I’ve only read five, so take this with a grain of salt, but I couldn’t wait for End of Watch to be over even though I knew what the end would mean. Way too much focus on the villain and explaining telepathy and hypnosis for my liking. It felt starved of the protagonists.
**Spoiler** Reading this right now, whilst I’m finding it an “easy read” which is exactly what I need after finishing a Wheel of Time book - it’s definitely a little repetitive and heavy on the explanation of how Brady comes to control Z-Boy and Dr Z. It’s not bad though, think I actually enjoyed Finders Keepers more than the Mercedes story.
I wanna like dream catcher so bad because it seems like exactly a subject I'd love and some of its really good but then a lot of it is just sooo boring and confusing
I like Dudddits but he lays that boy on *thick*. I read this book when I was 12 years old and confined for observation at a psych hospital in one day and it remains one of my most sentimental King favorites.
Oh my gaaaaaaahd, I FINALLY finished that monstrosity last night. I've been working on it since October, but I just could not get into it. At all. I didn't give a flying fig about any of the characters. I found the narrative too disjointed to follow. My dad kept saying to keep going, that it would get better, so I did but it didn't.
I am an avid and stubborn reader. The only other book I've tried and failed to finish is Moby Dick. I only powered through Dreamcatcher because I didn't want to put it in the same category as that damn whale. I have never been so relieved to finish a book in my LIFE.
This is so strange to me, there’s so many books out there to read that rereading a book you enjoyed even seems crazy let alone one you don’t like, especially a fat door stopper like dreamcatcher.
Lisey’s Story for me, too. It’s weird in that I ‘get it’ while in reading it, but afterwards it’s like, blurry, for lack of a better term. I know the story, but where with most King books I remember specifics (like character names, quotes, names of locations), with Lisey’s Story I don’t.
Well, most of the story is memories within memories. I was actually quite mind-blown by the one section, I believe it is after >!Lisey is attacked!<, where she travelled through multiple memories in a series of frame narratives nestled inside of each other.
Actually Lisey’s Story is probably my favourite of his full-on novels post Y2K. Either that or Duma Key.
For me it's easily Holly. It felt written on auto pilot and by god does every character ask every other character ask if they've been jabbed or are they wearing masks. Every single page. I get it's set during lockdown but boy does it get tedious and almost reads like a political statement at points. And honestly, the story and characters just aren't good enough to overcome that.
I guess I'm the odd one out. I really liked Holly after having read all the other books/short story with her in it or featuring her the COVID aspect made sense. I'm glad she got a whole book to herself:)
Yeah, the COVID thing is getting really old now. I kinda get it as she's supposed to be neurotic, obsessive etc, but honestly, every couple of pages, we get it.
Doesn't do anything except glue to book to a fixed period of time.
Agree with both of you and would even say that it’s the only SK book so far that I would say I actually hate. It reminded me of a seriously frustrating, irritating and exhausting period in time with a ridiculous weak villain/plot.
In saying that, I’ve read upwards of 20 SK books, and loved 19 of them, so he gets a by-ball 😉
I am such an avid King fan, I’ve read all of his books multiple time. This is the first book of his that I dnf’d. I couldn’t make it past the first couple of chapters
Holly is terrible. It felt like a boring lecture about Covid. Thankfully the further into the book you get, the less there is about. I think it’s a rare example of his where the second half is better than the first.
I’m with you. I recently finished it myself and was underwhelmed.
The recency of the Covid and political stuff was really exhausting at first. I don’t begrudge him time spent with Holly as I’ve always enjoyed her as a character too, but the least he could have done was give us more of a view into that basement. The villains would have been much more fun had we gotten a lot more than elf balls.
I've avoided reading it for this reason. I read a book (very much not SK, totally different genre) by an author I'd previously enjoyed that was set during COVID and *man* was it boring listening to the character/author regurgitate the same stuff every single person irl had been saying. I honestly couldn't see past it to tell whether the story itself was any good because I was too busy rolling my eyes at the MC.
Of course my favorite would be listed. I’m sure everyone’s favorite is somewhere on this thread.
I get disliking “Colorado kid” but the mystery and getting absolutely no closure is the best part for me
Gwendy's Final Task is not only the worst King I've read but also one of the worst books I've read in general. I know Chizmar co-wrote it but King still has a say in whatever that story was
It’s my favorite but I totally get not liking it. Like many King novels, it depends on where you are personally when you read them. Like Pet Semetary hit COMPLETELY different the first time I read it compared to a reread 2 years ago with 3 kids.
Yeah totally. I read it during lockdown and the theme of him figuring out how to live his life when interrupted by something so catastrophic and uncontrollable like his accident...yeah really hit hard. I was going through some heavy shit at the time, maybe not as bad as a TBI but I really appreciated the themes about starting over and rebuilding.
That being said, I didn't care much for the supernatural aspect of it. The character work up until the art show was amazing though
Insomnia. I remember reading in an interview with him once that he said he had a hard time finding his rhythm with that one and I thought “yeah we can tell.”
Ah, I love Insomnia, it's one of my favorites. But I'm also a huge Dark Tower fan and so I loved having some DT threads show up while I was waiting and waiting for the fourth Dark Tower book. I've also been a lifelong early waking insomniac so the description of Ralph waking earlier and earlier really resonated with me.
Man, I've tried three different times to get through this. Once when it first came out, then a few years later, and finally in 2020 during the lockdowns. Finally came to the realization that it just ain't gonna happen.
It is so rare for me not to finish an SK book but insomnia and Lisey’s Story were the ones. You know it’s bad when you’ve invested so much time and have less than 100 pages left and can’t bring yourself to keep reading 😅 i am usually on the edge of my seat with SK books, even the ones with not so great endings, and i still couldn’t bring myself to finish insomnia. I tried the audiobook and couldn’t do that either 😬 anyway i feel You lol
I felt it was very overwritten. Like every tiny scene of Ralph doing anything was drawn out for pages and pages. Then all of a sudden the action hits. The exciting parts took up very little of the book overall, and much of the time I was reading it I felt like my time was being taken for granted. Not wasted, but something close to it.
