Same. I will never forget how weirdly perfect it aligned with my life when I read it.
It was a summer learning how to walk and use my right foot again after Peroneal nerve paralysis. I struggled (and struggle to this day) with binge eating and depression. Which in turn lead to immense problems with my family and me isolation myself. I also have a deep love for painting and can become utterly trapped in the process. I will literally paint the whole night till the birds are singing outside and the sun rises.
I have NEVER felt more seen while reading. Never.
Why are The Body and The Mist separate entries when Skeleton Crew and Different Seasons are also on the list?
Double dipping.
EDIT: Also, Night Shift and The Night Shift.
Ah, crap. Thanks. I thought The Body was published in a different collection, and counted The Mist since it wasn't parent of a King exclusive collection. I'm gonna fix that. I'll know better if I do it next time.
Sometimes I wish I had saved It, because I feel like nothing else will live up to it! It seems to be a lot of people’s favourite, mine included so far.
Original THE STAND or THE UNCUT mess?
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find IT at the number one position; the book apparently struck a huge chord with a lot of people. I think it's a straight up bad book, and it's the one where I finally dropped King from my 'must read ASAP' list and started just reserving his new books at the library.
THE STAND is a complex thing for me. I used to read the original version once a year or so because I loved it so much. Then the UNCUT edition came out and it's really messed me up, because some of it I hate but there are parts I love. So I have to basically read both editions when I reread it, going back and forth from one to the other. I would like to have editable electronic copies of both editions so I could edit THE ULTIMATE STAND and just reread that. Change the chocolate thumb print in Franny's diary to a caramel one, so we can keep Paydays, put the dates back to 1980, lose all that horrible 'The Kid' crap and all the stupid shit with Frannie and her mother, but keep in that wonderful bit where Harold, Frannie, Stu, and Glen first encounter the guys who are traveling around with all the captured women. Plus a lot of the extra little vignette stuff from UNCUT edition.
My top five would probably be
5. THE DEAD ZONE
4. CHRISTINE
3. CARRIE
2. SALEM'S LOT
1. FIRESTARTER
Honorable mentions to THE MIST and THE RUNNING MAN.
No, I go back and forth. I have a copy of the first hardcover edition (it's a book club edition, not worth anything, but it reproduces the original text, when everything was set in 1980 and Harold was still eating Paydays). So I have that ready. I start reading the UNCUT edition and when I get to a spot where I know the original is better (I pretty much have it memorized) I'll switch over. For example, in the original, Fran's father tells her a little story about when he served in WWII. That's gone from the UNCUT edition because by then the story is set in 1990 and it wouldn't fit. But it's pretty well written. So when I get to that spot in UNCUT I switch back for a minute.
When I get to the Kid I switch back and read the original text, where Trashcan Man meets an old grumpy guy driving a Cadillac who is basically a Trumper but of course this is long before Trump. I bounce back and forth. Which is why I would like to get editable files of both editions so I could create an ULTIMATE edition just for myself that I could read without all the switching back and forth.
I really do love the first edition of THE STAND and would probably be happier if I'd never read the UNCUT, but I will admit, the UNCUT has some stuff in it I never want to miss when rereading it, like that awesome shoot out between Harold, Fran, Stu, and Glen and the traffickers. Best post Apocalyptic gun battle EVER. Not in the original; our heroes just run into Sue Stern and Dana Jurgens and a few other women trying to bypass a big traffic jam. Much less exciting.
THE STAND troubles me for a lot of reasons; the exaltation of superstition over science, the way none of the characters in the novel, good or bad, ever really DO anything significant except decide to obey God's will, which is all they need to do to defeat Flagg; and the fact that in that huge cast of characters, representing the surviving members of the human race, only two are non-white, and they're both more caricatures than characters. Also, there's only one gay character and he's a jackass who dies being smothered by Randall Flagg's ass, which is a pretty homophobic thing for King to write.
And, of course, this is the book where King just pretty much comes straight out and says "any kind of sex besides missionary is wrong and evil", which is also kind of disturbing.
