Gotta say, I haaaaaaaaaaate The Long Walk. I don't argue that it's objectively a good book, and I'm sincerely glad you (and many other people!) enjoy it, but it traumatized the heck out of me. It's definitely in my bottom few SK books, but that's almost entirely due to my own personality and not due to the book being bad. =\
@@xxAMAZINGxx62 I agree 100%, it's totally ok to have different opinions and even to be wrong! But I do want to emphasize that I don't think it's a bad book! It just upset ME a lot and made me not want to read it again. That's not a reflection on the quality of the book at all. I"m really happy that you enjoy it!
I thought the Gunslinger was so creepy and atmospheric. The book felt like a dream. Maybe I’m just sentimental because it was my first DT read, but I think about book #1 sooo much
What a fun video! The first King I ever read was The Mist, when I was 13 years old; it's the first short story in the Skeleton Crew collection, which I would recommend. You've got the majority of my faves at S-tier so I can't be mad (The Stand, IT, Drawing of the Three, and 11/22/63). The Stand is my #1 King. I'm impressed you've read so many in such a short time. I''m sure you have a plan for what to read next, so I won't just blast you with recommendations (there's so many..!!), I'll just add one of his more recent novels I really liked was The Institute, and also Revival which I see others have suggested, too. Stephen King is one my favorite authors and I do think that basically all King is good King. Even the worst King books are still better books than many other things published these days.
Finally someone whose top 3 are mine! I agree with most of your list, couldn't get into the Dark Tower series. Everyone else gave good recommendations. Would love a part 2. Great channel and glad I found you.
Excellent video! Inspired by you, im doing an extended dark tower reading and then watching your reviews after every book. Currently on Wolves of the Calla and loving it!
Just found your channel and loved this. Couldn’t agree more with how you ranked these books. I highly recommend Dead Zone… also love to hear your thoughts on Dreamcatcher and the Tommyknockers. Definitely subscribing!
11/22/63, The Stand, and IT are always changing for my favorite King book, but they are and always will be my top 3. The Talisman is ranked WAY too high 😂 Good list mate!
I’m reading Christine now and loving it! I thought it would be corny but the characters and coming of age is amazing.(I’ve read like 30 king books and always avoided Christine)
Great video and list, I enjoyed comparing and contrasting my own opinions with yours. Also I highly recommend the Dead Zone, it's an absolute masterpiece of a King book
My only problem with The Dead Zone is that it is, not surprisingly, a bit longer than it should. Johnny is one of my favourite characters I've ever read
You know listening to your animated commentary I’m so inspired by your passion for SK. Have you ever considered reviewing his wife’s novels? I’m reading one right now!
I'll never understand why so many people love salem's lot. I've read it a couple months ago and apart from some really cool scenes I think it's.. just fine, at most. The main character is a blatant self insert from the writer, the major characters don't stick around enough to have some personal development, the love interest was trash and the final confrontation was too short and anticlimactic. It's a cool Halloween kind of read, but seeing it above masterpieces like the shining or pet semetary is really baffling to me.
thank god soneone else thinks the same lol...i didnt think it was horrible but it was rather bland and dull....and the charcters like you said was gone before you even got attatched to them or if they did last there really wasnt much to them.
That’s amazing, a very light reader here and I happen to visit the sight of Kennedy’s assassinnation and at the book depository it’s become a museum and I happen to pick up 11/22/63 and has become my favorite book. So many good lines but one that sticks with me is Sadie’s “ I understand life is hard but why does it have to be cruel”. Glad to know this is top tier stuff and makes sense why this book always reaches me. Heck of a plot and yes interesting ending, a bit of a let down for me though
Reading the Dark Tower series made me realize I drastically underestimated Stephen King’s range. If you would’ve told me that the tragic romance novel that completely derails the plot momentum and where 95% of the book is a flashback would’ve been my favourite book of the whole series, I would’ve laughed in your face. Especially considering how much I loved the ones before it.
Love the video man. I'm a big fan of Stephen King. I have seen more of the movies. I have been reading the books too. I'm reading You Like It Darker right now. It is a good book. I've read Carrie, Dreamcatcher and Under The Dome. Add Christine and Salem's lot to the list. To name a few. Stephen King says that. He can't revisit It or Pet cemetery. Cause those two stories went a little deep. Pennywise would come visit Stephen King in his mind. While writing the story. 😃
I know this might sound incredibly cheesy, but apart from being one of my favourite authors, Stephen King has become a sort of "father figure" to me. I always feel very safe with and immersed in his books - even if there is not really anything to feel safe about. Maybe because I'm so familiar with his way of storytelling. "The Long Walk" would be S-tier, by the way.
