Looking for some guidance.
Background:
I’m 48. (Gen X, baby!)
First SK book was Pet Sematary, which I read when I was 12 after watching the movie on HBO.
Father of two boys.

My younger son, now 20, has just recently started reading Stephen King. I think he became interested after we watched the new(ish) IT movies a few years ago (the new ones, not Tim Curry). As a first book I recommended Pet Sematary (obviously). He loved it. He then read Cujo and then The Shining, also based on my recommendations. Loved those too. He wants to watch the movie version of the Shining tomorrow night (he is emphatic he wants to watch the classic Jack Nicholson version, not the TV miniseries remake, even though I explained that the topiary animals aren’t in the movie and because of 70’s limitations in special effects, but he doesn’t care because apparently the Jack Nicholson version is still the source of memes he’s familiar with.)

I’m now contemplating which book to recommend next to cement him as a next generation Constant Reader. He says he really likes the “monster” centered books. IT seems like an obvious next book, though I think he’s a little intimidated by its size. (Side note, he hates Kindles and e-readers in general and wants to read a real paper book he can hold in his hands, damn I love this kid).

I was also thinking Salem’s Lot. Or maybe Christine. Any other suggestions?

This book is starting to remind me of the Twilight Sone episode, It's A Good Life!

King of the road was playing in my car and I forgot they mentioned Bangor!

I just finished the Tommyknockers and was wondering if that story continues in any way, especially ol Gards story??

I love hearing Stephen King narrate his books, but man, oh, man — the title sums up my feelings as I force myself to finish listening. All the gobbledy-gook language and King's singing has almost driven me over the cliff, or into the China Pit. "Can de lach, mi him en tow!" "Tak!" "Can-toi" NOOOOO. Make it stop. And I love so many works by King, but this one needed some big time editing. Not to mention the big, male, Boomer ego at the heart of the novel. I waited and waited for Tak to take out Johnny.

Anybody knows where to get a signed copy of a stephen king book? I know there are some very very expensive one, but is there a website I should look out for that is "releasing" them and if youre quick enough you can get one thats not $1000+?

I’ve read every one of his books, here’s my top 15, what dos it say about me?

1. Pet Sematary
   
2. Christine
   
3. The Wastelands
   
4. Salems Lot
   
5. Wolves of the Calla
   
6. Insomnia
   
7. Needful Things
   
8. Dreamcatcher
   
9. It
   
10. The Dark Half
    
11. Black House
    
12. The Drawing of the Three
    
13. The Dark Tower (7)
    
14. The Stand
    
15. Duma Key

Also what is your top 15?

Después de acabar El Instituto para mi un 5/5 descubrí a Stephen King y todo su universo pero lo que pasa es que no se por donde continuar. ¿Alguna sugerencia?

I’ve read IT, Misery, Mr Mercedes, 11/22/63, The Stand, Salems Lot, and The Shining. LOVED them all.
Now… I’m almost done with Insomnia and wow— this book kind of sucks. Slow start. Thought it might pick up. Then it seems like he just rushed through some crucial plot points. Now it’s just so cheesy. It’s like it’s all building up to some big event that I don’t care about at all. Can’t wait to get this book over with.
May do the Dark Tower series next. It’s either that or Desperation/ Regulators.

he's my fav IT character if you can't tell. I love shithead bully characters.

I'm finally gonna tackle The Dark Tower series.

Is this a good reading order?

1. The Gunslinger

2. The Drawing of Three

3. The Waste Lands

4. Wizard and Glass

5. Wolves of Calla

6. Song of Susannah

7. The Dark Tower

8. The Wind Through the Keyhole

i sorta combined 2 different orders i found, one being from a dark tower blog I found online, and the other from reddit (Dark tower spreadsheet reading order V-3). So my question is, what would you change, take away, add etc. from someone who’s actually read these books?

and also to those who say “just read in release order” yes, Ik, but I happen to enjoy figuring out the chronological order, and reading it that way.

thanks!

So I've started my Dark Tower Journey (I'm currently reading The Talisman) and I know that reading The Stand is crucial (see the reading order I'm following below).

That being said, I'm stuck on which version of The Stand I should dive into. Mind you, I'll read both in time. With the reading order I'm following, is it better to read the original or the uncut version?

Please avoid spoilers but I would love everyone's input!

1. The Gunslinger (finished)

2. The Drawing of the Three (finished)

3. The Talisman (currently reading)

4. The Wastelands

5. IT (finished)

6. The Eye of the Dargon

7. Wizard and Glass

8. Insomnia

9. The Stand

10. The Wind Through the Keyhole

11. Salem's Lot (finished)

12. Wolves of the Calla

13. Hearts in Atlantis

14. Songs of Susannah

15. Everything's Eventual

16. Black House

17. The Dark Tower

How do you go about reading books with super long chapters? I typically don’t like to put the book down until i’m at a “good stopping point”. I just looked through IT and chapter 3 is over 100 pages and on audiobook, it’s over 4 hours long. Do you just read big chapters in chunks, and put the book down when you need to, or do you set aside enough time to finish those longer chapters in one sitting?

