Stephen King Fans discussion
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New Stephen King reader!
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I was actually your age when I started reading King, and my first was The Stand. It was pretty huge but I didn't any trouble staying with it.
The Eyes of the Dragon was written for King's daughter when she was young, so it's one book I'd definitely say is geared for younger readers.
After that, it's hard to say. Sometimes he does hit a higher "adult" level than others. "It" being one of them in parts.
The Girl That Loved Tom Gordon is another one I'd highlight for you. The protagonist is a young teenage girl, and though it wasn't written as a YA per se, it certainly has appeal in that area.
The Talisman. The hero is 12 years old, and it has a real quest feel to it.
You'll probably be alright with most of his books, and you certainly can't go wrong with chronological order. There might be "mature" moments here and there, but he's usually not too over the top with inappropriate stuff.
Hi Sonja and welcome! I agree with all that Chris said, and would only add The Shining. I read that one when I was 10 or 11ish, and it does have some mature moments, but not overly and it's been one of my favorites ever since. Firestarter would probably be good as well. I always love meeting new King fans - so glad you joined us, and look forward to discussing King and all his awesomeness with you! :)
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To Chris: Thanks! Your answer was really helpful, I think I might start reading the girl who loved Tom Gordon, I wiki'd it and it isn't too long & the protagonist is actually 9 years old! But the story seems very interesting, so I guess I'll start with that one and then just read all his books in chronological order :)To Becky: I've watched a couple of scenes of the shining on youtube and it seems interesting though kinda disturbing as well, but I'll read it when I've read the books he published before, since I've decided to read his books in chronological order. & ofcourse! I'm happy there's a group on here discussing his stuff! The members here seem really nice too!
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She was 9? Okay, I was thinking she was a little older, but that still works.
Enjoy reading King, and I hope you'll share your progress with us.
Welcome Sonja! I also started reading Stephen King novels at a young age. The 2 I read that really scared me and I probably should have waited until I was a bit older to read was Salem's Lot and The Shining. Going in order or following Chris's recommendations work. The Dark Tower series would be something you might like as well. There is a young boy as one of the main characters. A lot of Stephen King books have moments of violence in them, but it fits the story line.
Hi, Sonja. Something about knowing there’s a young girl out there who’s just beginning to read SK’s books really makes me happy. I don’t think you’re too young at all. Probably the least appropriate stuff in my opinion is to be found in Apt Pupil, a story in the Different Seasons collection, but you can handle it if you want to. If something disturbs you or you don’t enjoy it, just put it down.I would vote for reading in chronological order, mostly because I think his best stuff is the early stuff.
I agree that the Dark Tower series is great, but I would recommend waiting to read them, Sonja. The thing is that a LOT of King's books are inter-related, and the Dark Tower series is kind of like the center that ties a lot of his books together. OK, not "kind of like" - it IS.
I think that you'd get a lot more enjoyment out of it, and appreciate and understand the series much more if you've read a good amount of his other works first. Especially Salem's Lot, Eyes of the Dragon, The Stand, The Talisman and Black House.
The Gunslinger was published early in King's career, so you'll probably get to it pretty quickly going in chronological order. I would say to skip it, and the rest of the Dark Tower books, until you've read the books above and then come back to the series. It'll be worth it, I promise.
Here's the Dark Tower series:
The Gunslinger
The Drawing of the Three
The Waste Lands
Wizard & Glass
Wolves of the Calla
Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower
I really liked The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, I read it when I was about 13 or so if memory serves. I also started read King really young. The Eyes of the Dragon is one of my favorites, I've read it 4 times :)
Hmm ok I'll read the gunslinger books when they come up then! I also love it when authors connect their books/characters together! At the moment I'm reading four past midnight, because i've recently warched the langoliers and secret window. But after that i'll read everything in chronological order, starting with salem's lot!
Sonja, you may want to skip the Library Policeman in Four Past Midnight. There was a part in the story that involved pedophilia. You may want to save this one until you are a little older. I know a lot of people on these boards said this was a very disturbing scene for them.
