Stephen King Book Rankings

[DancesWithWerewolves]

How many Dark Tower novels are there?

8

He's hinted at another coming up too. After Wind Through The Keyhole...I'm hesitant lol.

[Lazerus]

How many Dark Tower novels are there?

Seven, plus a bonus book written afterwards that fit between books four and five.

Damn. Not sure I will attempt because I read slowly lol

[Tiggnutz]

How many Dark Tower novels are there?

Seven, plus a bonus book written afterwards that fit between books four and five.

Damn. Not sure I will attempt because I read slowly lol

Audiobooks are an option

[Slaughterhouserock]

There's also a short prequel story in the anthology book Legends, but most skip that since it's not even in a King book.

[Lazerus]

I'm not one to read much. Probably sounds strange from someone who has written a dozen manuscripts over the years. But I'm a slow reader and it takes a lot for a novel to keep my attention. In fact D's Wraith of the Worth Wraith novel is the first in many years to grab my attention so much that I finished it within a few weeks!

It took me forever to finish The Stand and though I have wanted to dive into the Dark Tower series my concern is I won't finish them all. But maybe I will give it a shot at some point. Well see.

[Jason]

Nobody's read The Body (Stand By Me)? It's one of the few King books I've read in full and I actually thought the movie was better.

[Tiggnutz]

Nobody's read The Body (Stand By Me)? It's one of the few King books I've read in full and I actually thought the movie was better.

It's one of the stories in his book Different Seasons

[Jason]

Nobody's read The Body (Stand By Me)? It's one of the few King books I've read in full and I actually thought the movie was better.

It's one of the stories in his book Different Seasons

Holy shit. No wonder it felt so short. LMAO.

[Jigsaw]

I got a third of the way through The Talisman once. Also can't remember why I gave up on that one

I've gotten 400 pages into The Talisman twice, and have never finished it. My brother enjoys the book, but even he agrees that it's not always written in the friendliest manner.

Speaking of unfinished King books - read a good half of Under the Dome, and have always been interested in it. Problematically for me, there's a rape scene that's really hard for me to read, and sort of turned me off the whole story. Any time I'm considering giving the book another go, I remember the scene and veer toward something else.

[Jigsaw]

Since Jason mentioned it, here's my ranking for his novellas. To be clear, if there's a novella-length story in an anthology collection (such as "The Mist" being the opening story of Skeleton Crew), then I count that as a short story. This list contains only the stories from Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight (I've not read If It Bleeds or Full Dark, No Stars).

1) Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
2) The Langoliers
3) Secret Window, Secret Garden
4) The Library Policeman
5) Apt Pupil
6) The Breathing Method
7) The Body
8) The Sun Dog

[Lazerus]

Nobody's read The Body (Stand By Me)? It's one of the few King books I've read in full and I actually thought the movie was better.

My brother has said the same thing. I've never seen the film to this day.

[Tiggnutz]

Since Jason mentioned it, here's my ranking for his novellas. To be clear, if there's a novella-length story in an anthology collection (such as "The Mist" being the opening story of Skeleton Crew), then I count that as a short story. This list contains only the stories from Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight (I've not read If It Bleeds or Full Dark, No Stars).

1) Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
2) The Langoliers
3) Secret Window, Secret Garden
4) The Library Policeman
5) Apt Pupil
6) The Breathing Method
7) The Body
8) The Sun Dog

Does this mean you liked Four Past Midnight more than Different Seasons?

[Jigsaw]

Since Jason mentioned it, here's my ranking for his novellas. To be clear, if there's a novella-length story in an anthology collection (such as "The Mist" being the opening story of Skeleton Crew), then I count that as a short story. This list contains only the stories from Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight (I've not read If It Bleeds or Full Dark, No Stars).

1) Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
2) The Langoliers
3) Secret Window, Secret Garden
4) The Library Policeman
5) Apt Pupil
6) The Breathing Method
7) The Body
8) The Sun Dog

Does this mean you liked Four Past Midnight more than Different Seasons?