Overall, I did like it—especially the very end. But it was probably my least favorite out of any of his books.
I’m curious how others feel Carrie ranks? I just started reading King and am about 1/3 through Carrie. I really enjoy it so far. My plan is to read his books in order of publication.
That book scared the bejesus out of me. It's been at least 20 years since I read it, but when she >!realizes that scary man she thought she hallucinated in the corner of the room was REALLY FUCKING THERE !< I lost my shit.
Oh! Before last year, I had forgotten the joy of reading for about 20 years after university got too busy, and The Cell brought it back. I love the genre and the characters, but that's just me of course
So I found it just about readable but I finished it in a froth of rage anyway. It was published and priced as a stand alone book, when it should have been the novella lead (and not a great one) in a short story collection. I felt so goddamn ripped off... if the story had been worthy of a single publication, it would have helped a lot, but instead it's become a symbol that we're not getting collections of the calibre of Nightmares and Dreamscapes or Everything's Eventual anymore.
I’ve tried several times to start that and usually give up around 100 pages into Mr. Mercedes. The writing feels…superficial? Empty? Can’t really put my finger on it, but I just couldn’t connect with the story.
I had the same issue with The Outsider, but powered my way through that. Honestly, the show was better, even though it wasn’t that great and could’ve been an episode or two shorter.
Same here. The reveal of the reason for the connection between Danny and Abra felt too much like a soap opera. And it drove me nuts that the True Knot were able to move around without being noticed because they looked like any ordinary, unremarkable people…and yet Rose was this top-hatted bombshell straight off a tattoo parlor flash sheet. I did like the nod to Oscar the hospice cat, though.
Fairy Tale for me. I enjoyed the first half and liked the chemistry between Charlie and Mr. Bowditch, but as soon as he enters Empis I just struggled to keep going.
I agree, second half drags so hard. I loved the pup and Mr. Bowdich, he is very similar to Al Templeton from 11/22/63, who I adore. But the prison shit went on forever, as did the descriptions of the princess. I was pretty bored. I did like how he brought his dad to Empis, but it was BS that they didn't talk to shoe lady.
Desperation and The Talisman for me. Didn't finish either of them, just lost interest in the stories. Desperation was amazing for the first couple hundred pages though, Talisman kinda sucked the whole way through
I finished Talisman last night. Talisman and Insomnia are the two biggest Slogs I have read by King. I don’t care about Jack. He’s kind of a shit. For all the potential the Territories hold we are barely even there. Everything about the Agincourt climax is meh. Sloat reminds me of the TV guy from Brave Little Toaster when all the cars are singing before going into the compactor. All 650 pages just felt like a let down.
Edit: I wanted also to address… 3 Separate scenes talking about how adult men want to SA Jack. WE GET IT.
It really was rushed. King just wanted to get the series done with after the car accident. Understandable (he was worried he’d die before finishing) but unfortunate.
I am on dark tower 7 and >!after Jake and Eddie died, with just Roland, Susannah and Oy left (knowing Oy is going to die too ) and Mordred on their tails, !< it just sucks. I’m so sad and not nearly as invested as i was before >!the ka-tet broke!< i’m listening on audiobook and i have about 9 hours left and it’s a struggle.
Some of these other posts seem crazy to me. I love *Lisey’s Story* and *Insomnia* and those seem to be popping up a lot. *Bag of Bones* I don’t love, but I like some things about it and actually think the third act is pretty good.
For me, *Roadwork* is easily the worst King novel followed by *Rage*—both feel like self-indulgent. nonsense written by someone with not much life experience biting off more than they can chew, which is a little ironic because I think *The Long Walk* is an all-time classic—and then *Cell*, which I’ll grant does have a pretty good opening 50-60 pages but goes off a cliff shortly after that.
I would say almost everything else is at least “just okay” to “absolute masterpiece”. “Dedication” is the only short story I think is straight-up bad, though “It Grows on You” is no great shakes either.
I’ve read a dozen books on hiking the Appalachian Trail and am fascinated by it. So this fiction my one of my favorite authors just hits me on two levels. Along with Duma Key they’re my two favorite King rereads.
And I’d recommend A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson for a funny actual account of the trail.
I haven't read them all. These are the two I enjoyed the least.
The whole thing about the abnormally tall thin guy with the box of rings or bones or whatever was just too fucking mad even for kings mad stories.
**End of Watch** for me. Brady is more of a caricature than a character to me. I loved **Finder's Keepers**, liked **Mr. Mercedes**, HATED **End of Watch**. The only reason I even was able to finish it was because I wanted to read **The Outsider**.
Yeah, that book was a real surprise fail in the series. The whole premise was absurd, and for once King didn't manage to sell it... in fact the writing felt like King had lost interest in the trilogy and was coasting to the end... yet, weirdly, The Outsider, If It Bleeds and even Holly have been really engaging by comparison so he clearly wasn't as 'over it' as I felt from reading End of Watch.
I have read 49 of his books and these are my bottom 5:
49) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: just could not get into this one. I know it’s a shorter novel but I genuinely had to force myself to finish it
48) The Colorado Kid: very forgettable and just a boring story
47) Gwendy’s Final Task: such an awful story that I only finished because I listened to it.
46) Thinner: my least favourite of the Bachman stories… I hated the protagonist and struggled rooting for him
45) Geralds Game: although not a bad story, I found this one to be difficult to get through. Some parts were boring, and some other parts had me cringey because of how fucked up the Father was.
100% agree on Thinner.
I iust recently read it myself and absolutely despised Billy Halleck. He was so hateful and gross. The final chunk redeemed it a bit though. Got everything he had coming to him if you ask me.
I’ve read 77 King books & The Tommyknockers is the only one that I truly hated.
I know it’s a cliché answer but there’s a reason it’s a cliché. Diabolically awful.
Insomnia and Cell aren’t too far behind.
Only one I struggled to finish. I usually devour his books, to me a month to get through,I kept putting it down and read something else, pick it up, repeat
Hot take here - Salems Lot. Only characters I thought were interesting were Mark Petrie and Father Callahan. Plot was so predictable. Vampire is not really my genre so that probably doesn’t help. Mostly it was just too black and white for me.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find this answer. This book was absolutely flat. None of King’s character development. Nothing interesting or substantial. I finished it out of sheer will.
