due to it being the first, a good starting point to his work.
I came late to the party, my first proper Stephen King novel was The Outsider. I had tried some of his short stories before but many of them were neither here nor there for me and I wasn't a big contemporary horror fan either. I was more into classic gothic horror like Poe, Henry James and basically all the stuff I came into contact with at university.Then I started reading John Connolly, first his more humorous Samuel Johnson series and then his horror anthologies and the Charlie Parker series, through which I found out that Stephen King had a huge influence on Connolly's writing. So, I tried my luck again with King, picked up his most recent novel at the time and I never looked back. Since then I have cought up to many although not all of his works.
Edit: I just realised that this is not true. My first Stephen King novel was actually The Gunslinger, long before I read The Outsider. I then read the complete Dark Tower series and even wrote a paper on it. It's just King's horror novels that I only later fell in love with through The Outsider. Man, I'm getting old :P
Mine was the Shining. I watched the movie for the first time when I was 9 or 10 and I LOVED it so I bought the book.
Mine was Salem’s lot in the early eighties. I watched the mini series with David Soul in then read the book. Afterwards I read everything he had written.
My first, believe it or not, was IT when I was 11-12, so the controversial "sewer scene" was certainly a surprise. It took me a couple of months to get all the way through it. I enjoyed it, being a fan at the time of the TV movie (Tim Curry was wonderful), but it's still not my favorite of his works.
My first Stephen King book was "It", and I was 17. I was hooked after that, and devoured them all, it was around '90.
The Body for me. Even though I didn’t love it it was short and introduced me to King’s writing style.
I read Pet Sematary. honestly it was more infuriating than scary. the protagonist deserved 100 slaps in the face
My first and only Stephen King read was The Shining which I read last year because the film is my absolute favorite. Will I be reading anymore of his books? Doubtful. They are all biblically long and I'm not a fan of the awkward, controversial and unnecessary stuff he throws into his books.
I can't recall the first novel I read, but the first book was the collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes. I also remember the first story from it that I read, which was "Popsy".
Mine...IS...'Salem's Lot. I'm not finished yet lol. I'm new to horror books, what can I say. But now that I'm in, I'm way in. I have the next four Kings planned already.
"It" back in 87. I was 6 months pregnant and had to keep putting the book down in time out every so often, due to it scaring the daylight out of me. 😱🤣
Grace wrote: ""It" back in 87. I was 6 months pregnant and had to keep putting the book down in time out every so often, due to it scaring the daylight out of me. 😱🤣"Haha! I know I have to put that one on my TBR. Comments like yours build that momentum I need to get me over the hump of finding clowns as scary as everyone else seems to.
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I'm curious if that child grew up loving horror. lol
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Have you read
Clown in a Cornfield yet? It's a good one for the upcoming spooky season and could make you terrified of clowns. :D
Have yo..."I have not! Haha I will have to take a look at that one. One thing that really did move the needle for me was that movie, Killer Klowns from Outer Space. That was sensational!
Pet Sematary Audiobook. Excellent narration by Michael C. Hall and is just a well-crafted and depressing story. The Shining was the first book I actually read. I watched the 1980 film and was so blown away by it that I wanted see the differences in the book. And boy, there was differences alright! I found myself liking the book so much more due to King making the characters have heart.
After that, I went straight to Doctor Sleep and it's now my favorite book of all time!
The Green Mile serial novel set. Loved it/them.
Salem's Lot was the first one I remember reading. I was 12 or so and found it both hilarious and creepy.
I read IT first. Pennywise is still my favourite horror villain of all time!
It was so long ago...but I think it would have been Pet Semetary. I know I quickly searched out a whole lot more after the first one. I loved the Tommyknockers and Needful things. The Dark Tower trilogy, also amazing.
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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