This is why I don't do it by books, but by story.

I've read "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" at least 25 times. It's a very easy story to re-read, and easily my favorite novella of his.

That said, while "The Sun Dog" is sort of mid (and I don't even dislike it, but I've also probably only read it once), and "The Library Policeman" does have some problems, both "The Langoliers" and "Secret Window, Secret Garden" are quite good. Neither is anywhere close to "Shawshank Redemption," but quite good.

I should also mention that while "Apt Pupil" is in the bottom half, I don't dislike it. It's more the style that doesn't always work with me. The first twenty or so pages are quite good, but there comes a point where I always tune out, which is why I have it beneath the flawed "Library Policeman."

So I guess I think Four Past Midnight is better, but Different Seasons, by virture of having easily my favorite novella of King's, isn't far behind.

[Tiggnutz]

Since Jason mentioned it, here's my ranking for his novellas. To be clear, if there's a novella-length story in an anthology collection (such as "The Mist" being the opening story of Skeleton Crew), then I count that as a short story. This list contains only the stories from Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight (I've not read If It Bleeds or Full Dark, No Stars).

1) Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
2) The Langoliers
3) Secret Window, Secret Garden
4) The Library Policeman
5) Apt Pupil
6) The Breathing Method
7) The Body
8) The Sun Dog

Does this mean you liked Four Past Midnight more than Different Seasons?

This is why I don't do it by books, but by story.

I've read "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" at least 25 times. It's a very easy story to re-read, and easily my favorite novella of his.

That said, while "The Sun Dog" is sort of mid (and I don't even dislike it, but I've also probably only read it once), and "The Library Policeman" does have some problems, both "The Langoliers" and "Secret Window, Secret Garden" are quite good. Neither is anywhere close to "Shawshank Redemption," but quite good.

I should also mention that while "Apt Pupil" is in the bottom half, I don't dislike it. It's more the style that doesn't always work with me. The first twenty or so pages are quite good, but there comes a point where I always tune out, which is why I have it beneath the flawed "Library Policeman."

So I guess I think Four Past Midnight is better, but Different Seasons, by virture of having easily my favorite novella of King's, isn't far behind.

Now I really want to read Four Past Midnight

[Jigsaw]

Since Jason mentioned it, here's my ranking for his novellas. To be clear, if there's a novella-length story in an anthology collection (such as "The Mist" being the opening story of Skeleton Crew), then I count that as a short story. This list contains only the stories from Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight (I've not read If It Bleeds or Full Dark, No Stars).

1) Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
2) The Langoliers
3) Secret Window, Secret Garden
4) The Library Policeman
5) Apt Pupil
6) The Breathing Method
7) The Body
8) The Sun Dog

Does this mean you liked Four Past Midnight more than Different Seasons?

This is why I don't do it by books, but by story.

I've read "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" at least 25 times. It's a very easy story to re-read, and easily my favorite novella of his.

That said, while "The Sun Dog" is sort of mid (and I don't even dislike it, but I've also probably only read it once), and "The Library Policeman" does have some problems, both "The Langoliers" and "Secret Window, Secret Garden" are quite good. Neither is anywhere close to "Shawshank Redemption," but quite good.

I should also mention that while "Apt Pupil" is in the bottom half, I don't dislike it. It's more the style that doesn't always work with me. The first twenty or so pages are quite good, but there comes a point where I always tune out, which is why I have it beneath the flawed "Library Policeman."

So I guess I think Four Past Midnight is better, but Different Seasons, by virture of having easily my favorite novella of King's, isn't far behind.

Now I really want to read Four Past Midnight

To be fair, Four Past Midnight is among one of the earliest King books I read, so the fact that I love "The Langoliers" and "Secret Window, Secret Garden" could possibly be based in nostalgia. Naturally, I think both stories are quite good, and a good portion of "The Library Policeman" is solid, but there's always the chance that since I read them at around 10 or 11, my views will always be slightly tilted in their favor.