Survey: Your top five (5) favorite and bottom five (5) least favorite SK novels? (votes to be tallied)

[Salemslot]

BEST:
1. The Stand
2. Salem's Lot
3. The Long Walk
4. The Talisman
5. The Eyes of the Dragon

WORST:
1. Bag of Bones
2. Under the Dome
3. 11/22/63
4. Cell
5. Dreamcatcher

[Theda]

I could add 5 more to each list easily. Also, I'm a contrary sort I guess - at least two of my favorites make a lot of 'least favorite' lists:)

best
The Long Walk
Salem's Lot
The Stand
Cujo
Thinner

worst:
Desperation
Rage
Gerald's Game
The Running Man
The Gunslinger

[Tom]

Funny about Lisey's Story too. It's either a love/hate kind of thing. It's funny though... I had those feelings while I was reading it. Sometimes it drove me crazy. I ended up giving it 4 stars though.

[Joan]

Top Five:

1. Doctor Sleep
2. 11/22/1963
3. Carrie
4. Wizard and Glass
5. Salem's Lot
Special shout out: The Talisman (with Peter Straub)

Bottom Five:
1. Bag of Bones
2. Rage
3. Christine
4. Cujo
5. Duma Key

[Angela]

FAVES

1. The Talisman
2. The Shining
3. The Stand
4. Misery
5. Different Seasons

LEAST FAVES
1. The Tommyknockers
2. Trucks
3. Eyes of the Dragon
4. Black House
5. Cujo

[Sheila]

Most Favorite:
Salem's Lot
The Shining
The Stand
Insomnia
Full Dark, No Stars

Least Favorites:
Carrie
Christine
Cujo
(Oh my goodness, I can't do 5! Tried to select ones I would be least likely to reread...can't think of any others!)

[Julie]

Top 5:
1. The Stand
2. The Talisman (with Peter Straub)
3. It
4. Lisey's Story
5. Wizard and Glass

Bottom 5:
1. Dreamcatcher
2. From a Buick 8
3. The Regulators
4. Desperation
5. Hearts in Atlantis

I'll admit I haven't re-read the last three on my bottom list, and read them when they first came out. Now that I'm older (and wiser) I would like to read them again and see if my opinion has changed.

[Kandice]

I have to edit my list:

BEST:
1. Duma Key
2. Salem's Lot
3. The Long Walk
4. Lisey's Story
5. The Talisman (which I still love)
5.2 The Colorado Kid

WORST:
1. Delores Claiborne
2. The Dark Half
3. Roadwork
4. Desperation
5. From a Buick 8

[Squire]

My Top 5:


1. The Shining
2. The Stand (1978)
3. Cujo
4. It
5. Lisey's Story

My Bottom Five:

1. The Stand (1990)
2. Black House
3. Rose Madder
4. Insomnia
5. Mr. Mercedes

I consider The Stand as two different novels. One made me a King believer. The other transformed me from a Constant Reader into a Sporadic Reader--a situation which I have since remedied.

[L]

Just started reading King, so my list will not be complete.
The Best:
1) Misery (by far, I loved this)
2) It
3) Different Seasons
4) The Shining
5) Night Shift

The Worst:
1) The Gunslinger

While I wasn't the biggest fan of Salem's Lot (the character development was atrocious, which to me really damaged this otherwise great novel), or Everything's Eventual, the only King book I actively dislike so far is The Gunslinger. Sorry Dark Tower fans! I hated just about everything about that book: the characters are very one dimensional, the writing lacked warmth and style, and I couldn't find myself any less intrigued by a plot. While I liked the end sequence that described the multiverse (I actually found this portion to be extremely captivating), 20 pages at the end isn't enough to keep me reading the series. Maybe one day I'll revisit. Someone change my opinion on this?

[Projectbio]

Here's mine.
1) Needful Things
2) Salem's Lot
3) 11/22/63
4) Joyland
5) Under The Dome
Honorable Mentions : Duma Key, On Writing, ''That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French'' (short story)


1) The Shining
2) Desperation
3) Dreamcatcher
4) The Gunslinger
5) Dr. Sleep

[Alice]

Best
1. The Stand
2. 11/22/63
3. Wizard and Glass
4. It
5. Salem's Lot

(subject to change....reading in order)

Worst
1. Gerald's Game

(so far...haven't finished it)

...

[Quentin]

Best

1. Night Shift
2. The Shining
3. Salem's Lot
4. Pet Sematary
5. Christine

Bottom

1. Full Dark No Stars
2. Gerald's Game
3. Lisey's Story
4. Rose Madder
5. Carrie

To clarify, technically Full Dark is probably not his worst book, but it was just TOO dark for me, and therefore the only King book in recent memory I didn't care for, so that's how it earned it's place. Since I assume we are listing entirely by personal preference rather than any type of special criteria I'll leave it there.