No, I don't think that's cheesy. When we spend a lot of time immersed in a writers world, it can kind of feel like you're getting to know them. Plus Stephen King just seems like a nice guy in general.
Really enjoying your reviews lately. The Drawing of the Three ABSOLUTELY deserves to be in the S tier. I’m so happy you put it there!!! Seeing that you don’t enjoy “fairy tales” does that mean you don’t plan on reading SK’s Fairy Tale? 😂
Loved Eyes of the Dragon!!!!!!!! Read it to my 11 and 12 year od and they loved it. Did exactly what it was supposed to do, a fairy tail, and Flagg is just gnarly.
Great video! This conversation will forever be my favorite kind of conversation. For me, I'm higher on eyes of the dragon. I'd put it in Meh just because how much I loved learning about the man in black. I didn't love drawing of the three and enjoyed wasteland more. For your next read, try Duma Key. A little more slice of life with that slow decent into weird things happening. It's in my top 5 king novels.
Oh man, Duma Key gets me good. I'm sure it's not his scariest book by far for most people but, because I draw, it's one I still think about quite frequently despite having read it years ago. Creepy!
@theoriginaledi I'm a sucker for the slow decent into madness. Watching the town, the home, or in this case, his art slowly change into something different. Something ominous. Between that and his character work, no one does that decent better!
I could’ve sworn I was subscribed already. I am for sure now 😂 you putting eyes of the dragon in trash is more than enough reason to subscribe lol I almost DNFd it, it was so bad in my opinion. And Wizard and Glass. So many say that’s their favorite dark tower book but I barely made it out of that one. I have IT a little lower than most but overall I agree with all of this.
Referring to SK as "comfort food" is just right. My first book was Insomnia, and I've been hooked since. I've gone back to reread several titles just to revisit.
I don't agree with every ranking, but I get it. I like your perspective, and I think you were very fair. (from an avid SK reader who owns everything he's ever written... 😀)
Kings first book was gunslinger but he sat on it for a long time. He said every time he continued the dark tower story he would write it fast with almost no editing. He said it was a different experience than any other story he wrote. Its one long continuous story. Eventually he even enters the story himself. Anyways...
Maybe you could read Dolores Claiborne and Gerald's Game. I'm curious what you think of Dolores Claiborne. Really enjoyed your list and impressed at how many books you've read in the last 2 years, I only wish! 😆
For me there are just 2 Stephen King books that I have read more than once and I daresay will read again. The first is of course "The Stand", which will always be my favorite. The other one is a book which people often don't mention, but is one that has stayed with me always. That is "The Dead Zone" and I really don't understand why it is so often overlooked. You really have to read it.
I read Rose Madder about 18 years ago (first SK book) and thought it was so bad that I, sadly, didn’t read King for another 13 years. I love so many of his books now.
From a Buick 8 was one of my lowkey favourite King novels. First I read was The Stand (uncut) and then It, so maybe it was just cuz of how simple it was but it remains a positive memory for me.
This was a great video. I'm always down to hear about more Stephen King books. I pretty much agreed with most of your choices. I just recently read The Regulators and it was just weird. I understand the premise of using this kids favorite shows and combining them, but at the same time, it was just weird to read this depiction of a western with future space cars with massive satellite dishes on the tops driving through a neighborhood and killing people. I would say the biggest discrepancy I had to your list is with The Stand, and that's on me. I know I differ from most people on The Stand. I would put it end of S tier to maybe just A tier. I loved the beginning of the book. I read it in 2021 so it was very anxiety inducing at the beginning. But once all the people came together and there was so much talk about forming committees, I was lost for a while. I did not enjoy that section of the book. The ending was good, but not enough to bring me all the way back like the beginning had. Also, I have not read The Running Man yet, but I actually bought it a few months ago because it was on sale and I like the weight of the book and the feel of the pages. That maybe weird but it was enough for me lol I'll get it read some day though. Great list though and I look forward to you reading more King books!
There is a essay about a kid who was a grave digger that was good because he wrote when he was a teenager. Read his collection of short story. Another one is called Road Work that one was good also.
Late to your video, but could not pass by without giving high marks to Stephen King's novel "Duma Key." It's rarely mentioned, but I love it. While reading it, I did not want to eat, sleep or go to work. My mom also loved it.
@@PaperbackJourneys wait, you didn't read Needful things? I was sure I remember you talking about Leland Gaunt. If you didn't, I highly recommend it. He's a very charismatic villain
@@NicholasBennettC You make an excellent point. Taken as a whole, I'd say the seven main Dark Tower books would be S tier for me even though most of them individually aren't there at all. It's an interesting phenomenon. It's sort of the same for Desperation and The Regulators, too. No spoilers because I don't know if you've read them, but they're connected in a way and the creativity of that connection elevates them when taken as a set, in my opinion. I'd rank them at a low B and low Meh, respectively, on the scale used here, but as a set I'd make them a higher B just for the creativity.