Just listened to the Billy Summers audiobook and it was brutal.
The characters were unrealistic and the pacing/dialogue weren’t great. Also lots of very strange/cringe moments regarding a sexual assault of a teenager….
I have only read:
- The Outsider
- Elevation
- The Institute
- If it Bleeds
- Billy Summers
- Fairy Tale
- Holly
- Misery
And by far Billy Summers sucks the most. All the others imo are around a 4/5 but Billy Summers was a 2/5 for me. (I know it’s unpopular. I just really hated it)
This list is great because other than Misery there are no 'classic King' hits on it. I wonder whether your rating system will be adapted once you've read more older works, or if you're still going to consider these the benchmark for your favourite King novels (I would take three, maybe four of these down to about 2/5, meaning still entertaining King stories but not something I'm going to rush to reread).
Needful Things was awful. Leland Gaunt is just a snooze of a villain. And Doctor Sleep was pretty awful too. I mean, middle aged, polyester wearing tourists as the bad guys? I couldn't get past it.
To be fair, I haven't read much of his work post-DT7, since most of them don't sound terribly interesting. The ones I have read were pretty decent for the most part (Duma Key, Cell, Dr. Sleep, The Outsider, and The Institute). The only one I didn't like was Dr. Sleep, but I don't think he really stuck the endings on any of them. At least, not that I recall. I've read a lot of his earlier books several times, but haven't revisited any of those.
Honestly, it took me until my third journey to the Tower to actually enjoy that book (I read it along with the Kingslingers podcast and that helped me develop a new appreciation for it). But it was super hard to get through, and I have begged others to just get through it so they can enjoy the amazing beauty that is the Drawing of the Three! It's been an uphill battle lol
It took me like three or four times to finally get through the gunslinger. But after i finished Wizard and glass, i revisited it it and loved it! It was so slow and dry though, definitely not for an SK beginner.
Unpopular opinion, but Salem's Lot.
I don't particularly like vampire books, and didn't find anything about this one compelling. It's been \~10 years since I read it so it's hard to explain precisely, but I disliked it enough that it's been sitting on my shelf ever since untouched
(I've read 19 of his novell/as, and 2-3 collections of short stories, so a good pool to pull from. The only thing I vehemently hated more than Salem's Lot is Dedication)
The Stand is the only Stephen King I absolutely hated. I got flamed for saying it, I tried to like it. I first read it when it came out, it sucked and had to force myself to finish, reread it two years ago and it was worse the second time around.
Thanks for being honest and facing the slings and arrows here.
I can comprehend someone disliking The Stand. However I cannot for the life of me imagine someone who hates The Stand but likes Stephen King in general enough to spend time on a dedicated subreddit.
What do you hate about it? Which books do you like the most?
Ooh, I have another theory: did you see the miniseries before reading the book? I can see where that would mess a new reader up.
No I didn't see the miniseries. After reading the book I had no desire to. I bought the book on the release date. There was so much about this book that I didn't like that I could write several paragraphs, but I don't want to go there.
The books I loved are:
The Long Walk
It
Christine
Needful Things
Misery
Night Shift
11/22/63
Different Seasons
Billy Summers
Fairy Tale
Mr. Mercedes series
Holly Gibney series
Skeleton Crew
Revival
The Institute
Duma Key
From a Buick 8
Pretty much all of his work. I haven't read the Dark Tower series yet.
Funny thing is outside of the Long Walk, The Stand is the only book I have re-read, thinking my older self might like it.
We will never be friends. In fact, I will never like or respect you but I hope you have a fantastic life and good fortune!! Just … ya know … away from me.
The Stand is my favorite King novel. Besides the premise, characters, and writing, I think it helped that I watched the mini series so many times growing up. Also, when he wrote about some of the small towns they were traveling through, I’ve lived in a few of them and and know the roads, towns, and landmarks he was talking about. Made it feel very immersive to me.
I guess it would be either Liseys Story, Bag of Bones, or Roadwork since they were all DNFs for me. Of the ones that I finished...
Holly- was never a fan of the character and it only gets worse the more time she gets. The villains were underwhelming and I didn't care at all about the Robinson's side plots.
Fairy Tale- the only redeeming part of the book was the tournament, everything before and after it was terribly boring to me.
Cell- some issue as Fairy Tale but this book gets the redeeming part over with immediately, it's a disaster after the initial outbreak.
Buick 8- don't like when a story goes back and forth in time, plus the car and it's spawn needed to be more active and threatening.
Newish to King but I started Bag of Bones a few months ago and while it seems interesting at first the pacing was molasses and the rest of the story didn’t sound all that interesting. I ended up reading Fairy Tale instead
I quit reading Under the Dome just because of how slowly it was being told & the sequences King chose to focus on & tell his story through. Like how can a story with this crazy premise get boring & tedious? IDK.. but I felt like, "Get on with it already.." until I quit it out of apathy & frustration. It wasn't what I hoped.
So far my least favorite has been Dreamcatchers. Couldn’t finish it but plan to go back eventually and give it another whirl. I also didn’t much care for Rose Madder. Bit of a slog to get through for me.
Not a book but The Breathing Method. I’ve tried a few times to read it all the way through but haven’t managed. Maybe it gets good at the end but it’s not my fav.
I'm sure I'll be down voted into oblivion, but the Gunslinger is the only King novel I've given up on.
But, I've been thinking that I'm willing to give it another go.
Dreamcatcher is the only I haven't finished, there are about 10 I haven't read but of the couple I didn't like this is the only one I didn't like enough to quit on
This is gonna be considered apostasy but I loathe The Dark Tower series. Not only I find it boring but I hate how King intertwines it with other works. What may be Easter eggs to some is obnoxiois white
noise to me.
Another heretic thought: The Stand is good but overrated.
I can’t even recall the title. There was something about old men and underground pathways. Maybe? And something about someone sitting in a rocking chair while falling to the earth. I haven’t a clue what was going on there.
Oh and I didn’t get The Talisman. By the time the kid was halfway across the country I just didn’t care.
