Stephen King’s books are popular throughout the world. I recently spoke with four avid fans who gave opinions of their choice for his best books, and some thoughts on his other works.
First, the background of these fans.
During our recent holiday gathering, I conducted a Q&A session with my family members, which was both enlightening and enjoyable.
- Reader 1- “Dolores age 61. Has read 90% of King’s works.
- Reader 2- “Annie” age 60. Has read 100%, She is King’s “number one fan.”
- Reader 3- “Jessie”, age 51. Has read 99%, many selections repeatedly.
- Reader 4- “Carrietta”, age 41. Has read 85%. Our youngest insightful fan.
Did you see what I did there?
Stephen King, beyond the horror:
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947. He and his wife Tabitha are esteemed authors and incredible philanthropists, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Maine communities and beyond. Mainers are proud to have his family as our neighbors.
Not only does King write best-selling works, but he also owns live and local radio stations in Bangor, Maine. Read more about them here.
Is there one best novel from King?
All four of my participants were asked if they had an absolute favorite, and they all responded with a resounding “yes” without any hesitation. I then asked if they could confidently name their top three choices, which they all confirmed. I did not give them any advance notice of the poll, so their answers are completely organic.
The best Stephen King books, 2nd and 3rd place.
None of our readers were hesitant in their answers here. Their opinions were:
- Dolores– 2nd “Dr. Sleep” 3rd “Mr. Mercedes”
- Annie– 2nd “IT” 3. “Mr. Mercedes”
- Jessie– 2nd ” Bag of Bones” 3rd “Drawing of the Three”
- Carrietta– 2nd “The Shining” 3rd “Drawing of the Three”
Their agreements were interesting to me.
Both of our older members mentioned “Mr. Mercedes,” a novel released in 2014. These readers have been fans of Stephen King since the 1970s, so their choice of a more recent work demonstrates the author’s continued success and skill throughout his career.
The two younger readers chose the same, a novel which is the second of the “Dark Tower” series.
Annie shared that she found “IT” to be a great novel, and it could have been her top pick. However, she felt that the ending affected her ranking of the book. Although she didn’t think it was terrible, she believed that it didn’t quite measure up to the rest of the novel’s experience.
Best Movie Adaptations of a Stephen King work.
Some might be more familiar with Stephen King films, rather than novels. Therefore, I only thought it appropriate to ask these avid fans what their favorite adaptation is for the big screen.
The envelope, please…
- Dolores– “Dr. Sleep”
- Annie– “The Shawshank Redemption”
- Christine– “Stand by Me”
- Carrie– “The Green Mile”
Nothing on this list comes at any surprise, the least popular being “Dr. Sleep”, but it is agreed by the group that the clout of being a sequel to “The Shining”, did not benefit the film. Despite being wildly popular because of the caliber of acting from Jack Nicholson, the 1980 film by Stanley Kurbrick is not a favorite of Stephen King.
Short Stories, novellas, and collections.
Our readers also had to give a shout-out to some of the best Stephen King works beyond his novels. These included:
- The Last Rung on the Ladder
- The Body
- Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
- The Long Walk, a novel published under the pen name Richard Bachman
What is the best Stephen King book according to our readers?
The “big” one we haven’t mentioned yet…
King’s best and longest novel.
There was no doubt in our readers’ minds that “The Stand,” King’s 1978 novel of over 1000 pages, reigned supreme in a fraction of a second as the answer here.
Characters are key in the best Stephen King books.
King has a unique talent for creating characters that are both original and relatable to his readers, which is why many fans, including my family, are lifelong supporters.