I completely agree on your assessment of the Stand vs 11/22/63. The first 2/3 of The Stand is great (and probably better than the first 2/3 of 11/22/63), but The Stand drops a bit because I don’t think King stuck the landing. 11/22/63 is great the whole way through and has his best ending.
Revival and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy are my favorite King novels. Honorable mention to Dr. Sleep. Of course, Misery, Shining, Pet Cemetery, IT, and countless others are spectacular. No question. He rarely misses. But as a whole. The ones I mentioned at the start. Are my absolute favorites. Edit: 11/22/63 is also spectacular. Although I liked the series more than the read.
I've watched both adaptations of IT and it makes me not want to read the book because the movies basically hit the main plot markers so I'd be reading the book for side plots and stuff.
Have you read Dr sleep? I did not see it on tier list l.😮I really enjoy it . Very deep a bit messy. I love Rose personality and her gang . There are good villains with purpose.
Super interesting! Thanks so much for doing it! You know I've gotta respond, right?? :D Don't worry; I don't expect you to read all of this. I'm mostly just typing it to sort it out in my own brain. I won't bother with the orders within the tiers, just the places where I'd put something in an entirely different tier. Also, I find it impossible to rank the books of short stories because invariably some of the stories are good and some aren't, so I'll ignore those. S - All good except that I'd put Misery in A and Pet Sematary all the way down to B. (Sorry... =\) And I know I said I wasn't gonna talk about the order, but I will just note that I'd probably edge The Stand to #1 overall, but I definitely agree about the very disappointing ending. An absolute banger of a book with a hastily slapped together ending. Tragic. A - I'd move The Gunslinger up to S and drop Wolves of the Calla and The Mist to B. B - I'd move On Writing to A; otherwise perfect. Meh - I'd move Song of Susannah up to B and Cujo to A. I haven't read Little Sisters of Eluria. Trash - I'd move The Regulators to Meh, and I haven't read The Wind Through the Keyhole. Eyes of the Dragon is exactly where it belongs.
Great Tearlist but I dont know why people keep saying Salems Lot was scary..it was absolutely not and there were almost no details of any brutalitys or something else. In my opinion it is overhyped and I could have read it as a kid without getting scared a little bit.
Thanks mate. I think you're right that there's not much gore or graphic detail with the exception of the "stairs to the basement" scene. I think the way I found it creepy was the slow take over of a town that feels like it's in decay. I liked that the vampires kind of hibernated during the day and were slow and lethargic. It made them gross and unsettling.
@@BraxtonWages *SPOILER* I think King created a great atmosphere where the reader is waiting and waiting for something to Happen *SPOILER* just to find out that the main antagonist dies within a few seconds without barely even fighting..it could have been much better with many more details but in the end I was just disappointed because there was no big final event. :/
Wait till you meet the characters in The Stand. I love Salems Lot and if you like those characters you are going to love The Stand Edit: ok never mind. 😂 you loved it. I think it may be better than 11.22.63 even tho I agree with you about the endings. My reasoning is the characters. For a while after I reread the stand I can’t get the characters out of my head. Like what is Fran and Stu doing. How’s Tom Cullen doing? Love Nick ❤
Changes I’d make - *I’m not the most well read concerning Stephen King yet unfortunately. Insomnia- A Carrie - B On writing - A All other ranked books I was happy with or have not read. The dark half is currently my favorite book of all time and I recommend everyone read it, however I am extremely biased.
You gotta read all the Bill Hodges/Holly books Mr Mercedes Finders Keepers End of Watch The Outsider If It Bleeds Holly Kings next book is another Holly book so you will have to read all those before his next new book!!
With all respect, I disagree with Cujo (since it is my all time favorite novel) but good list nonetheless! :D And with everyone else recommending King books, then I gotta hop on that bandwagon, I highly recommend Later. It is really recent, but really good!
Yeah I remember you saying how much you liked it. There were good scenes in it. I loved when the narrator got inside the dogs head and we saw things from Cujo's perspective as he starts to lose it. I think I was just put off by the amount of family drama there was. If about half of that stuff was cut out I would have enjoyed it much more. Thanks for the comment! 😃
You mentioned Stephen King isn't that well known for his short stories; for me, those are easily the best stuff King has done. I found most of his longer books just drag on endlessly, and would lose almost nothing if like 30% of them was just cut entirely (though I haven't read that many of them). The short stories are absolutely my jam.