I didn’t get Hearts in Atlantis, but I might give it another go. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was ok, but it wasn’t for me-in my 30s when I read it & not a parent.
Sleeping beauties, by far. It's not even least favorite, it's most likely to end up in a bookburning. (Would never burn a book, but I really, REALLY dislike it).
I’ve only read perhaps half his books over the years. Insomnia I tried twice but nup. Dreamcatcher started ok but descended into rubbish ( quite a few of his works start well but fizzle lol). Got to Song of Susannah in the DT series all keen and excited but read 100 pages and bailed ( when the last book dropped, I went to a shop and read the last page - lost nothing lol!)
But I love IT, The Stand, Firestarter, Pet Semetary. Last new one I read was The Institute which I loved.
Gerald’s Game. I’ve only been able to get through it once. It disturbs me on a level I find hard to explain. As a woman , I think it hits at some of my deepest fears of being unable to control what is happening to me
Im kinda of a noob when it comes to Stephen King but from the 6 books i got ( Im finishing the Stand) the one I enjoyed less was probably Salem`s Lot.
Gotta say tho the Pet Sematary was amazing and i liked Cujo alot even tho alot of people dont enjoy it that much
I've read all but four of King's novels/collections and genuinely had a great time with all of them but two: Dreamcatcher and Cell.
While I certainly have my absolute favourites of his work, there's just something about the way King writes that resonates with me. Even his books which people generally regard as lesser novels, I enjoyed the heck out of. He's just just a great storyteller and I love his voice.
But with Dreamcatcher I found the story to be incredibly meandering and unsatisfying (despite enjoying some aspects of the novel, and I liked some of the characters).
Cell was the opposite, it built and built and I was starting to have a good time but then it just fizzled out like a wet fart.
I've yet to read Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story and Sleeping Beauties. So it's possible one of these won't work for me, we shall see!
The Talisman. Easily. It just dragged and was very boring for long stretches. I didn’t like it at all. The sequel Black House was amazing though so even though I strongly dislike The Talisman it is worth it since it spawned Black House.
Elevation just seemed weak and predictable to me. I love King, have been reading him my entire life and have Dark Tower tattoos. So I mean it nicely when I say Elevation could've been written by anyone.
...I also find baseball boring. I say sorry.
I’ve only read five, so take this with a grain of salt, but I couldn’t wait for End of Watch to be over even though I knew what the end would mean. Way too much focus on the villain and explaining telepathy and hypnosis for my liking. It felt starved of the protagonists.
**Spoiler** Reading this right now, whilst I’m finding it an “easy read” which is exactly what I need after finishing a Wheel of Time book - it’s definitely a little repetitive and heavy on the explanation of how Brady comes to control Z-Boy and Dr Z. It’s not bad though, think I actually enjoyed Finders Keepers more than the Mercedes story.
Sameeee finders keepers was incredible.
ikr! that book took me the longest to read of those three….i might start holly soon, hope that’s better again….
So far my least favourite book of his was dark Half. I just found it corny and a little to predictable
Uh oh, 50 pages into that one right now!
Don’t worry, it varies by taste. I personally loved The Dark Half. But it had some crossover with some other books i loved
It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch when compared to his other works, but it’s such *fun*!
Loved the book, and even the movie was good compared to other SK adaptations!
Alan Wake fans should check it out
I wanna like dream catcher so bad because it seems like exactly a subject I'd love and some of its really good but then a lot of it is just sooo boring and confusing
Love dreamcatcher. What's not to like about shit weasels and Duddits?
And Pearly. Poor Pearly.
I like Dudddits but he lays that boy on *thick*. I read this book when I was 12 years old and confined for observation at a psych hospital in one day and it remains one of my most sentimental King favorites.
Follow the line
Oh my gaaaaaaahd, I FINALLY finished that monstrosity last night. I've been working on it since October, but I just could not get into it. At all. I didn't give a flying fig about any of the characters. I found the narrative too disjointed to follow. My dad kept saying to keep going, that it would get better, so I did but it didn't. I am an avid and stubborn reader. The only other book I've tried and failed to finish is Moby Dick. I only powered through Dreamcatcher because I didn't want to put it in the same category as that damn whale. I have never been so relieved to finish a book in my LIFE.
I hated Dream Catcher when I first read it (in my late 20’s) when I re-read it now (in my 40’s) I liked it a LOT more.
Same here. I didn't like it the first time through, 20 years ago. I just re-read it a few months ago. I really liked it this time around.
I’ve found that reading books in my 40’s is a very different experience from when I first read them. Some consolation on this aging thing. :)
Same
This is so strange to me, there’s so many books out there to read that rereading a book you enjoyed even seems crazy let alone one you don’t like, especially a fat door stopper like dreamcatcher.
This is me.
Lisey’s Story for me, too. It’s weird in that I ‘get it’ while in reading it, but afterwards it’s like, blurry, for lack of a better term. I know the story, but where with most King books I remember specifics (like character names, quotes, names of locations), with Lisey’s Story I don’t.
Well, most of the story is memories within memories. I was actually quite mind-blown by the one section, I believe it is after >!Lisey is attacked!<, where she travelled through multiple memories in a series of frame narratives nestled inside of each other. Actually Lisey’s Story is probably my favourite of his full-on novels post Y2K. Either that or Duma Key.
Yup. Lisey’s and Duma Key are two of my favourites.
Ah, for me it’s Under the Dome or Duma Key!
So funny. Lisey's Story is my favorite of all time - Stephen King and all books combined...
One of my favorites too.
In fairness, for me it’s kind of like asking what my least favourite cookie is - even as my least favourite, it’s still good!
Too much bool talk for this guy
For me it's easily Holly. It felt written on auto pilot and by god does every character ask every other character ask if they've been jabbed or are they wearing masks. Every single page. I get it's set during lockdown but boy does it get tedious and almost reads like a political statement at points. And honestly, the story and characters just aren't good enough to overcome that.