A lot of people who have read Stephen King have not really read the Dark Tower novels. That happened to me when I had to a group project on Stephen King, but the teacher had not read the series. For me, the Dark Tower is the most important part of what makes Stephen Kings Stephen Kings. It is unlike anything that he has or will written, especially how long it drags on in the Gunslinger. I would just get The Shining to read for starter. I think it is his most famous piece of work known out there.
Sonja,I have loved SK since I was younger than you. It is hard to recommend an order to read them in, since I believe that the order you read them in will affect how you feel about the author. I think as I progressively read each book, I expected more and more of the author, and in the same vein. When that changed, I was disappointed. But I still love King, it just took some maturity in my thoughts about stories to get back into it.
All that blah blah blah being said, there exists on Amazon a recommended reading list if you want to go in 'chronological character order' thru his books. Most of his books seem to tie together in characters and events.
http://www.amazon.com/FULL-Dark-Tower...
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Oh, and if you haven't read the books before, be careful with this list. The brief descriptions for each book are loaded with spoilers.
Changing my mind now, I think reading some of the short stories or novellas would be a good way to get a taste for what King does best, without having to commit to a long time reading. Once you are hooked, you cannot stay away.Like Different Seasons, Four Past Midnight, and especially Night Shift.
Chris wrote: "That's a cool list, Dana. It seems to focus on the Dark Tower though, rather than King's entire library. Still, it would be a good approach once Dark Tower is the goal.Oh, and if you haven't read..."
Haha, that's funny.. I read all of the descriptions before I noticed you said not to, and they were all nonsense to me. I guess they would be spoilers if I had read more King and knew what they meant... But for a noob like me, they went in one ear and out the other.
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It was just words and names I didn't understand. And I already can't remember which descriptions said what... I think I'll be safe :)
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And The Stand this summer... don't forget.
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Plus she's finished Everything's Eventual & Duma Key.
Wait, what are you doing in here?
He's written like twenty three billion books, I've read five of them. NOOB! Case closed.
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You just like the fact that we treat you special and try to "teach" you all about the world of King.
You got me there :)Teach me oh great one! I am but a lowly noob, lost and alone in a sea of books.
Chris wrote: "Wait, what are you doing in here?"Lunch? I have one minute left... *sigh*
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No worries, Dawn. We'll be holding your hand through The Shining after all.
Welcome, Sonja! I read my first King book at 15, too. For me it was Pet Semetary and I loved it! Even loved it the second time around! :)
I first read his books at 12 with a copy of The Shining that I found at school, then14 when a lot of my friends were reading Dreamcatcher, me with Christine, , ate him up summer of 2002. Him not stopped reading him ever since.
Haven't seen anyone recommend one of my personal favorites, Insomnia. Perhaps it caught me at just the right time, but I've always had trouble sleeping, and some strange things happen to the main character as he gets less and less sleep. It also ties into a few other King books, including the Dark Tower.
Most of his books tie back to the Dark Tower series in one way or another.
I loved Insomnia, I was probably about 16 or so when I read it, then to find the DT connection was like a little bonus find, I was so excited to read it, like "yay, Roland!"
I loved Insomnia, as well. I read it just a few years back and couldn't put it down. It's definitely one that I'm going to need to revisit soon! :)
Sonja, it's so nice to come across a new SK reader! I read my first King book when I was 11 (I can't to this day remember if it was Different Seasons or It, I read them back to back that year) and it never occured to me that anything in his books could be "inappropriate" for me. I know that my mom wasn't too fond of his vocabulary sometimes, but she was content with letting me know that and let me get on with the reading.A few years ago I gave all of my old translated King books (I'm Swedish) that I bought when I was young to one of my nephews when he was about your age (I think it was about 10-15 books) in the hope that he might like them too. Unfortunately, he isn't much of a reader, I know he read Rage and liked it, but I don't think he got any further than that. So I'm really happy to hear about how your mom's friend got you on the right track and that you appreciated it! ;)
Stephen King Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
Different Seasons (other topics)Rage (other topics)
Insomnia (other topics)
The Shining (other topics)
Dreamcatcher (other topics)
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Anyway thanks for helping me out!