11.22.63 has the better ending, i'll give you that. The Stand i think you spend so much time with these characters some almost a thousand pages, when you lose them or it's over you're almost grieving in real time with them. 😢
O dear, The Regulators is one of my favorites. I have read it 5 times. Now I have to put The Stand at #1 and Misery at #2. Regulators will be #3. My son of 14 watched this video with me and hé did nog agree on Eyes of the dragon. Hé was 10 when hé read this and hé loved it.
Yeah his catalogue is definitely a mixed bunch. I think of a lot of it depends on the time of his life he wrote it in and what substances he was consuming at the time 😂
There is nothing for people to be mad about it’s your opinion. Granted I may not agree with you on some of your picks but that’s my opinion as well. Not everyone is going to like the same books or have the same opinions. That’s what makes everyone different. Personally I don’t think any of his books are overrated. Either you like them or you don’t. Seems to me when someone doesn’t like something they say it overrated because they are either disappointed because they were looking for something to happen in the story that they didn’t get over the just didn’t get what the book was actually about. Anyways great video.
I wanted to sample King and started with The Dark Tower. I didn't read another after that. This list makes me think I should try again with a different book. What's the best introductory King novel?
@robintimpone2214 something that is quintessential King. I think of him writing scary novels so I'd probably want to read something scary. From this list it looks like I should pick one of the S tier novels.
@@byucatch22 For quintessential King, and something ranked S tier here, I'd recommend It or The Shining. The rest are all obviously fantastic, but each one has a little drawback that might put new readers off. For example, The Stand is my all time fave but, as Jay noted, the very ending is disappointing. Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Interesting list...mine (70+ books, many more than once) would not be the same...as it should be. #1 'Salems Lot #2 Wizard and Glass #3 The Wastelands #4 The Drawing of the Three #5 The Long Walk #6 The Talisman #7 The Green Mile #8 11/26/63 #9 The Stand (uncut) #10 Misery ****bottom**** Song of Susannah The Dark Tower The Wolves of the Calla Insomnia Dreamcatcher The Tommyknockers The Regulators Faithful
If you hated Eyes of The Dragon. Then avoid Fairy Tale. Books missing The Long Walk, Billy Summers and Needful Things. Have read all of the Dark Tower im of the camp hated the ending..
I personally believe that the Shining is better then misery and salems lot I also believe salems lot is better then misery. I respect your opinion though
I have the same oppinion on much of the SK books I read (I didn't read that much SK, though), I would put insomnia in A tier. However, contrary to pretty much everyone else, I didn't like 'It'. I thought it was bloated, and it dragged on and on, all the backstories on all the characters in excrutiatingly details... what a drag. It would be much better if it was a third in lenght. 'It's meh for me.
Hello I’m a big fan of your channel I just recently got my book published and it would be an honor if you could read it. Is there any way I can send you a copy ?
I highly recommend The Long Walk.
Oh I'll have to check that one out soon. The fun thing is that when I read more of his books, I can make another tier list.
Gotta say, I haaaaaaaaaaate The Long Walk. I don't argue that it's objectively a good book, and I'm sincerely glad you (and many other people!) enjoy it, but it traumatized the heck out of me. It's definitely in my bottom few SK books, but that's almost entirely due to my own personality and not due to the book being bad. =\
@theoriginaledi oooh i loved it but you're right - it's traumatizing.
@@theoriginalediit’s ok to be incorrect ❤😭
@@xxAMAZINGxx62 I agree 100%, it's totally ok to have different opinions and even to be wrong! But I do want to emphasize that I don't think it's a bad book! It just upset ME a lot and made me not want to read it again. That's not a reflection on the quality of the book at all. I"m really happy that you enjoy it!
Your channel needs a lot more attention.
Thanks mate. I appreciate it.
Needful Things? Firestarter? Thinner? We need a Pt 2!
The ending of thinner...OMG
Under the Dome's a sleeper hit. Perhaps his best bad guy.
I want to read Under the Dome but I'm scared because I've heard some things about the ending which annoyed people. It's a huge book too right?
@@PaperbackJourneysStand length
@@PaperbackJourneys Personally, I loved the ending.
Just bought under the dome, hopefully read it soon.
@@MosquitoJo been on my kindle about to finally start it.
Your videos are so entertaining and you’re very likeable. I hope you can turn this into your job, you definitely deserve it!
I thought the Gunslinger was so creepy and atmospheric. The book felt like a dream. Maybe I’m just sentimental because it was my first DT read, but I think about book #1 sooo much
Yeah, the book relies heavily on atmosphere over plot. I'm glad we're on the same level there.