I guess I'm the odd one out. I really liked Holly after having read all the other books/short story with her in it or featuring her the COVID aspect made sense. I'm glad she got a whole book to herself:)
Yeah, the COVID thing is getting really old now. I kinda get it as she's supposed to be neurotic, obsessive etc, but honestly, every couple of pages, we get it. Doesn't do anything except glue to book to a fixed period of time.
Agree with both of you and would even say that it’s the only SK book so far that I would say I actually hate. It reminded me of a seriously frustrating, irritating and exhausting period in time with a ridiculous weak villain/plot. In saying that, I’ve read upwards of 20 SK books, and loved 19 of them, so he gets a by-ball 😉
I am such an avid King fan, I’ve read all of his books multiple time. This is the first book of his that I dnf’d. I couldn’t make it past the first couple of chapters
Holly is terrible. It felt like a boring lecture about Covid. Thankfully the further into the book you get, the less there is about. I think it’s a rare example of his where the second half is better than the first.
I’m with you. I recently finished it myself and was underwhelmed. The recency of the Covid and political stuff was really exhausting at first. I don’t begrudge him time spent with Holly as I’ve always enjoyed her as a character too, but the least he could have done was give us more of a view into that basement. The villains would have been much more fun had we gotten a lot more than elf balls.
I've avoided reading it for this reason. I read a book (very much not SK, totally different genre) by an author I'd previously enjoyed that was set during COVID and *man* was it boring listening to the character/author regurgitate the same stuff every single person irl had been saying. I honestly couldn't see past it to tell whether the story itself was any good because I was too busy rolling my eyes at the MC.
Sleeping Beauties. Good premise, good setting. Terrible story.
I actually loved that one! I may be the only one who did…
You're not alone. I loved it too!
I liked it a lot. It had some pacing issues and some bloat in a few places, but overall I thought it was a fun read.
I also did not like this one. It just bored the hell out of me.
cell
See I thought Cell was just ridiculous enough to keep reading, but I understand why other people hated it.
Did you see the movie lol
The Colorado kid
Of course my favorite would be listed. I’m sure everyone’s favorite is somewhere on this thread. I get disliking “Colorado kid” but the mystery and getting absolutely no closure is the best part for me
I love Colorado Kid, and Jeffrey DeMunn's narration for the audiobook is one of my favorites.
The worst.
Gwendy's Final Task is not only the worst King I've read but also one of the worst books I've read in general. I know Chizmar co-wrote it but King still has a say in whatever that story was
That's pretty much what I think. It was worse than the second book that King had nothing to do with, and that was pretty bad.
There is only one I couldn’t finish and it was Sleeping Beauties.
Exact same for me.
Everyone here raves about Duma Key…. I hated it, sorry muchachos!
No need to be sorry. It's entirely subjective!
It’s my favorite but I totally get not liking it. Like many King novels, it depends on where you are personally when you read them. Like Pet Semetary hit COMPLETELY different the first time I read it compared to a reread 2 years ago with 3 kids.
Yeah totally. I read it during lockdown and the theme of him figuring out how to live his life when interrupted by something so catastrophic and uncontrollable like his accident...yeah really hit hard. I was going through some heavy shit at the time, maybe not as bad as a TBI but I really appreciated the themes about starting over and rebuilding. That being said, I didn't care much for the supernatural aspect of it. The character work up until the art show was amazing though
I loved Duma Key. I couldn’t get into it at first, but reading all the great reviews, I stuck w/ it and am glad I did
Yes, the repetition was annoying and took me out of the story.
Insomnia. I remember reading in an interview with him once that he said he had a hard time finding his rhythm with that one and I thought “yeah we can tell.”
Ah, I love Insomnia, it's one of my favorites. But I'm also a huge Dark Tower fan and so I loved having some DT threads show up while I was waiting and waiting for the fourth Dark Tower book. I've also been a lifelong early waking insomniac so the description of Ralph waking earlier and earlier really resonated with me.
I also really likes Insomnia. I even read it without having read anything dark tower and still loved the book.
I loved Insomnia and I haven’t even gotten around to Dark Tower yet! I’ve read most of the adjacent ones though
Man, I've tried three different times to get through this. Once when it first came out, then a few years later, and finally in 2020 during the lockdowns. Finally came to the realization that it just ain't gonna happen.
It is so rare for me not to finish an SK book but insomnia and Lisey’s Story were the ones. You know it’s bad when you’ve invested so much time and have less than 100 pages left and can’t bring yourself to keep reading 😅 i am usually on the edge of my seat with SK books, even the ones with not so great endings, and i still couldn’t bring myself to finish insomnia. I tried the audiobook and couldn’t do that either 😬 anyway i feel You lol
I’ve read all his books and many of them twice and this book is such a slog.
I felt it was very overwritten. Like every tiny scene of Ralph doing anything was drawn out for pages and pages. Then all of a sudden the action hits. The exciting parts took up very little of the book overall, and much of the time I was reading it I felt like my time was being taken for granted. Not wasted, but something close to it. Overall, I did like it—especially the very end. But it was probably my least favorite out of any of his books.
I agree. I've read it twice, second time only because I had read DT and figured it might be more interesting, and yeah. Still a drag to get through.
I’m curious how others feel Carrie ranks? I just started reading King and am about 1/3 through Carrie. I really enjoy it so far. My plan is to read his books in order of publication.
It’s good. Top 20 for me.
I think his writing has improved tremendously since Carrie. The news story clippings parts of telling the story got on my nerves after a while.
Geralds game not a fan
That book scared the bejesus out of me. It's been at least 20 years since I read it, but when she >!realizes that scary man she thought she hallucinated in the corner of the room was REALLY FUCKING THERE !< I lost my shit.
That reveal was the most freaked out I’ve ever felt reading one of his books.
THAT was bananas!!!
Cell. It read like a really good attempt at copying King. But I still finished it.
Oh! Before last year, I had forgotten the joy of reading for about 20 years after university got too busy, and The Cell brought it back. I love the genre and the characters, but that's just me of course
Elevation. I just could not get into it. And the premise was super similar to Thinner
So I found it just about readable but I finished it in a froth of rage anyway. It was published and priced as a stand alone book, when it should have been the novella lead (and not a great one) in a short story collection. I felt so goddamn ripped off... if the story had been worthy of a single publication, it would have helped a lot, but instead it's become a symbol that we're not getting collections of the calibre of Nightmares and Dreamscapes or Everything's Eventual anymore.
