photo: http://ourstack.blogspot.com/2010/10/stephen-king-spooktacular-book-blog.html
When I tell people that I read Stephen King, there are a lot of reactions.
Most common is, "I would have never expected that of you." As if I've done something very naughty. Of course, King's main stream work has served to tone down some of that attitude. I did once speak to a woman who insisted The Green Mile was written by someone else -- she just couldn't remember who.
Another reaction people have to my Stephen King collection is mild interest. "I like some of his stuff," they'll say. Or, "I've seen some of his movies." Oh no!
More often than not, someone will respond like this: "Oh, Stephen King! I read one of his books -- it was terrible!" Well, I'll ask, which one did you read? Without a doubt they'll list something that we Constant Readers will defend to the death, but the truth is, it might not be a good starting novel.
Where you start when reading Stephen King matters. Reading King is a journey. It is learning his voice, his pace and his character development. It is learning patience pays off. It almost takes a seasoned King reader to dive into some of King's work.
So what books give me the cringe factor when a friend lists it as the book that pushed them away from King? How about "that cowboy fantasy novel thingy..." the first Gunslinger. I love the Gunslinger, but even I got tripped up on this one. I was handed two King books as a young teenager. The first was The Stand, and the other was The Gunslinger. I started with Gunslinger -- wow! I didn't understand anything going on.
Another novel that may not be best to start with is Lsiey's Story. Why? Well, I haven't read the whole book yet! But I'm pretty well read when it comes to Stephen King, and if I struggle on this one, I'm not sure it's the best first book. Will I read Lisey's Story? Sure I will! Because I know that even though I struggle on this one, I will one day read it and the magic will fall. My problem was primarily pacing. It felt slow. But I know that with King, he will ultimately give big rewards for pressing ahead.
Worth mentioning is that some King novels are simply abnormal! They don't move like other King novels. They might be unusually dark (Pet Semetery) or require knowledge from previous books. For instance, Gerald's Game is really enhanced if you read Dolores Claiborne.
One more thing -- age matters. Almost always, young men like the horror. But my mother (yes, my mother) thinks the supernatural elements in King's story's are unnecessary. She thinks they actually take away from the plot. Don't worry, gang, she's wrong! But she's not alone. I have heard several women (and yes, some men) mention this same thing. They like King's characters and plots, but don't like the spooky-doo stuff.
Consider this: Without the elements of horror, we also would not be given other supernatural wonders in the King novels. Green Mile would be pretty depressing without J.C.'s ability to carry anthers pain!
The Talisman seems to be a book that readers are divided on. It seems George Beam mentioned in one of his companion books that he had not yet made it through the novel! Meanwhile, many people appear to have jumped in with Talisman being their first King novel. And they love it. Personally, I'm with Beam on this one!
While I think King is consistently good (home run level good), some novels take more work to get into. This is my completely subjective list of books I don't think are good to start with:
1. The Gunslinger.
2. The Tommynockers
3. The Talisman or Black House
4. Gerald's Game
5. Insomnia.
6. Rose Madder
Books that appear to connect with first time King readers:
1. The Stand
2. IT
3. The Shining
4. Carrie
5. Duma Key
6. Cell
7. The Shawshank Redemption
8. The Green Mile (Though on this and Shawshank, most people are more familiar with the movies)
9. Misery
10. The Body.
Some would argue that the best approach to reading King is in order, Carrie to Under The Dome.
Interesting post. I'm a long time King reader and I agree that some books are more reader friendly than others. For first time readers I would NOT recommend the very long novels like The Stand, IT or Duma Key since they can wear a reader down (King has often been acused of making his books too long). I would tell them to start with Carrie, Cell or perhaps Salem's Lot which deliver the chills in a more condensed maner.
ReplyDeleteThe first one I ever read was "The Running Man"! There can't be too many King fans who can make that claim.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is different, of course, so in trying to determine what King novel might be a good starting place, it's always going to be beneficial to keep the tastes and interests of the specific person in mind. I've got a couple of friends who started with "The Gunslinger" and loved it -- but in both of those cases, they are big-time fans of fantasy series.
I agree with Luis that the über-long books like It, The Stand, and Duma Key might not be a good starting point for someone new to King's work; not just because of their length, but also because of the sheer number of characters and story lines that you have to keep straight. I usually recommend that people start with the shorter works like Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone, Firestarter, or one of King's short story or novella collections. Once they get a feel for King's writing style, they usually keep reading and end up tackling the longer books on their own. Now, if I could just get my teenager to pick up a Stephen King book, I'd feel like I'd achieved success. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI started with The Shining; it was a revelation! I became a rabid King reader after that. The number of times he has disappointed me I can count on one hand; the number of times he has blown my mind is immeasurable.
ReplyDeleteHummm. . . I started with The Stand, and it's what connected with me. So maybe I'm just really bias to the super duper long stuff (as refelcted in my list!)
ReplyDelete--David
I have *never* been able to get into THE GUNSLINGER. I think THE STAND and IT are too imposing for first-time King readers. I'd go with his earlier, normal novel-length works, like 'SALEM'S LOT, THE SHINING, PET SEMATARY, maybe even THE DEAD ZONE. The novellas in DIFFERENT SEASONS might work, altho' people might find "Apt Pupil" particularly distasteful.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to read The Gunslinger TWICE now and it just is not doing it for me! I don't know why I can't get into it but it's kind of pissing me off because every King fan loves those freaking Dark Tower books and I haven't read a one of them!
ReplyDeleteThe first King book I tried to read was Pet Sematary when I was maybe 10 or 11 years old and WHOA! Not a good book to start with, way too intense especially for my child's brain! I got maybe halfway through but was just not following it. Then my sister's BF, who was also a big King fan, gave me Needful Things for Christmas a few years later, saying that was a good book to start with. Don't know if I agree with that now (I think a shorter, more well known story would be best to start out with - Shining or 'Salem's Lot maybe) but I of course loved it and have been a Constant Reader ever since.
The folks I know who love the DARK TOWER seriously generally haven't read a lot of horror, or even King's horror, and tend to be--as previously noted--*fantasy* fans. But really, by the time the DT serious had taken off, after he'd put out several volumes, I had already stopped reading King's new works. People tell me how awesome that series is, and that it connects in with IT and 'SALEM'S LOT and others, but I generally have no interest...
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