What a fun video! The first King I ever read was The Mist, when I was 13 years old; it's the first short story in the Skeleton Crew collection, which I would recommend. You've got the majority of my faves at S-tier so I can't be mad (The Stand, IT, Drawing of the Three, and 11/22/63). The Stand is my #1 King. I'm impressed you've read so many in such a short time. I''m sure you have a plan for what to read next, so I won't just blast you with recommendations (there's so many..!!), I'll just add one of his more recent novels I really liked was The Institute, and also Revival which I see others have suggested, too. Stephen King is one my favorite authors and I do think that basically all King is good King. Even the worst King books are still better books than many other things published these days.
Finally someone whose top 3 are mine! I agree with most of your list, couldn't get into the Dark Tower series. Everyone else gave good recommendations. Would love a part 2. Great channel and glad I found you.
Excellent video! Inspired by you, im doing an extended dark tower reading and then watching your reviews after every book. Currently on Wolves of the Calla and loving it!
Just found your channel and loved this. Couldn’t agree more with how you ranked these books. I highly recommend Dead Zone… also love to hear your thoughts on Dreamcatcher and the Tommyknockers. Definitely subscribing!
Great video again. I recommend Dolores Claiborne ( and the movie with Katie Bates is fantastic), Doctor Sleep and The outsider ☺️
Absolutely love all your videos about Stephen King! Sometimes I watch them again, bcs theyre so good :)
11/22/63, The Stand, and IT are always changing for my favorite King book, but they are and always will be my top 3.
The Talisman is ranked WAY too high 😂
Good list mate!
Yeah those three are absolute beasts. I loved all of them. Thanks mate.
I’m reading Christine now and loving it! I thought it would be corny but the characters and coming of age is amazing.(I’ve read like 30 king books and always avoided Christine)
Great video and list, I enjoyed comparing and contrasting my own opinions with yours. Also I highly recommend the Dead Zone, it's an absolute masterpiece of a King book
My only problem with The Dead Zone is that it is, not surprisingly, a bit longer than it should. Johnny is one of my favourite characters I've ever read
Misery is my all time favorite King book. Unbeaten for me!
You know listening to your animated commentary I’m so inspired by your passion for SK. Have you ever considered reviewing his wife’s novels? I’m reading one right now!
I'll never understand why so many people love salem's lot. I've read it a couple months ago and apart from some really cool scenes I think it's.. just fine, at most. The main character is a blatant self insert from the writer, the major characters don't stick around enough to have some personal development, the love interest was trash and the final confrontation was too short and anticlimactic. It's a cool Halloween kind of read, but seeing it above masterpieces like the shining or pet semetary is really baffling to me.
thank god soneone else thinks the same lol...i didnt think it was horrible but it was rather bland and dull....and the charcters like you said was gone before you even got attatched to them or if they did last there really wasnt much to them.
Think it's probably my favourite so far. There's nothing that remarkable about it, it's just a very well written vampire story.
That’s amazing, a very light reader here and I happen to visit the sight of Kennedy’s assassinnation and at the book depository it’s become a museum and I happen to pick up 11/22/63 and has become my favorite book. So many good lines but one that sticks with me is Sadie’s “ I understand life is hard but why does it have to be cruel”. Glad to know this is top tier stuff and makes sense why this book always reaches me. Heck of a plot and yes interesting ending, a bit of a let down for me though
Oh I'm sorry you didn't like the ending. I thought it was very fitting. That's so interesting that you visited such a historical site!
Would love to see this broken down even more with some of the more well known novellas too! Or ranking the SK movie/TV adaptations!
Reading the Dark Tower series made me realize I drastically underestimated Stephen King’s range. If you would’ve told me that the tragic romance novel that completely derails the plot momentum and where 95% of the book is a flashback would’ve been my favourite book of the whole series, I would’ve laughed in your face. Especially considering how much I loved the ones before it.
Also, I've read several King novels and the top of my S tier has to be "Revival". I don't want to overhype it but goddamn it was brilliant.
Great video as always! Always engaging and interesting
Duma key is the one I’ve re read the most it’s a comfort of comforts lol
Love the video man. I'm a big fan of Stephen King. I have seen more of the movies. I have been reading the books too. I'm reading You Like It Darker right now. It is a good book. I've read Carrie, Dreamcatcher and Under The Dome. Add Christine and Salem's lot to the list. To name a few. Stephen King says that. He can't revisit It or Pet cemetery. Cause those two stories went a little deep. Pennywise would come visit Stephen King in his mind. While writing the story. 😃
Mostly agree. Although I have Carrie at meh and drawing of the 3 at B.
Seems like we're almost completely aligned with just a couple of differences.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is an overlooked gem
I haven't heard this book mentioned with anything but praise
I know this might sound incredibly cheesy, but apart from being one of my favourite authors, Stephen King has become a sort of "father figure" to me. I always feel very safe with and immersed in his books - even if there is not really anything to feel safe about. Maybe because I'm so familiar with his way of storytelling. "The Long Walk" would be S-tier, by the way.