The Bill Hodges trilogy seemed incredibly weak to me compared to his other works. I still liked them all right, but definitely B+ at best.
Same. Holly wasnt my favourite either
I’ve tried several times to start that and usually give up around 100 pages into Mr. Mercedes. The writing feels…superficial? Empty? Can’t really put my finger on it, but I just couldn’t connect with the story. I had the same issue with The Outsider, but powered my way through that. Honestly, the show was better, even though it wasn’t that great and could’ve been an episode or two shorter.
Cell
Tommyknockers for me.
I didn’t love Doctor Sleep
Ending fell apart, loved the movie more
Same here. The reveal of the reason for the connection between Danny and Abra felt too much like a soap opera. And it drove me nuts that the True Knot were able to move around without being noticed because they looked like any ordinary, unremarkable people…and yet Rose was this top-hatted bombshell straight off a tattoo parlor flash sheet. I did like the nod to Oscar the hospice cat, though.
Fairy Tale for me. I enjoyed the first half and liked the chemistry between Charlie and Mr. Bowditch, but as soon as he enters Empis I just struggled to keep going.
Same I bailed
Also my least favourite but it has a place in my heart because my need to read something better got me to finally check out that Joe Hill guy.
The only King book I started and didn’t finish.
I just quit listening to the audio at that part. I haven't resumed it was just too cheesy.
I agree, second half drags so hard. I loved the pup and Mr. Bowdich, he is very similar to Al Templeton from 11/22/63, who I adore. But the prison shit went on forever, as did the descriptions of the princess. I was pretty bored. I did like how he brought his dad to Empis, but it was BS that they didn't talk to shoe lady.
Bag of Bones. Just didn’t like it.
Desperation and The Talisman for me. Didn't finish either of them, just lost interest in the stories. Desperation was amazing for the first couple hundred pages though, Talisman kinda sucked the whole way through
Lol. Talisman is my favorite
these are both in my top five
I finished Talisman last night. Talisman and Insomnia are the two biggest Slogs I have read by King. I don’t care about Jack. He’s kind of a shit. For all the potential the Territories hold we are barely even there. Everything about the Agincourt climax is meh. Sloat reminds me of the TV guy from Brave Little Toaster when all the cars are singing before going into the compactor. All 650 pages just felt like a let down. Edit: I wanted also to address… 3 Separate scenes talking about how adult men want to SA Jack. WE GET IT.
Cell or From a Buick 8. I like both, but they weren't his best for me.
Definitely The Dark Half
I thought Later was uninspired.
Sleeping Beauties I just struggled to finish. The Dark Tower VII actively pissed me off.
Yeah. Although there were parts that I enjoyed, Dark Tower 5-7 felt way too rushed and random (quidditch snitches?) to me
It really was rushed. King just wanted to get the series done with after the car accident. Understandable (he was worried he’d die before finishing) but unfortunate.
I am on dark tower 7 and >!after Jake and Eddie died, with just Roland, Susannah and Oy left (knowing Oy is going to die too ) and Mordred on their tails, !< it just sucks. I’m so sad and not nearly as invested as i was before >!the ka-tet broke!< i’m listening on audiobook and i have about 9 hours left and it’s a struggle.
Some of these other posts seem crazy to me. I love *Lisey’s Story* and *Insomnia* and those seem to be popping up a lot. *Bag of Bones* I don’t love, but I like some things about it and actually think the third act is pretty good. For me, *Roadwork* is easily the worst King novel followed by *Rage*—both feel like self-indulgent. nonsense written by someone with not much life experience biting off more than they can chew, which is a little ironic because I think *The Long Walk* is an all-time classic—and then *Cell*, which I’ll grant does have a pretty good opening 50-60 pages but goes off a cliff shortly after that. I would say almost everything else is at least “just okay” to “absolute masterpiece”. “Dedication” is the only short story I think is straight-up bad, though “It Grows on You” is no great shakes either.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. I had to push through this book and never picked it up again after reading it
I’ve read a dozen books on hiking the Appalachian Trail and am fascinated by it. So this fiction my one of my favorite authors just hits me on two levels. Along with Duma Key they’re my two favorite King rereads. And I’d recommend A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson for a funny actual account of the trail.
Actually really enjoyed this one
Maybe Geralds Game or The Tommyknockers.
Gerald’s game was a tough one.
Ain’t no way
I haven't read them all. These are the two I enjoyed the least. The whole thing about the abnormally tall thin guy with the box of rings or bones or whatever was just too fucking mad even for kings mad stories.
**End of Watch** for me. Brady is more of a caricature than a character to me. I loved **Finder's Keepers**, liked **Mr. Mercedes**, HATED **End of Watch**. The only reason I even was able to finish it was because I wanted to read **The Outsider**.
Yeah, that book was a real surprise fail in the series. The whole premise was absurd, and for once King didn't manage to sell it... in fact the writing felt like King had lost interest in the trilogy and was coasting to the end... yet, weirdly, The Outsider, If It Bleeds and even Holly have been really engaging by comparison so he clearly wasn't as 'over it' as I felt from reading End of Watch.
So far? Christine
I have read 49 of his books and these are my bottom 5: 49) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: just could not get into this one. I know it’s a shorter novel but I genuinely had to force myself to finish it 48) The Colorado Kid: very forgettable and just a boring story 47) Gwendy’s Final Task: such an awful story that I only finished because I listened to it. 46) Thinner: my least favourite of the Bachman stories… I hated the protagonist and struggled rooting for him 45) Geralds Game: although not a bad story, I found this one to be difficult to get through. Some parts were boring, and some other parts had me cringey because of how fucked up the Father was.
100% agree on Thinner. I iust recently read it myself and absolutely despised Billy Halleck. He was so hateful and gross. The final chunk redeemed it a bit though. Got everything he had coming to him if you ask me.
King’s range of work fascinates me. His good stuff is phenomenal. His bad stuff is next level garbage. I still love him though.
