Favorite Stephen King books and other suspense/horror

neosapien

Well-Known Member
The Green Mile was addicting. There were like 6 or 8 in the serial which was then made into the movie. The movie ended up being pretty damn true to the books, just omitting more of the main character in present time at the nurSing home, which was mostly boring anyways.

Dean Koontz From the Corner of his Eye was good. I forget the other Koontz I read.
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
In Lovecraft style...check out Laird Barron. For short stories
See Imago Sequence and Occultation. This guy is seriously sick.
 

sunni

Administrator
Staff member
Yes I had that it one THICK Hardcover it was called The Bachman Books (I can't even remember all four of them (I thought 4 could've been 3?), but that one dose SHINE in it for sure..."The Regulators" maybe another one not sure but THAT one is about one of his Weirdest to me mondo creepy... along with "Cell" as in (Cell Phone) which was not a Bachman book)

In the end, he did get a little long winded for me (had to take a break and read a different book then come back to the second half of "The Stand" (though I did thoroughly enjoy it, it was just his charachter development started to drag out for my tastes)
Maybe it is four !!
 

Hookabelly

Well-Known Member
I liked the mist but hated the ending of the book. I loved how the movie redid the ending. Funny as hell.
I know! ruined the book for me too. Books are always better than their movies.

The long walk was under one of his covert names
I believe it's in a book with 2 other stories in it

It's pretty intense
I dont *thin k* I read that one. Getting older sucks, you can't remember. I'll check it out thx
 

Hookabelly

Well-Known Member
View attachment 3731889

Beep beep, Richie! (I just finished the audiobook last week) Soo much better than the shitty movie. Although Tim Curry nailed it. I remember being so scared that I couldn't pee alone for like a year straight...
You mean you couldn't pee straight for a year...

. Takes a lot to rattle her cage. Just last week she asked me for a blowtorch for her birthday...
she was raised right
 

Hookabelly

Well-Known Member
"The Stand" (though I did thoroughly enjoy it, it was just his charachter development started to drag out for my tastes)
See, me too, Loved Randall Flagg's character but wasn't worth the book dragging on and on to get to any sort of point.


can't really put them in order of preference but here goes

The Running Man (part of his Richard Bachman books) Hollywood absolutely eviscerated that one BTW (The Schwarzenegger flick very LOOSELY based on the Premise of the story, it is completely different from start to finish)
Dragon Tears
Pet cemetary
The Long walk
IT
The Stand>>>if you like that story with a twist (I Liked it better , but IT is still great) by Robert R. McCammon - instead of a nearly omnipotent man made strain of super-flu, its Nuke Holocost..."Swan Song"

Another Robert R. McCammon great (Post -Fall of the House Of Usher sequal by another Author...): Usher's Passing
1 more of his (Mystery Suspense): Boy's Life (one of all time top five for me)

BUT, all time Fave Horror (but his new stuff is more GRIPPING suspnse with great human insight) Author is hands down Dean Koontz short list of his greats:

My first (and the creepiest tale I've ever read): The Bad Place
Firefly
Twilight Eyes
Strange Highways (4 Shorts, "Dolan's Cadillac" my pick from those, but all great)
Fear Nothing / Seize the Night
The face
Watchers
Intensity
From the Corner of His Eye
His Modernized Frankenstien Series with a twist with the "Prodigal Son" being the first(**spoiler**) (He hunts down and Kills the Nth version of his maker by the end of the series)
The Odd Thomas Series
The Taking (creepiest version of what I can only compare to "The Rapture"...)
By the Light of the Moon
(and if you think that wasn't short I promise, You're wrong...many many more greats)

And there is another Suspense Author I have enjoyed a read or two of who is only what I could describe and Dean Koontz alter "Christian" - ego his name is Ted Dekker his suspense is similar with Koontz's very well crafted:

Blink
The "Circle" Series
Thanks for this. I think I read Koontz years ago, but can't remember which one (maybe the watchers or the face). Will check out the bad place.
 

Big_Lou

Well-Known Member
How did I miss this thread?

Wow, so many great ones, hmmmm..... Home Delivery, Grey Matter, Running Man, Dolores Claiborne, Survivor Type, The Body, Carrie, The Shining, Big Driver, The Raft, Beachworld, The Ten O'Clock People, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, etc.etc...

A lot of his earlier stuff from his coke/booze years (shorts that appeared in men's magazines) is g-r-e-a-t....

I've got just about all of his stories, several editions of each in many cases. Get Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Skeleton Crew, and Night Shift first thing.

Read Popsy right away. :blsmoke:

download (67).jpeg
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
I never really got into Stephen King's books but I always liked the movies when I was a kid, particularly It and Tommyknockers, and my friends and I liked trying to spot his cameo appearances. I read a lot of Shaun Hutson and James Herbert a while back, when I went through a phase of being really into the genre; Slugs by Shaun Hutson is one that stands out in my memory, that was really disturbing reading! I have read the Belgariad series by David Eddings over and over too.
Do not tell anyone, but I was like 9 years old, and made my uncle stand outside the potty for months when I had to go. I was legitimately afraid of the sink eating me.

I used to be scared of flushing the toilet. I'd have to open the bathroom door and stand ready to bolt down the stairs when I pulled the handle, I nearly broke my neck a few times tripping over my feet. The evil Chucky doll in my sisters' bedroom did not help my already overworked imagination.
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
I read a book by Dean Koontz years ago and can't remember the name for the life of me but I thought it was brilliant, proper creepy. It was about an AI in charge of a home security system, it fell in love with the owner of the house and held her prisoner in her house, because it had control over all the electronic door locks and window shutters, and broke a prisoner out of death row to mess with his DNA so the AI could procreate through him with the woman. Fucking mental.
 

Big_Lou

Well-Known Member
Desperation's sister book.



I have it, but I haven't read it yet. I've got a huge backlog of his stuff I'm trying to get through, I might have to read it after I finish the 7th Dark Tower book. I've got around 800 pages to go though...

Tak....Tak.....Tak.....

Gotta get into the Bill Hodges Trilogy, dude....some of his best characters and plot lines in years.....
 

Wilderb

Well-Known Member
Now myself, I prefer thicker books. Doesn't mean they will be better but anything under 300 pages is generally too short to develop a good story IMO.
Love SK, also Koontz and Straub.
Favorites are The Stand, It, Dark Tower Series, The Talisman, The Shining. Short stories, The long Walk, Roadwork, The Mangler.
The longer ones I tend to reread every few years.
Most of the movies sucked. The older ones (Cujo, The shining, Firestarter, Christine) were okay but late 80s to present sucked with one exception. The Green Mile. I believe that and the Shining are his best movies.
Haven't read his newest. I hate hardcovers. Nice to have on your shelf but a pain in the ass to read in bed.
Been so busy I haven't read a book in months. Also spend too much time here, lol.
WE
 
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