No, I don't think that's cheesy. When we spend a lot of time immersed in a writers world, it can kind of feel like you're getting to know them. Plus Stephen King just seems like a nice guy in general.
Really enjoying your reviews lately. The Drawing of the Three ABSOLUTELY deserves to be in the S tier. I’m so happy you put it there!!! Seeing that you don’t enjoy “fairy tales” does that mean you don’t plan on reading SK’s Fairy Tale? 😂
Loved Eyes of the Dragon!!!!!!!! Read it to my 11 and 12 year od and they loved it. Did exactly what it was supposed to do, a fairy tail, and Flagg is just gnarly.
Great video! This conversation will forever be my favorite kind of conversation.
For me, I'm higher on eyes of the dragon. I'd put it in Meh just because how much I loved learning about the man in black. I didn't love drawing of the three and enjoyed wasteland more.
For your next read, try Duma Key. A little more slice of life with that slow decent into weird things happening. It's in my top 5 king novels.
Oh yeah I need to jump on Duma Key. That's the great thing about Stephen King. You can read 30 books and you're only about half way through.
Oh man, Duma Key gets me good. I'm sure it's not his scariest book by far for most people but, because I draw, it's one I still think about quite frequently despite having read it years ago. Creepy!
@theoriginaledi I'm a sucker for the slow decent into madness. Watching the town, the home, or in this case, his art slowly change into something different. Something ominous. Between that and his character work, no one does that decent better!
I could’ve sworn I was subscribed already. I am for sure now 😂 you putting eyes of the dragon in trash is more than enough reason to subscribe lol I almost DNFd it, it was so bad in my opinion. And Wizard and Glass. So many say that’s their favorite dark tower book but I barely made it out of that one. I have IT a little lower than most but overall I agree with all of this.
My pick for favorite King book constantly switches between 11/22/63 and Revival
Referring to SK as "comfort food" is just right. My first book was Insomnia, and I've been hooked since. I've gone back to reread several titles just to revisit.
I don't agree with every ranking, but I get it. I like your perspective, and I think you were very fair.
(from an avid SK reader who owns everything he's ever written... 😀)
We need a part 2! Looking forward to your villan list!
The green mile would be in my S section. Where would it be for you?
Oh, I really need to read the green mile. I absolutely loved the movie but I haven't read the book.
Kings first book was gunslinger but he sat on it for a long time. He said every time he continued the dark tower story he would write it fast with almost no editing. He said it was a different experience than any other story he wrote. Its one long continuous story. Eventually he even enters the story himself.
Anyways...
Maybe you could read Dolores Claiborne and Gerald's Game. I'm curious what you think of Dolores Claiborne. Really enjoyed your list and impressed at how many books you've read in the last 2 years, I only wish! 😆
Oh you're the second person to recommend Dolores Claiborne in this comment section today. I'll have to bump that one up the TBR list.
@PaperbackJourneys The movie is quite wonderful and underrated. The acting, top notch! :)
Gosh, you're hilarious. Love your tier-list. No other than watching a real thriller !!!
You’re hilarious. I love your channel! 🎉❤
Great video! I’m just starting to go through the Stephen King catalogue and so looking forward to getting to some of these.
Good luck with them mate. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Love a Stephen King tier list and agree with a lot of your rankings out of the ones I’ve read.
For me there are just 2 Stephen King books that I have read more than once and I daresay will read again. The first is of course "The Stand", which will always be my favorite. The other one is a book which people often don't mention, but is one that has stayed with me always. That is "The Dead Zone" and I really don't understand why it is so often overlooked. You really have to read it.
I'll definitely read it. It comes up every now and then with people who absolutely love it.
Been months since I read the Dead Zone. What a fabulous story! ❤ Think of it all the time. ❤
I read Rose Madder about 18 years ago (first SK book) and thought it was so bad that I, sadly, didn’t read King for another 13 years. I love so many of his books now.
If you are going to add collections...then you have to have 'Different Seasons'. Plus, you have to include 'Revival' and "The Outsider"
From a Buick 8 was one of my lowkey favourite King novels. First I read was The Stand (uncut) and then It, so maybe it was just cuz of how simple it was but it remains a positive memory for me.