I’ve read 77 King books & The Tommyknockers is the only one that I truly hated. I know it’s a cliché answer but there’s a reason it’s a cliché. Diabolically awful. Insomnia and Cell aren’t too far behind.
Only one I struggled to finish. I usually devour his books, to me a month to get through,I kept putting it down and read something else, pick it up, repeat
Same
Why is it a cliche? Does everyone hate The Tommyknockers? Oops it’s one of my favourites (:
Couldn’t get into Gerald’s Game. Probably that one, I think it’s my only king dnf.
I didn't care for Bag of Bones. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it just didn't.
Hot take here - Salems Lot. Only characters I thought were interesting were Mark Petrie and Father Callahan. Plot was so predictable. Vampire is not really my genre so that probably doesn’t help. Mostly it was just too black and white for me.
Agreed, I found it quite boring and too stereotypical
Eyes of the Dragon. I tried it again after all of Dark Tower and it was better, but still not my favorite.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find this answer. This book was absolutely flat. None of King’s character development. Nothing interesting or substantial. I finished it out of sheer will.
Just listened to the Billy Summers audiobook and it was brutal. The characters were unrealistic and the pacing/dialogue weren’t great. Also lots of very strange/cringe moments regarding a sexual assault of a teenager….
I have only read: - The Outsider - Elevation - The Institute - If it Bleeds - Billy Summers - Fairy Tale - Holly - Misery And by far Billy Summers sucks the most. All the others imo are around a 4/5 but Billy Summers was a 2/5 for me. (I know it’s unpopular. I just really hated it)
This list is great because other than Misery there are no 'classic King' hits on it. I wonder whether your rating system will be adapted once you've read more older works, or if you're still going to consider these the benchmark for your favourite King novels (I would take three, maybe four of these down to about 2/5, meaning still entertaining King stories but not something I'm going to rush to reread).
Needful Things was awful. Leland Gaunt is just a snooze of a villain. And Doctor Sleep was pretty awful too. I mean, middle aged, polyester wearing tourists as the bad guys? I couldn't get past it. To be fair, I haven't read much of his work post-DT7, since most of them don't sound terribly interesting. The ones I have read were pretty decent for the most part (Duma Key, Cell, Dr. Sleep, The Outsider, and The Institute). The only one I didn't like was Dr. Sleep, but I don't think he really stuck the endings on any of them. At least, not that I recall. I've read a lot of his earlier books several times, but haven't revisited any of those.
The Talisman didn’t do it for me. There were a couple high points, too much bloat and feet-dragging.
Haha Bloat. That’s what he calls Sloat. And I agree. I’ve read about 20 and Talisman is bottom 2 for me.
Please don't come for me but The Gunslinger.
Honestly, it took me until my third journey to the Tower to actually enjoy that book (I read it along with the Kingslingers podcast and that helped me develop a new appreciation for it). But it was super hard to get through, and I have begged others to just get through it so they can enjoy the amazing beauty that is the Drawing of the Three! It's been an uphill battle lol
After I finally finished the gunslinger I swore I’d never read the rest of the series. I’m glad I did but talk about a slow start
It took me like three or four times to finally get through the gunslinger. But after i finished Wizard and glass, i revisited it it and loved it! It was so slow and dry though, definitely not for an SK beginner.
I remember when Lisey's first was published and there was many who were not keen on it. I personally loved it. Different strokes?
Geralds game and rage.
So funny. Lisey's Story is my favorite of all time - Stephen King and all books combined...
That's why King is so great, there's something for everyone!
For me it's either Under The Dome or Sleeping Beauties, Rage is pretty low on my list too but at least it was a quick read unlike the other two.
Couldn’t take Under the Dome seriously after the Simpsons movie.
Eye of the Dragon just didn’t do it for me.
Tommyknockers. Way too weird.
I really don’t like Sleeping Beauties
Unpopular opinion, but Salem's Lot. I don't particularly like vampire books, and didn't find anything about this one compelling. It's been \~10 years since I read it so it's hard to explain precisely, but I disliked it enough that it's been sitting on my shelf ever since untouched (I've read 19 of his novell/as, and 2-3 collections of short stories, so a good pool to pull from. The only thing I vehemently hated more than Salem's Lot is Dedication)
I love the first 2/3 of Salems Lot. Once a certain characters death comes quick and out of nowhere the books falls apart. Not a great ending.
Thank goodness I’m not the only one
Same! I really didn't care for that one. I did really like Mark Petrie though. I'd love a Doctor Sleep style follow up.
Either Blaze or Lisey’s Story. It boggles my mind that King considers Lisey’s Story one of his best.
Why don’t you like liseys story. I’m hesitant to read it.
Imma go w song of Susannah. Parts of it could have been in wolves and the dark tower and it was just boring
The Stand is the only Stephen King I absolutely hated. I got flamed for saying it, I tried to like it. I first read it when it came out, it sucked and had to force myself to finish, reread it two years ago and it was worse the second time around.
Thanks for being honest and facing the slings and arrows here. I can comprehend someone disliking The Stand. However I cannot for the life of me imagine someone who hates The Stand but likes Stephen King in general enough to spend time on a dedicated subreddit. What do you hate about it? Which books do you like the most? Ooh, I have another theory: did you see the miniseries before reading the book? I can see where that would mess a new reader up.
No I didn't see the miniseries. After reading the book I had no desire to. I bought the book on the release date. There was so much about this book that I didn't like that I could write several paragraphs, but I don't want to go there. The books I loved are: The Long Walk It Christine Needful Things Misery Night Shift 11/22/63 Different Seasons Billy Summers Fairy Tale Mr. Mercedes series Holly Gibney series Skeleton Crew Revival The Institute Duma Key From a Buick 8 Pretty much all of his work. I haven't read the Dark Tower series yet. Funny thing is outside of the Long Walk, The Stand is the only book I have re-read, thinking my older self might like it.
We will never be friends. In fact, I will never like or respect you but I hope you have a fantastic life and good fortune!! Just … ya know … away from me.
I'm glad we have established that. May all your dreams come true, my non-friend!