Another thing, Carrie was one I just never cared for, and I've noticed that it hasn't popped up on many (if any) other bottom lists, it also hasn't popped up on any top 5 either, so I guess most people just put it somewhere in the middle.

All of that being said, I enjoyed King's "worst" books better than some author's "best", so by no means do I truly hate any books on the list. He's still my favorite author!

[Projectbio]

I like how we agree and disagree on the same time.

[Ronnie]

Jerome! I agree with you somewhat about The Gunslinger! It is definitely my least favorite in the dark tower series! I like the second book more, but the third is my favorite! I would give it another chance, the series is definitely worth reading!

[Nick]

Best

1 - Wizard & Glass
2 - IT
3 - The Shining
4 - Salem's Lot
5 - On Writing

Worst

1 - Desperation (very worst)
2 - Dreamcatcher
3 - Blaze
4 - The Running Man
5 - Needful Things

[Luis]

That I have read:

Loved: (it was Hard!!!)
1-11/22/63
2-Salem's lot
3-It
4-The green mile
5-Different Seasons

Didn't like too much:
1-Dolores Claiborne
2-Night Shift
3-From a Buick 8
4-Cell
5-Desperation

[Michelle]

My Top 5:
1) The Shining
2) Duma Key
3) It
4) Under The Dome
5) Needful Things

My Worst 5:
1) Lisey's Story
2) Hearts in Atlantis
3) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
4) From A Buick 8
5) Cell

[Randy]

I find it interesting that while King considers Tommyknockers his worst book (as he mentions in this month's Rolling Stone interview), only a couple of folks listed it in their worst 5.

[Squire]

It was in my bottom 5. Until Mr. Mercedes knocked it back to #6!

[Glen]

Top 5

1: The entire Dark Tower Saga ( I won't speak to any volumes being of lesser or of more value as I enjoyed the entire ride)
2: Duma Key
3: Full Dark No Stars
4: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
5: 11/22/63 (pending the outcome with 100 pages left to read, love the concept)

Bottom 5

1: Lisey's Story
2: Dolores Claiborne
3: The Tommyknockers
4: From a Buik 8
5: There are no more worthy to list at the bottom for me

[Otto]

Top Five

1:On Writing
2:different seasons
3:11/22/63
4:christine
5:Joyland

Bottom five

1:From a Buick 8
2:Tommyknockers
3:Gunslinger
4:Firestarter
5:Insomnia

I have to say this was really hard for me, as I love all his books. I find that even the stories that I don't find as good as the others, move me in some way.
Stephen King has an uncanny way of putting you in a time and place and making you feel it, like no other author I have ever read.

[E.]

Once again I'm about to take on a book that falls in most folks' bottom 5 lists, Lisey's Story.
I'm impressed with King's not-so-horror books (11-22-63, Green Mile, et al) and I feel this is probably among them.

[Glen]

Good luck E.A. I have thought about trying it again from the first. My initial attempt was a stall about a quarter ways in out of the difficulty in following the narrative.

[Squire]

E. wrote: "Once again I'm about to take on a book that falls in most folks' bottom 5 lists, Lisey's Story...."

It contains the only writing of Kings that made me tear up! It's in my top 5. I hope you enjoy it.

[Kandice]

E. wrote: "Once again I'm about to take on a book that falls in most folks' bottom 5 lists, Lisey's Story.
I'm impressed with King's not-so-horror books (11-22-63, Green Mile, et al) and I feel this is proba..."

If you haven't seen it, in his Rolling Stone interview he says Lisey's Story may be his favorite that he's written, so if you approach it knowing that...:D

[E.]

Started Lisey's Story at 8pm stopped at 4am. I'm sucked in. It's profoundly sad with a touch of creepy and a little humor in the thought process of Lisey as she goes through the motions.
I have no idea how the story will unfold and I'm glad for that. I'm enjoying the journey.

[Kandice]

E. wrote: "Started Lisey's Story at 8pm stopped at 4am. I'm sucked in. It's profoundly sad with a touch of creepy and a little humor in the thought process of Lisey as she goes through the motions.
I have no..."

I'm so glad to hear it. I think it's a really beautiful story about what real marriage is like. Minus the fantasy, of course!

[Free Palestine]

Top 3:
Under The Dome
Carrie
Cell

Bottom 3:
Cujo
Misery
Dreamcatcher

Sorry! Haven't read enough to rate. ;) but you all are crazy for not liking Cell! Haha

[Free Palestine]

PS: not that I've only read 6, but that all the others I've read fall in between. ;)