You should try reading Neil Gaimans books, he doesn’t do horror but does excellent fantasy writing! I would recommend Neverwhere and Good Omens
This was a great video. I'm always down to hear about more Stephen King books. I pretty much agreed with most of your choices. I just recently read The Regulators and it was just weird. I understand the premise of using this kids favorite shows and combining them, but at the same time, it was just weird to read this depiction of a western with future space cars with massive satellite dishes on the tops driving through a neighborhood and killing people. I would say the biggest discrepancy I had to your list is with The Stand, and that's on me. I know I differ from most people on The Stand. I would put it end of S tier to maybe just A tier. I loved the beginning of the book. I read it in 2021 so it was very anxiety inducing at the beginning. But once all the people came together and there was so much talk about forming committees, I was lost for a while. I did not enjoy that section of the book. The ending was good, but not enough to bring me all the way back like the beginning had. Also, I have not read The Running Man yet, but I actually bought it a few months ago because it was on sale and I like the weight of the book and the feel of the pages. That maybe weird but it was enough for me lol I'll get it read some day though. Great list though and I look forward to you reading more King books!
There is a essay about a kid who was a grave digger that was good because he wrote when he was a teenager. Read his collection of short story. Another one is called Road Work that one was good also.
Very appreciative of the thought put into this sir. And I agree about 90% with this entire ordering I must say. 11/22/63 ftw always 😂 ⚒
Mate you can take credit for getting me to read my favourite Stephen King book ⚒️
Late to your video, but could not pass by without giving high marks to Stephen King's novel "Duma Key." It's rarely mentioned, but I love it. While reading it, I did not want to eat, sleep or go to work. My mom also loved it.
Me too. Duma Key is in my top tier. I loved the character development and the setting.
Also HIGHLY recommended The Long Walk, my husband and I just buddy read it and both gave it 5 stars.
You are half way thru ! Bon voyage (I’m french ) for the next half ! Be prepare for a lot of changings in your ranking !
I was waiting for Needful things. I read this book because of your review.
I also agree that 11/22/63 is the best King's book.
11/22/63 is probably my favorite as well. Although if you were to consider the dark tower to be one massive work I would choose that
@NicholasBennettC agree
Oh yeah I need to read Needful Things. That's come up a few times.
@@PaperbackJourneys wait, you didn't read Needful things? I was sure I remember you talking about Leland Gaunt. If you didn't, I highly recommend it. He's a very charismatic villain
@@NicholasBennettC You make an excellent point. Taken as a whole, I'd say the seven main Dark Tower books would be S tier for me even though most of them individually aren't there at all. It's an interesting phenomenon.
It's sort of the same for Desperation and The Regulators, too. No spoilers because I don't know if you've read them, but they're connected in a way and the creativity of that connection elevates them when taken as a set, in my opinion. I'd rank them at a low B and low Meh, respectively, on the scale used here, but as a set I'd make them a higher B just for the creativity.
I completely agree on your assessment of the Stand vs 11/22/63. The first 2/3 of The Stand is great (and probably better than the first 2/3 of 11/22/63), but The Stand drops a bit because I don’t think King stuck the landing. 11/22/63 is great the whole way through and has his best ending.
Thank you for giving the gunslinger some love
absolutely brilliant list. loved watching it.🤔
Thanks Neil. I appreciate it mate.
@@PaperbackJourneys I was wondering about the stand not being there at the start ❓but you saved yourself 🤣
I feel alone about not liking The Stand all that much.😔
That's me with Revival
@NikkiP-bx2lg at least I liked The Revival better than The Stand.
With the exception of the opening, I hated the stand. Never read a more grindy book.
@ZenOkamiX thank you for making me feel less alone.😊
You should read needful things and billy summers
Wow Needful Things is a hit in this comment section! Thats more popular than I thought. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!
I think you should add The Deluge by Stephen Markley to the spinning wheel. Couldn’t recommend it more, you’ll never forget it
Revival and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy are my favorite King novels. Honorable mention to Dr. Sleep.
Of course, Misery, Shining, Pet Cemetery, IT, and countless others are spectacular. No question. He rarely misses. But as a whole. The ones I mentioned at the start. Are my absolute favorites.
Edit: 11/22/63 is also spectacular. Although I liked the series more than the read.
One man's trash is another man's treasure they say. I really like the book Fairy Tale and The Institute I really liked.
Did I miss Dolores Claiborne? It's soooo goooddd!!!
I haven't read Dolores Claiborne. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks.
It's such a good book 😊.
I've watched both adaptations of IT and it makes me not want to read the book because the movies basically hit the main plot markers so I'd be reading the book for side plots and stuff.
The ending of the child section is completely different
@zachbrokehisback the sex stuff?
@@TheLongestTake well yes lol but the book is still vastly different
There's a horrible gritty atmosphere in the book that doesn't translate well to film. It's well worth a read.
Have you watched From? Has a lot a Stephen King vibe
The Bill Hodges Trilogy is worth a read….. Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch 👍🏻
Have you read Dr sleep? I did not see it on tier list l.😮I really enjoy it . Very deep a bit messy. I love Rose personality and her gang . There are good villains with purpose.
