I know I’m super late to the party, but I just read my first Stephen King novel (Thinner) and absolutely devoured it.
I loved it, so I’m reading Pet Semetary and while it started a bit slow, it’s got its hooks in me now. I’ve already got 4 more books lined up for when I’m done.
I don’t even know why I didn’t start sooner because I love horror, I used to read Goosebumps books as a kid constantly and I love films like The Shining and The Green Mile.
I’m working my way through the more well-known ones (IT, Cujo, Green Mile, Different Seasons etc) but can anyone recommend some deeper cuts that I might also enjoy? I’ve seen on a few rankings that Thinner is usually relatively low and I loved it so I’m looking forward to exploring his back catalogue!
I feel people either love or hate Stephen King. I was the same as you, absolutely loved his work from the get go and devoured everything I could.
Personal favorites:
IT
11-22-63 - not horror based mostly but cool concept.
Dark tower books - these are his holy grail, everything connects to them.
The stand - I just love the feel of this book, it just feels right.
Seriously try the dark tower books. I’ve reread them multiple times and it’s such a great experience.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about 11-22-63 and The Stand. I’ve got 11-22-63 already so I think I’ll start that one after Pet Semetary.
11-22-63 I found enthralling, but it is about American history in the 60s so if that’s not your jam then be forewarned. It does a good job of showing the good and bad parts of the time though, so even as a non-American I found it very interesting.
Also, for more recent King books I quite enjoyed The Outsider and The Institute as well. The Outsider is more classic horror, and the Institute deals more with supernatural powers in regular people. Just to add more to your list.
Happy reading!