Best (not scariest) Steven King

[ravenlynne]

I voted for The Stand but also really enjoyed his other short dystopian lit such as The Long Walk and The Running Man...

 

[AnnaT]

I voted for The Stand for best overall, but I think Bag of Bones is his best later work.

Also, I was just stunned by Wolves of the Calla. Definitely those three for me.

 

[fronddaemon]

what are they about?

Can you give a little summary of what Wolves of the Calla, Gunslinger, and Bag of Bones are about?

 

[AnnaT]

Can you give a little summary of what Wolves of the Calla, Gunslinger, and Bag of Bones are about?

Okay, but no spoilers. I'll make it short in case you want to read them.

'Bag of Bones' is about a widower who can't get over the death of his wife. When he finally decides to face her death and get on with his life, he does so at their lakeside summer home, which was the site of some of their happiest memories. This is one of those books that no matter how many times you read it, you find something new every time.

'The Gunslinger' is the first book in the Dark Tower series. It's about Roland, a Byronic hero who has been on a quest to find the "Dark Tower" for hundreds of years. Roland is a gunslinger, which means that he is some kind of knight, dedicated to this quest. The setting seems to be our world, but set far in the future (?) and everything we knew is gone. Rather than some kind of futuristic, advanced society like we think we'll have, this world is socially basic and environmentally devastated. The culture that has developed sort of evokes the Old West.

'Wolves of the Calla" is the fifth book in the Dark Tower series. Roland and the companions he has acquired make a stop in a small community. The community wants the gunslingers' help with an ongoing problem that devastates their community every generation.

 

[Power to the J]

How could anyone not think the Stand was scary? For me is was extrememly scary because it shows mans stupidity in the way they destroy themselves. The possibility that we could actually do that to ourselves to me was the scary thing.

Okay, yes, The Stand had a scary feel. But Bag of Bones, Salems Lot, Firestarter, Cujo and even Carrie scared the crap out of me, and The Stand did not. Also, I always compare scary Stephen King to The Shining,which is by far the scariest book I've ever read and it literally kept me up at night, so that may be why I didn't find The Stand horrifying. You do bring up a good point though.

 

[Banger]

The Shining is my favorite. The Stand is good too, but there are a few parts that I thought were a bit weak, whereas The Shining was outstanding from start to finish.

 

[Konrad]

I see that The Talisman have two votes now. Good very good that more than I see it's value...

And Banger, what are the weak parts in The Stand. It is very good especially the scen were one of the maincharacters are about to venture into the tunnel full of dead humans and vehicles. Thats the only time that I've got the creepers when reading a SKbook.

 

[Warewolf]

Gotta go with Christine, mainly because of the characters. They are so fleshed out and three dimensional...they are more the focus of the book than all the supernatural goings on. Great stuff.

 

[Power to the J]

Yeah Christine is good.

Also, lots of praise for some of the Dark Tower books, but not much for the Gunslinger. That book was amazing, the best in the series to me untilthe last one.

 

[jemcaesar]

I voted 'Other' because my favourite Stephen King novel has always been Needful Things. I love the the slow, gradual build-up and satisfyingly apocalyptic ending. I'm surprised Pet Sematary doesn't get its own option on the list. As a teenager here in Australia Pet Sematary was regularly mentioned as a favourite... but that may be due to the fact I came from a regional town where I suspect domesticated animals outnumbered people.

 

[Abby]

I've read everything by Stephen King, except his latest novel (Lisey's Story).

My all-time favorite is "It."

For his scariest, I think it's a toss-up between "Pet Semetary" and "The Shining."

Personally, I've always felt that "The Stand" and "The Dark Tower" series were overhyped. They're very good, but IMHO, not his best.

 

[Power to the J]

My all-time favorite is "It."

It was just too strange for me.

Personally, I've always felt that "The Stand" and "The Dark Tower" series were overhyped. They're very good, but IMHO, not his best.

Well, what made The Dark Tower great for me was The Gunslinger, which is one of my all time favorite books. The rest of the series wasn't as good, but still good.

 

[Abby]

It was just too strange for me.

I'll admit that the child sex scene in the sewer was too strange for me, too.

Well, what made The Dark Tower great for me was The Gunslinger, which is one of my all time favorite books. The rest of the series wasn't as good, but still good.

To me, The Gunslinger was a massive LSD trip in literary form. I think he really was stoned when he wrote it. The story really meandered. But it's still an interesting work.

 

[Power to the J]

To me, The Gunslinger was a massive LSD trip in literary form. I think he really was stoned when he wrote it. The story really meandered. But it's still an interesting work.

Wow. I really love that book, ya know? It's setting, characters and action are very enthralling to me and like I said, it is my favorite in the DT series. I don't know how you think that that book is a LSD trip...it's just fantasy..

 

[axe9245]

cell kicked ass

 

[Abby]

Wow. I really love that book, ya know? It's setting, characters and action are very enthralling to me and like I said, it is my favorite in the DT series. I don't know how you think that that book is a LSD trip...it's just fantasy...

LOL, maybe because he admits that he wrote it while stoned (in On Writing). But aside from that, it really is trippy, even when compared to other early works by King. It's a guy who's randomly chasing a mysterious man across a mysterious desert, and he shoots people, and talks to a demon, and has sex with a demon, and faces mutants. It's friggin' weird when you step back from it. It's still very well written, because I don't think King could write poorly if he tried. But the story didn't really do it for me.

 

[Power to the J]

LOL, maybe because he admits that he wrote it while stoned (in On Writing). But aside from that, it really is trippy, even when compared to other early works by King. It's a guy who's randomly chasing a mysterious man across a mysterious desert, and he shoots people, and talks to a demon, and has sex with a demon, and faces mutants. It's friggin' weird when you step back from it. It's still very well written, because I don't think King could write poorly if he tried. But the story didn't really do it for me.

o0o LOL my bad. LSD trip or not, I still like it a lot. I also think Firestarter is an underrated work of his, and that was good as well.

 

[Abby]

Yeah, I keep forgetting about Firestarter. And Misery. Both really great.

 

[Power to the J]

Yeah, I keep forgetting about Firestarter. And Misery. Both really great.

They're also very underrated not just as King stuff, but as horror stuff. A lot more people have read Carrie, which I thought was actually one of his weakest ever than those two combined. Shame. I think those are two of his best novels in terms of characterization (spelling?), which is one of the things that makes King scary--we care for the characters.

 

[Susan Ee]

I agree with Konrad. The Talisman and The Dark Tower series, especially The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass.