Vulture ranks every Stephen King novel, from 1-to-62

[Double Down]

http://www.vulture.com/2012/04/ranking-all-62-stephen-king-books.html?imw=Y#

Some of you King nerds (coughcoughUncleRuckuscoughcough) will get a kick out of this.

I think No. 3 should be No. 1, and that Insomnia should actually have a negative rating, but overall an interesting exercise.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

Can't quibble with most of the list. I would have ranked Cell and Needful Things higher and Under the Dome much, much lower. I also agree with you on It being better than The Stand. I also think his short story and novella collections represent a good portion of his best work.

And there probably are bigger King nerds on this board than me. I'm still trying to talk myself into tackling The Dark Tower series.

 

[YGBFKM]

I'm only 61 away from having read every one on the list.

 

[Small Town Guy]

Can't quibble with most of the list. I would have ranked Cell and Needful Things higher and Under the Dome much, much lower. I also agree with you on It being better than The Stand. I also think his short story and novella collections represent a good portion of his best work.

And there probably are bigger King nerds on this board than me. I'm still trying to talk myself into tackling The Dark Tower series.

Thanks for the link, DD. Pretty sweet.

I haven't read the Dark Tower either but my cousin swears by the series, says it's among his best stuff.

I'm actually a huge Tommyknockers fan, once it gets going it's pretty awesome. Glad that Eyes of the Dragon is in top 30, hardly see anyone talk about that one.

I have It over The Stand too. Salem's Lot I think is still the most terrifying. When I read it today it still creeps me out, but some of that is due to the original miniseries, which I saw when I was 4 but can still remember watching it. Had nightmares literally for years and my folks still feel bad about letting me see it. As they should, bad mom and dad. The kid at the window, the kid sitting up in the coffin, staying out at my grandpa's farm was terrifying for years, because the steps were just like the ones Ben walks up to go to the gravedigger. Still, I finally read the book when I was about 15 and it managed to scare the **** out of me all over again, this time with words.

 

[Double Down]

I've probably only read about 15 of these, but I liked Needful Things. I also thought Christine was better than its ranking here. But I think I read both in high school, so it's been quite awhile.

 

[bigpern23]

Can't quibble with most of the list. I would have ranked Cell and Needful Things higher and Under the Dome much, much lower. I also agree with you on It being better than The Stand. I also think his short story and novella collections represent a good portion of his best work.

And there probably are bigger King nerds on this board than me. I'm still trying to talk myself into tackling The Dark Tower series.

It's really an incredible series. I'd like to go back and start over because I think he went seven years between the Wastelands and Wizard and Glass and then six more years until Wolves of the Calla, IIRC. That's a long time to keep the entire story in your head.

 

[Moderator1]

I've always felt King's shorter stuff was much much much better than his long stuff

 

[bigpern23]

I'll also echo those who would have put "It" as No. 1. It's my favorite book of all-time and one of the few that I've read several times.

 

[bigpern23]

I've always felt King's shorter stuff was much much much better than his long stuff

They certainly make better movies.

 

[Big Circus]

Desperation should be much higher. And I think it's kind of weird to put On Writing and Faithful in a list with the rest of them.

 

[Zeke12]

I have no problem with the top six, and after that it gets pretty meaningless.

 

[bigpern23]

And I didn't realize until just now that new Dark Tower Book was released yesterday, titled "The Wind Through the Keyhole."

It is set between Wizard and Glass and the Wolves of the Calla. Sounds like beach book for me this summer.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I remember "Pet Sematary" frightening the **** out of me in junior high or high school. "The Shining," too, even after I saw the movie. But not as much as "Pet Sematary."

 

[Huggy]

Never been much of a King reader, but I loved Different Seasons, just brilliant stuff. Friend of mine was big into King years ago and he loaned me Christine, which I really enjoyed. He also loaned me The Tommyknockers, which sounded ridiculous. I read it in three days. I thought Faithful was terrible.

 

[lisa_simpson]

I've always felt King's shorter stuff was much much much better than his long stuff

This.

The Stand absolutely belongs above It. There's too much creepy, CREEPY **** in It. Additionally, the TV adaptation doesn't hold up as well.

 

[Double Down]

I've always felt King's shorter stuff was much much much better than his long stuff

This.

The Stand absolutely belongs above It. There's too much creepy, CREEPY **** in It. Additionally, the TV adaptation doesn't hold up as well.

Oh for flip's sake. The TV adaptation of IT was total ****, but that doesn't have anything at all to do with how the two books should be ranked. IT has a tremendous amount of heart in it, something The Stand frequently lacks.

 

[Buck]

I read almsot everything through 'Gerald's Game.'
There's a lot of dreck but a lot of good, entertaining, pulpy work.
'Misery' is the best in my opinion.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

Weird. I think the IT miniseries holds up A LOT better than The Stand. Tim Curry's performance is phenomenal. And it gets the tone right, even if it had to cut out a **** ton of stuff.

The Stand eats ass. The only correct casting decisions were Gary Sinise as Stu Redman and Bill Fagerbakke as Tom Cullen. Parker ****ing Lewis as Fat Harold Lauder? I don't ****ing think so. "DON'T MESS WITH MY DISCO, NADINE!!!!!"

And I sure don't think of Molly Ringwald when I picture Fran Goldsmith. Also, I think it was missing about 14 or 15 more cornfield dreams. Chrissakes.

 

[Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L)]

I almost posted this link yesterday. I was bothered by how the last three pages loaded.

All of these lists are subjective but I am amazed at how prolific King has been. 61 freaking books!!

The only quibble I'd have is the book Faithful which was co-written by Stewart Onan [sic]. A compilation of emails should not make the list. Johnny Damon's book about the 2004 Red Sox called Idiots was better than that dreck about Onan pleasuring himself by chasing foul balls.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

I've probably only read about 15 of these, but I liked Needful Things. I also thought Christine was better than its ranking here. But I think I read both in high school, so it's been quite awhile.

Also interesting. I certainly haven't read all 62 novels. I've read 26.

How about everyone else?