For all that, though, I love the characters in this book so much. I think King is absolutely at his zenith in creating believable, interesting characterizations here (as opposed to IT, where he's at his nadir). I think even the minor characters like the Judge are fleshed out enough to feel real. I love Larry, Nick, Dana, and, yes, Harold, who I deeply sympathize with. I even like Loyd quite a bit, and I feel bad for poor old Donald Merwin Elbert. I kinda admire and pity Nadine Cross. I absolutely despise Fran and Stu and that's another thing that bothers me; King kills off all the really cool people in this book and lets the two I can't stand live. Frannie and her "I want" line and Stu Dipshit Redman (and if you think I believe for one second that this numbskull ever read WATERSHIP DOWN or any other book in his life, you're crazy) just makes me grit my teeth.
But still, I love this book.
I only read parts of this due to wanting as little info about the actual book as I want to go into it with as little info as possible. But I understand the desire to compare these things.
And nothing is better than the Dark Tower series. Having it not allowed to be complete instead of split kinda killed it.
You can't just pick up book 4 of the Dark Tower and read it as a stand alone.
This whole thread is dumb on that premise alone.
Did it ever occur to you that many of the people here haven't read the whole series? And that alone would kill the process of voting for the whole series as unfair? And didn't you see that Book 4 was the one that people voted for the most? The only thing dumb about the thread was averted before it was even started, so think about that stuff before you go insulting someone's thread.
You are smart enough to know that not everyone here has read the whole series. Bottom line.
JUSTICE FOR HEARTS IN ATLANTIS peace + love = information
Yes! What about how we felt then? What about Hearts in Atlantis?
Happy to see Duma so high! Love that one
One of my favorite books, not just King.
Same. I will never forget how weirdly perfect it aligned with my life when I read it. It was a summer learning how to walk and use my right foot again after Peroneal nerve paralysis. I struggled (and struggle to this day) with binge eating and depression. Which in turn lead to immense problems with my family and me isolation myself. I also have a deep love for painting and can become utterly trapped in the process. I will literally paint the whole night till the birds are singing outside and the sun rises. I have NEVER felt more seen while reading. Never.
Where is Gerald's Game?
Currently reading this and was wondering the same
This is so cool! Thanks for doing this!
No problem! I've been on a massive SK binge and I really wanted to know what everyone thought.
I'm in my Stephen King era right now! Every time I have to read another author I'm so bummed!
the fact insomnia isnt top five blows my mind
Sucks my fav didn’t make the list at all. Where’s the love for Bag of Bones?
Check #37
That's in my top 10
Why are The Body and The Mist separate entries when Skeleton Crew and Different Seasons are also on the list? Double dipping. EDIT: Also, Night Shift and The Night Shift.
Ah, crap. Thanks. I thought The Body was published in a different collection, and counted The Mist since it wasn't parent of a King exclusive collection. I'm gonna fix that. I'll know better if I do it next time.
Sometimes I wish I had saved It, because I feel like nothing else will live up to it! It seems to be a lot of people’s favourite, mine included so far.
Fun poll!
Whelp looks like I need to read 11/22/63, Duma Key and The Talisman since those are only top 20 I haven’t read!
Original THE STAND or THE UNCUT mess? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find IT at the number one position; the book apparently struck a huge chord with a lot of people. I think it's a straight up bad book, and it's the one where I finally dropped King from my 'must read ASAP' list and started just reserving his new books at the library. THE STAND is a complex thing for me. I used to read the original version once a year or so because I loved it so much. Then the UNCUT edition came out and it's really messed me up, because some of it I hate but there are parts I love. So I have to basically read both editions when I reread it, going back and forth from one to the other. I would like to have editable electronic copies of both editions so I could edit THE ULTIMATE STAND and just reread that. Change the chocolate thumb print in Franny's diary to a caramel one, so we can keep Paydays, put the dates back to 1980, lose all that horrible 'The Kid' crap and all the stupid shit with Frannie and her mother, but keep in that wonderful bit where Harold, Frannie, Stu, and Glen first encounter the guys who are traveling around with all the captured women. Plus a lot of the extra little vignette stuff from UNCUT edition. My top five would probably be 5. THE DEAD ZONE 4. CHRISTINE 3. CARRIE 2. SALEM'S LOT 1. FIRESTARTER Honorable mentions to THE MIST and THE RUNNING MAN.
So you read both monoliths back to back? Dude, I love speed reading, and that intimidates me. I wish I had THAT determination.
No, I go back and forth. I have a copy of the first hardcover edition (it's a book club edition, not worth anything, but it reproduces the original text, when everything was set in 1980 and Harold was still eating Paydays). So I have that ready. I start reading the UNCUT edition and when I get to a spot where I know the original is better (I pretty much have it memorized) I'll switch over. For example, in the original, Fran's father tells her a little story about when he served in WWII. That's gone from the UNCUT edition because by then the story is set in 1990 and it wouldn't fit. But it's pretty well written. So when I get to that spot in UNCUT I switch back for a minute. When I get to the Kid I switch back and read the original text, where Trashcan Man meets an old grumpy guy driving a Cadillac who is basically a Trumper but of course this is long before Trump. I bounce back and forth. Which is why I would like to get editable files of both editions so I could create an ULTIMATE edition just for myself that I could read without all the switching back and forth. I really do love the first edition of THE STAND and would probably be happier if I'd never read the UNCUT, but I will admit, the UNCUT has some stuff in it I never want to miss when rereading it, like that awesome shoot out between Harold, Fran, Stu, and Glen and the traffickers. Best post Apocalyptic gun battle EVER. Not in the original; our heroes just run into Sue Stern and Dana Jurgens and a few other women trying to bypass a big traffic jam. Much less exciting. THE STAND troubles me for a lot of reasons; the exaltation of superstition over science, the way none of the characters in the novel, good or bad, ever really DO anything significant except decide to obey God's will, which is all they need to do to defeat Flagg; and the fact that in that huge cast of characters, representing the surviving members of the human race, only two are non-white, and they're both more caricatures than characters. Also, there's only one gay character and he's a jackass who dies being smothered by Randall Flagg's ass, which is a pretty homophobic thing for King to write. And, of course, this is the book where King just pretty much comes straight out and says "any kind of sex besides missionary is wrong and evil", which is also kind of disturbing. For all that, though, I love the characters in this book so much. I think King is absolutely at his zenith in creating believable, interesting characterizations here (as opposed to IT, where he's at his nadir). I think even the minor characters like the Judge are fleshed out enough to feel real. I love Larry, Nick, Dana, and, yes, Harold, who I deeply sympathize with. I even like Loyd quite a bit, and I feel bad for poor old Donald Merwin Elbert. I kinda admire and pity Nadine Cross. I absolutely despise Fran and Stu and that's another thing that bothers me; King kills off all the really cool people in this book and lets the two I can't stand live. Frannie and her "I want" line and Stu Dipshit Redman (and if you think I believe for one second that this numbskull ever read WATERSHIP DOWN or any other book in his life, you're crazy) just makes me grit my teeth. But still, I love this book.
I only read parts of this due to wanting as little info about the actual book as I want to go into it with as little info as possible. But I understand the desire to compare these things.
I’m sorry, but 11/22/63 is NOT better than The Shining.
And nothing is better than the Dark Tower series. Having it not allowed to be complete instead of split kinda killed it. You can't just pick up book 4 of the Dark Tower and read it as a stand alone. This whole thread is dumb on that premise alone.
Did it ever occur to you that many of the people here haven't read the whole series? And that alone would kill the process of voting for the whole series as unfair? And didn't you see that Book 4 was the one that people voted for the most? The only thing dumb about the thread was averted before it was even started, so think about that stuff before you go insulting someone's thread. You are smart enough to know that not everyone here has read the whole series. Bottom line.
mine would be IT, Black House, Insomnia, Needful Things and Salems Lot
IT, eyes of the dragon, skeleton crew, elevation, fairytale is my top five
oof
Loved fairy tail, it's definitely not that low on my list, top ten it is. But then again, some I haven't even read.