Best King - Paperblog

I suspect most people have read one or two at least. Most reading folk, that is. I mean Stephen King novels. He’s sure written plenty. By my count I’ve read nine: The Shining, Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary, It, The Stand, The Tommyknockers, Revival, and Cujo. I probably have one or two more in me. The dilemma is that I like King’s writing—I’m not one of those nay-sayers who call it clap-trap. There’s real literary merit to much of it (sometimes just too much of it), and he integrates religion into horror really well. The thing is, not all of his books are made equal. I suspect that’s true of any writer. I’ve consulted some lists to see which are the best and I’ve watched some movies before reading the books, but I’m starting a ranking of my own here—it will probably be revisited from time to time, as events warrant.

What’s his best? Well, such lists are supposed to start with the worst and work their way forward. I’ll cave to convention this time. So, The Tommyknockers and Cujo are tied for least favorite. Each has a reason: The Tommyknockers is too long and lacks sympathetic characters and Cujo is just too nihilistic. The premise is good but the bleakness got to me. The Stand comes next primarily because of the length. I like the way that one ended up, though. Revival, my most recent read, comes here, about in the middle. It was enjoyable to read, even with its length. I think King has a little trouble writing convincing kids, but the story was good. Next I would put ‘Salem’s Lot. Who doesn’t like a good vampire story?

Not that kind of book.

My top three are, perhaps predictably, generally among the top ranked. My order is perhaps a bit different than most, however. I really, really enjoyed The Shining. The movie, I believe, is better. That may be heresy, I know. Carrie has all the freshness of a novelist breaking through, and it’s effective. Better than the movie. That leaves Pet Sematary as my current favorite. The story there caught me up and it’s the only one of my top three that I read before seeing the movie (both of them). The book is way, way better than the movies. Compared with Revival, which also deals with what happens after death, Pet Sematary offers a commentary on grief that doesn’t involve everyone dying by suicide. It’s on a much more human level. As I read more, I’m sure I’ll form other opinions, but for the time being, these three of the King’s early novels, are, in my standing, the most deserving of the crown.