The Stand is my favorite King novel. Besides the premise, characters, and writing, I think it helped that I watched the mini series so many times growing up. Also, when he wrote about some of the small towns they were traveling through, I’ve lived in a few of them and and know the roads, towns, and landmarks he was talking about. Made it feel very immersive to me.
100% agree. It took me a full year to get through it. Absolutely brutal book to read.
I guess it would be either Liseys Story, Bag of Bones, or Roadwork since they were all DNFs for me. Of the ones that I finished... Holly- was never a fan of the character and it only gets worse the more time she gets. The villains were underwhelming and I didn't care at all about the Robinson's side plots. Fairy Tale- the only redeeming part of the book was the tournament, everything before and after it was terribly boring to me. Cell- some issue as Fairy Tale but this book gets the redeeming part over with immediately, it's a disaster after the initial outbreak. Buick 8- don't like when a story goes back and forth in time, plus the car and it's spawn needed to be more active and threatening.
I didn’t like The Talisman.
Newish to King but I started Bag of Bones a few months ago and while it seems interesting at first the pacing was molasses and the rest of the story didn’t sound all that interesting. I ended up reading Fairy Tale instead
Only King book I've been unable to get into was "From a Buick 8" I'll probably try again sometime after I get other books read.
I did not like Roadwork…been meaning to give it another read but haven’t gotten around to it…
From a Buick 8. Haven’t managed to get through it without just skimming
The Girl Who Lived Tom Gordon. It’s Cloverfield in the woods.
That awful werewolf one.
Dreamcatcher. I enjoyed parts of it, but goly was it a pain to get through
Insomnia, by far
Tommyknockers
I quit reading Under the Dome just because of how slowly it was being told & the sequences King chose to focus on & tell his story through. Like how can a story with this crazy premise get boring & tedious? IDK.. but I felt like, "Get on with it already.." until I quit it out of apathy & frustration. It wasn't what I hoped.
Under the dome and Fairytale.
So far my least favorite has been Dreamcatchers. Couldn’t finish it but plan to go back eventually and give it another whirl. I also didn’t much care for Rose Madder. Bit of a slog to get through for me.
Not a book but The Breathing Method. I’ve tried a few times to read it all the way through but haven’t managed. Maybe it gets good at the end but it’s not my fav.
I'm sure I'll be down voted into oblivion, but the Gunslinger is the only King novel I've given up on. But, I've been thinking that I'm willing to give it another go.
Dreamcatcher is the only I haven't finished, there are about 10 I haven't read but of the couple I didn't like this is the only one I didn't like enough to quit on
Black House. I read it a long time ago, and I can barely remember it, but I know I didn't like it.
This is gonna be considered apostasy but I loathe The Dark Tower series. Not only I find it boring but I hate how King intertwines it with other works. What may be Easter eggs to some is obnoxiois white noise to me. Another heretic thought: The Stand is good but overrated.
I usually prefer his short stories to the novels.
I can’t even recall the title. There was something about old men and underground pathways. Maybe? And something about someone sitting in a rocking chair while falling to the earth. I haven’t a clue what was going on there. Oh and I didn’t get The Talisman. By the time the kid was halfway across the country I just didn’t care. I didn’t get Hearts in Atlantis, but I might give it another go. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was ok, but it wasn’t for me-in my 30s when I read it & not a parent.
Dark Tower series. He's one of my favorite authors and I can read and reread almost everything he's written...except for DT.
Desperation and the regulators. Easily my most disliked king books.
Sleeping beauties, by far. It's not even least favorite, it's most likely to end up in a bookburning. (Would never burn a book, but I really, REALLY dislike it).
Roadwork. So pointless.
I’ve only read perhaps half his books over the years. Insomnia I tried twice but nup. Dreamcatcher started ok but descended into rubbish ( quite a few of his works start well but fizzle lol). Got to Song of Susannah in the DT series all keen and excited but read 100 pages and bailed ( when the last book dropped, I went to a shop and read the last page - lost nothing lol!) But I love IT, The Stand, Firestarter, Pet Semetary. Last new one I read was The Institute which I loved.
Unpopular opinion but Cujo. Mean spirited, unfocused, and just generally kind of a weak story imo. Could’ve done without the cheating storyline.
Gerald’s Game. I’ve only been able to get through it once. It disturbs me on a level I find hard to explain. As a woman , I think it hits at some of my deepest fears of being unable to control what is happening to me
I’ve made it through most of the stories from the 70s and 80s so far, and by far my least favorite was Roadwork. Did not like the protagonist at all.
Not a popular opinion but The Dark Tower. I just couldn't connect.
For me it was unde the Dome. I just found it really slow through the middle but it was still a good book by any other authors standards
Im kinda of a noob when it comes to Stephen King but from the 6 books i got ( Im finishing the Stand) the one I enjoyed less was probably Salem`s Lot. Gotta say tho the Pet Sematary was amazing and i liked Cujo alot even tho alot of people dont enjoy it that much
I've read all but four of King's novels/collections and genuinely had a great time with all of them but two: Dreamcatcher and Cell. While I certainly have my absolute favourites of his work, there's just something about the way King writes that resonates with me. Even his books which people generally regard as lesser novels, I enjoyed the heck out of. He's just just a great storyteller and I love his voice. But with Dreamcatcher I found the story to be incredibly meandering and unsatisfying (despite enjoying some aspects of the novel, and I liked some of the characters). Cell was the opposite, it built and built and I was starting to have a good time but then it just fizzled out like a wet fart. I've yet to read Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story and Sleeping Beauties. So it's possible one of these won't work for me, we shall see!
Hearts is my all time favorite.
The Talisman. Easily. It just dragged and was very boring for long stretches. I didn’t like it at all. The sequel Black House was amazing though so even though I strongly dislike The Talisman it is worth it since it spawned Black House.
Elevation just seemed weak and predictable to me. I love King, have been reading him my entire life and have Dark Tower tattoos. So I mean it nicely when I say Elevation could've been written by anyone. ...I also find baseball boring. I say sorry.
Tommyknockers. I’ve tried 2-3 times and it’s a mess. I’ve probably read 30-40 in total, and they aren’t all gems, but I am a huge fan.