Well, this poll suggests that The Stand is the most popular Stephen King book of all time, with It following closely. Not surprisingly, these also happen to be the two longest King books out there, and that probably means that most readers, myself included, feel that King is at his best when he has time to build his characters, where we get to know them even better than with a 500 or 600 page book from him.
That does not come as a shock to me. But I will say this: I am not entirely sure that I agree with this list. While a few of the books were a pleasant surprise (I always thought that Wizard and Glass was underrated, for example), nonetheless, I think some of his books rate actually a bit higher than that.
So, let me come up with my own list of favorites from Stephen King:
10. Blaze - A lot of people did not like this book as such as others, and I am not sure why. I recall very much enjoying the book when I read it, and enjoying the John Steinbeck influence with George and the Lenny-like big character named Blaze (from which the book gets it's title). The back story of Blaze, as well as the constant manipulation, really is sad, but this is just a great work!
9. Mr. Mercedes - This was one of King's most recent works, but it is so well-written, and a real page turner! The killer really comes to life, as does the retired detective who serves as the main character. This is not the typical, supernatural scary novel for King, although it is nonetheless about dark matters.
8. Everything's Eventual - A solid collection of short stories, and these are top quality short stories! I also remember just enjoying reading it in the then new apartment, which was exciting, sitting on the floor of the bedroom as sunlight poured in, and feeling good about life, perhaps for the first time since before the September 11th attacks occurred.
7. Hearts in Atlantis - Not sure why this one struck such a chord with me, either. But it did. This is actually done in three large parts, and the movie only covered the first third. The next part was about college activism during the days of the Vietnam War, and the next part was about a man with a rare condition of temporary blindness during more or less business hours who collects tons of money as a beggar in New York City. I love the book, and I love the movie. King makes the sixties come alive!
6. Insomnia - I did not have very high expectations for this, because it seemed to always be on the discount racks and I, wrongly, assumed that this was reflective of the quality of the book. It was not. When I finally got around to reading it, found it one of the most imaginative and enjoyable King books that I had ever read! This was some months after September 11th, so the events depicted in this book hit particularly hard, and made the man seem almost prophetic.
5. Misery - The opening to this book is just awesome. One of the most vivid openings to a book that I have read, and it hits home! You can almost feel what the main character, Paul Sheldon, is feeling! Also, of all the scariest King novels, this one to me really is at least close to the scariest, if not perhaps the scariest!
4. Wizard and Glass - I am sure what it is about this book that I like so much. Perhaps it is the romance? I would not have thought so before reading it, but Stephen King did a good job of it, in a genre that he was not really comfortable with. Perhaps, as the article below suggests, it was the last of the Dark Tower books that did not feel "rushed?" I am not sure that the last three felt rushed, exactly. This is just a really well written and entertaining book that makes Roland's world, and the essence of who he becomes, come alive for the Constant Reader.
3. Under the Dome - Like with Insomnia, I just did not have high expectations for this one, admittedly. When I saw the cover, and read the synopsis about what it was about, I will admit to doubting that even Stephen King could make this idea come to life. However, this wound up being one of the most pleasant King books to read, and one of the most symbolic as well. As with It and The Stand, this book is suffic9iently long enough to give King a lot of room to work with his character building, and he did a great job with this. One of those King books that I was sorry to come to the end of the book with.
2. Different Seasons - This was just a great book. Four different stories representing the four different seasons, and just take a look at the lineup! "Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body," both of which would be converted into films ("The Body" would be known as "Stand By Me"). Then, "Apt Pupil," which is about a teenager who discovers a real life Nazi war criminal in his neighborhood, then takes an unhealthy fascination with Nazism in general. "The Breathing Method" is the final story here, and it is very weird, admittedly. But a great way for anyone new to Stephen King to start off with, because these are just some great stories!
1. The Stand - I rate this my highest book as well, because I am assuming that Stephen King fans will be reading this (hopefully), and not just strangers to his work. For anybody interested in reading a King book, I always recommend Different Seasons first, and then going from there. But as far as the books that I enjoyed reading the most from King, this one tops my list. It also happens to be
It is actually hard to pick the top ten King books, since I actually enjoyed all of them so far (well, I have had difficulty getting into Danse Macabre, and the ones that he co-wrote with Peter Straub did not quite have the usual magic, either). But some honorable mentions were a temptation. For example, how could I not include The Dead Zone? Or the first of his books that I read, Needful Things, which is incredibly descriptive and moves so well (although at the time, I did not get the ending at all)? It really is hard to do, if you are a fan. But for now, this is the list that came to mind, and I am sticking to it!
Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Stephen King Books
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-stephen-king-books-20141105
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