Stephen King Fans discussion
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List of King's Worst to Best Books
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I am not sure how you rank his books. They are all so different....
Kathryn wrote: "I am not sure how you rank his books. They are all so different...."I agree with you! I pretty much like or love them all, there are just some I like or love more then others:)
Tracy wrote: "I pretty much like or love them all, there are just some I like or love more then others :)"My thoughts exactly! :D
Tracy wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I am not sure how you rank his books. They are all so different...."I agree with you! I pretty much like or love them all, there are just some I like or love more then others:)"
Same here. I have yet to read a book of King's I don't like. Just some I like better than others. They are all so different, too.
I wish I could say that I love all his books, but I'm reading Duma Key at the moment and its definitely not one of his best. I'm going to finish it, but its incredibly slow. But the man has written so many books, there are still loads of good ones out there - just not Duma Key or Lisey's Story for that matter :-)
A.D. wrote: "I wish I could say that I love all his books, but I'm reading Duma Key at the moment and its definitely not one of his best. I'm going to finish it, but its incredibly slow. But the man has written..."I loved Duma Key....for me, the end made it all make sense. :)
A.D., I completely disagree... I thought Duma Key was fantastic, and it is one of my favorites of his. Lisey's Story isn't a favorite, but I still loved it. I listened to both on audio, and I thought that the performances were amazing. Maybe that format would work better for you if you're finding them slow?
That's what I figured reading some other comments, it really boils down to mostly just personal opinion when rating his work. I mean, it's not like his writing is ever Bad or Poor technically speaking, just some books and topics seem to speak differently to some people than others.I noticed some of the books were rated lower just based on how many Dark Tower references there were in them - which being someone who only recently started reading the DT series, I've always found the references (I've noticed) in his other books fascinating (making me anxious to read the DT series all the more).
Thanks for the links to the GoodReads rankings, Randy! It's nice to see a "majority" vote on this kind of thing. Although, seeing Gerald's Game & The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon as #1 & 2 on the "worst" list makes me think, "If I actually liked the 2 worst books, then I've got nothing but smooth sailing from hear on out!" ;)
hate to say this, but some of my favorite SK books are from when he has subtance abuse issues, worst book by far was Liseys Story and Dome.
To Kathryn, Becky and LizzyBWell, I'm only on page 464, so hopefully I'll change my mind by the end of the book:-) SK's writing and technique are always brilliant, but a few of his stories have been a let down. The fact that I've always finished them regardless, speaks volumes about his skill as a writer.
It is all subjective. Personally, I disagree with most of the rankings and don't think non-fiction books should be included.
The rank is pretty fairminded and nearly correct. I would swap IT for The Stand, and Liseys Story for Bag Of Bones.
@Gatorman - I haven't read them yet, but I didn't think it made much sense for "On Writing" or that Red Sox 2004 Season book to be on there either. One is kind of written for educational purposes and the other is a documentary - not really "stories".@Agrimorfee, I've read The Stand (which I guess I can agree that it's one of the best books that I've ever read), I haven't read IT - but you would say, in your opinion of course, that it's the best book he's written?
Gatorman wrote: "It is all subjective. Personally, I disagree with most of the rankings and don't think non-fiction books should be included."Completely agree, Gator.
I have never read a Stephen king book that I didn't like....and I probably won't. I think he's a fantastic writer and that it's impossible to rank his books because they're all so good.
I can not think of a bad Stephen King book, to me they are all good. But I do like The Stand the best.
Linda wrote: "I can not think of a bad Stephen King book, to me they are all good. But I do like The Stand the best."his books are exceptional but the one place i think he lets himself down is the endings of his books. So far i would class the following as brilliant reads but the endings where either weak or didnt live up to the story preceding it:
IT
The Stand
Under the Dome
Cell
they are ranked in order of my preference, IT was my favourite.
Well, i've only read The Shining, Gerald's Game, Misery and Cell, in this order. I've just bought IT, Dolores Claiborne and Salem's Lot and i don't know which one i should read first...i love all these books, but so far i like the most The Shining and Cell.
I loved Duma Key and Lisey's Story was amazing. 11/22/63 is my favorite, by far.
11/22/63 is defenately on my favorites list. I thought it was very thought-provoking.
I don't think there is really a bad Stephen King book. Some are just different. His many books appeal to many different people. It took me the better part of a year to read Under The Dome. I thought it was boring at first, but in the end, it got to me, too, and I was liking it.
Pickle wrote: "So far i would class the following as brilliant reads but the endings where either weak or didnt live up to the story preceding it"King says that good stories don't always have good endings and such a thing is a "childish insistence." - Which I was taken aback when I read that because I agree that some of his endings are a little disappointing in comparison with the great journeys that lead up to it. I guess he can say that because he has certainly proven his case. He probably would've written far fewer books if he was worried about how to end them...
Andreea wrote: "Well, i've only read The Shining, Gerald's Game, Misery and Cell, in this order. I've just bought IT, Dolores Claiborne and Salem's Lot and i don't know which one i should read first...i love all t..."If you really enjoyed The Shining and Cell, then maybe IT next? Or Dolores Claiborne to switch it up a little. Or, if you're in the mood for a little Vampire action, Salem's Lot is allegedly the Best Vampire Book written. Ever.
Haha, sorry, I probably wasn't much help...
LizzyB wrote: "Andreea wrote: "Well, i've only read The Shining, Gerald's Game, Misery and Cell, in this order. I've just bought IT, Dolores Claiborne and Salem's Lot and i don't know which one i should read firs..."Hey, thank you for the advices! I just started to read Dolores Claiborne because it's the shortest book, haha...and I read somewhere that in Dolores Claiborne is something that was also written in Gerald's Game, so i'm curious about it...the next book will be Salem's Lot. :D
(Replying to LizzyB above)I would say his Dark Tower, as a whole, is his best work EVER. As goofy as I may sound here, I cant delineate one novel from each other, because they do make a singular whole that (like The Tower itself) would really topple over if a part of it was missing. IT would be second for me.
I've never disliked any book I've read of his. Maybe slightly dreaded the length but not he story.
A.D. wrote: "I wish I could say that I love all his books, but I'm reading Duma Key at the moment and its definitely not one of his best. I'm going to finish it, but its incredibly slow. But the man has written..."too funny, because I LOVE that book.
http://www.metafilter.com/115258/Dark...
What do you think?