Stephen King books I've read, and how I rank them

Submitted by xwraith27 on Mon, 02/13/2006 - 02:13
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  1. This is a pretty long list, so if you just want to find out how I ranked your Stephen King favorites, keep your fingers close to Ctrl + F.


  4. It

  6. One of Stephen King's scariest books involving one of Stephen King's scariest Ubervillains. A lot of memorable main (and supporting) characters, and a rich and complex plot make this book a really great read.

  8. The Stand

  10. The premise of the book is simple but creates an atmosphere of possibility, which ultimately makes this fast-paced novel as scary as it is.

  12. The Shining

  14. Definitely one of King's best. I love how King portrays children as creatures of great potential power. His characterization of Danny Torrance is a prime example of that.

  16. 'Salem's Lot
  17. Misery

  19. Misery just oozes realism and while reading the book, I just couldn't help but wonder how Paul Sheldon managed to survive that long. I love the detail that King has put into the book, although a lot of people might just find it too gory for comfort. And the missing typewriter keys, although it was a bit predictable (e.g., losing the three of the most used letters in the English alphabet successively), was a good twist to the already engrossing story.

  21. Pet Sematary

  23. I love kids, especially small children. I've also been interested in the idea of resurrection for as long as I can remember. But I wouldn't rank Pet Sematary as high up in my list only for these reasons. The fact is that Pet Sematary has a very good story and a very engaging cast of characters. Not very realistic, and an ending that leaves me a bit disappointed, but an enjoyable book nonetheless.

  25. Cujo
  26. The Dark Half

  28. The story is a bit of a cliché, actually, with the bad twin/good twin theme, and the characters are fairly predictable, with King's almost standard 'fiction writer-cum-English teacher' protagonist. What I love about this book though is the gore and all the things that some other readers might find disgusting (I love disgusting stuff, what can I say?).

  30. Rage

  32. I read this book when I was 16, which was a pretty rebellious age for me. Of course, I never even thought of holding my entire high school class hostage, but this book will actually make you remember the angst of adolescence with its (curiously) believable characters and gripping storyline.

  34. Hearts in Atlantis
  35. Firestarter
  36. Christine
  37. Needful Things
  38. Black House
  39. Insomnia

  41. Insomnia actually has a solid story, but has an epilogue so long that it takes away a lot of the enjoyment that I had reading the actual story. I have to say though that King's younger characters are much more interesting and relateable than his older characters (like protagonist Ralph Roberts). But that's probably because I'm only 20 years old and I often think like a 12 year old :)

  43. Bag of Bones

  45. An interesting story, to say the least, with just the right combination of the real and the supernatural. However, I have an issure regarding the pacing of the book. The book was dragging throughout some of the parts, which took away any excitement that built up in me during the fast-paced parts. Not a bad read at all, come to think of it, but also not one I'd rank among King's best.

  47. Dreamcatcher
  48. The Long Walk

  50. The story is much more engaging than that of 'The Running Man' even though the concepts are very much alike. I'm still on the fence whether or not I like how the story ended, though.

  52. Gerald's Game
  53. The Tommyknockers
  54. The Running Man

  56. I just recently re-read this story and I found that I enjoyed reading it the first time. The concept is so much like that of 'The Long Walk' that I just didn't appreciate it that much.

  58. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

  60. It's a good thing that this book is short. I would not have finished it otherwise. For me, none of the scenes really stood out and a lot of things wound up unexplained at the end that I ended up having more questions than while I was reading the story.

  62. From a Buick 8

  64. I remember being so excited when I bought this book, only to leave it for a few weeks untouched once I got to the middle of the story. I didn't find the story exciting at all, and the ending just left me wanting more. I guess another 'killer car' from King just won't cut it for me anymore.

  66. Road Work

  68. To be honest, I was so bored with this book that I put it down after the second page. I just didn't get it.
Author Comments: 

I've started to add some comments as to why I ranked the stories as such. The current rankings aren't definite yet, so expect some titles moving up and down on the rankings as I'm writing my reviews. I'm also currently reading Book One of the 'Dark Tower' series, which means that I'll be adding those titles to my list soon.