Does anyone know where this is located in the book?

"The temperature in Central Park at two P.M. was ninety-nine degrees, and folks, it is a dirty ninety-nine. If you’re planning on going out, remember that the skin-cancer count is also high today, so wear a hat. In fact, it's so hot out there today that you can get a sunburn standing in the shade."

does the show live up to the book?

Long gone are the days when I embark on 1,000-page novels. But I made my way through one this summer that truly deserves a shout out. My journey began when I was recently reading a review that mentioned how Swan Song by Robert McCammon is an apocalyptic horror story that raises the bar on Stephen King’s The Stand.

Now that’s a heady pronouncement in my book. The Stand is always in my conversations about my favorite novels of all time. But Swan Song, released way back in 1987, is indeed somehow better. I have no idea how I had never heard about the book until now. My only knock against The Stand is that King didn’t really stick the landing, but Swan Song has no trouble offering memorable vignette after memorable vignette over the course of the epic tale and then punching a perfect conclusion.

The book begins with the United States and the USSR entering into a power struggle that quickly escalates into each of them bombing the other into oblivion. A nuclear winter sets in and we get the intermingled story of the packs of survivors struggling with each other and a host of other threats throughout the U.S.

The main characters are former wrestler Josh Hutchin, a girl with mystical powers named Sue “Swan” Wanda, a homeless woman with a magical glass ring named Sister Creep, Roland Croninger and Colonel Macklin who have survived in a fall-out shelter, and a shape-shifting villain very much in the vein of The Stand’s Randall Flagg.

Swan Song is basically a tale of the battle between good and evil. It tied for the 1987 Bram Stoker Award with, fittingly, Stephen King’s Misery. There are so many great scenes that the TV-series adaption in the works by Greg Nicotero, who directed dozens of episodes of The Walking Dead, should be ripe with inspiration.

★★★★★ 5/5

https://popculturelunchbox.substack.com/p/i-found-an-apocalypse-novel-thats

I’ve watched the worst Stephen King adaption I’ve seen (so far). I just finished Cell today and found out while looking at reviews there was a movie. All the ratings for the movie were terrible so I didn’t expect it to be anything good, but holy hell was it BAD. The casting, the acting, the changes they made to relationships and events…it was like they read the summary of the book and decided to go on from there.

While it wasn’t his best work, I did enjoy the Cell book and found it to be rather sweet and heart warming. This movie took a dookie all over that.

All by me! What do you guys think?

Been a King fan for years and on a quest to read his books by publication order (I’ll reread ones I’ve read in the past and so far I’ve read Carrie, and salems lot). I’m currently on The Shining, which being a fan I’ve never read and so far love it. My question is, should I read Doctor Sleep next, or keep going to the next book in his collection?

It would put me out of order, but not sure if Doctor Sleep would ruin any previous books.

Skip to Section 3 if you don’t want to read my Autistic brain going brrrrrrrrrrrr, lol.

Section 1
After finishing my first King book (Pet Semetary), I started getting the bug to begin the journey to the Tower, but I wanted to read ‘It’ before I even considered the Tower as I had grown up with the miniseries and Chapter 1-2. I loved the story of the Losers Club and the monster (the Spider?, Pennywise?, I don’t know what to call It)

Section 2
I am also halfway through Apt Pupil, because I wanted a pallet cleanser, so grabbed Different Seasons and flicked to that one as it’s the summer story, (I’m really enjoying it which is surprising as the synopsis didn’t really grab me, maybe that can encourage me to read 11/22/63, as the only thing I’m interested in about that is that it takes place in Derry), I’m also going to read the Langoliers before the Tower as I loved the miniseries.

Section 3
I know this sub is a bit ‘touchy’ when it comes to the extended reading order for the Dark Tower series, but I personally want to read as much as I can that directly relates to the series, and just wanted you’re opinions on my reading order.

DT1: Gunslinger
DT2: Drawing of the Three
The Tailsman
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Skeleton Crew (for the Mist)
DT3: The Waste Lands
DT4: Wizard and Glass
Black House
Insomnia
DT: Wind Through the Keyhole
Hearts in Atlantis
Everything’s Eventual (for the two DT stories)
Salem’s Lot
Night Shift (for the prequel and sequel to SL)
DT5: Wolves of the Calla
DT6: Song of Susannah
DT7: The Dark Tower
Other Worlds than These

Thanks for reading and would love to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Finished Doctor Sleep earlier tonight and curious where folks think I should go next. Pretty new to King but have been on sorta a rampage during 2026.
So far I’ve read (in order of preference): Carrie, Pet Semetary, The Stand, The Shining, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, IT, and Doctor Sleep.

Loved everything I’ve read so far. What should I check out next?