Super interesting! Thanks so much for doing it! You know I've gotta respond, right?? :D Don't worry; I don't expect you to read all of this. I'm mostly just typing it to sort it out in my own brain.
I won't bother with the orders within the tiers, just the places where I'd put something in an entirely different tier. Also, I find it impossible to rank the books of short stories because invariably some of the stories are good and some aren't, so I'll ignore those.
S - All good except that I'd put Misery in A and Pet Sematary all the way down to B. (Sorry... =\) And I know I said I wasn't gonna talk about the order, but I will just note that I'd probably edge The Stand to #1 overall, but I definitely agree about the very disappointing ending. An absolute banger of a book with a hastily slapped together ending. Tragic.
A - I'd move The Gunslinger up to S and drop Wolves of the Calla and The Mist to B.
B - I'd move On Writing to A; otherwise perfect.
Meh - I'd move Song of Susannah up to B and Cujo to A. I haven't read Little Sisters of Eluria.
Trash - I'd move The Regulators to Meh, and I haven't read The Wind Through the Keyhole. Eyes of the Dragon is exactly where it belongs.
My current top two books of all time are exactly the same: 11/22/63 and The Stand.
You have great taste!
Where’s Needful Things?!?!?
I loved it as the black comedy it was.
This is like the fourth or fifth comment that said I need to read Needful Things. I can't believe I let this one slip under the radar.
@@PaperbackJourneys Just don't do the audiobook. King reads it and his narration leaves a lot to be desired. 😂
Great Tearlist but I dont know why people keep saying Salems Lot was scary..it was absolutely not and there were almost no details of any brutalitys or something else. In my opinion it is overhyped and I could have read it as a kid without getting scared a little bit.
Thanks mate. I think you're right that there's not much gore or graphic detail with the exception of the "stairs to the basement" scene. I think the way I found it creepy was the slow take over of a town that feels like it's in decay. I liked that the vampires kind of hibernated during the day and were slow and lethargic. It made them gross and unsettling.
It’s the whole atmosphere. When nothing happens it’s still full of this strange creepy feeling of unease
@@BraxtonWages *SPOILER* I think King created a great atmosphere where the reader is waiting and waiting for something to Happen *SPOILER* just to find out that the main antagonist dies within a few seconds without barely even fighting..it could have been much better with many more details but in the end I was just disappointed because there was no big final event. :/
I agree boring read
Wait till you meet the characters in The Stand. I love Salems Lot and if you like those characters you are going to love The Stand
Edit: ok never mind. 😂 you loved it. I think it may be better than 11.22.63 even tho I agree with you about the endings. My reasoning is the characters. For a while after I reread the stand I can’t get the characters out of my head. Like what is Fran and Stu doing. How’s Tom Cullen doing? Love Nick ❤
Changes I’d make -
*I’m not the most well read concerning Stephen King yet unfortunately.
Insomnia- A
Carrie - B
On writing - A
All other ranked books I was happy with or have not read.
The dark half is currently my favorite book of all time and I recommend everyone read it, however I am extremely biased.
The Stand is probably the best book ive ever read.
You gotta read all the Bill Hodges/Holly books
Mr Mercedes
Finders Keepers
End of Watch
The Outsider
If It Bleeds
Holly
Kings next book is another Holly book so you will have to read all those before his next new book!!
U make me wanna read Stephen king 😊
Mission accomplished that's exactly what I wanted to do haha!
With all respect, I disagree with Cujo (since it is my all time favorite novel) but good list nonetheless! :D
And with everyone else recommending King books, then I gotta hop on that bandwagon, I highly recommend Later. It is really recent, but really good!
Yeah I remember you saying how much you liked it. There were good scenes in it. I loved when the narrator got inside the dogs head and we saw things from Cujo's perspective as he starts to lose it. I think I was just put off by the amount of family drama there was. If about half of that stuff was cut out I would have enjoyed it much more. Thanks for the comment! 😃
I can't do another dog story. Old Yeller already scarred me for life. 😂
You mentioned Stephen King isn't that well known for his short stories; for me, those are easily the best stuff King has done. I found most of his longer books just drag on endlessly, and would lose almost nothing if like 30% of them was just cut entirely (though I haven't read that many of them). The short stories are absolutely my jam.
I feel like this is the video I always needed but didn’t know until now. Books books books
Haha. Thanks Evan. Glad you enjoyed it mate.
11/22/63 is my favorite King book as well. Just amazing.
I loved it the whole way through. Chills!
11.22.63 has the better ending, i'll give you that. The Stand i think you spend so much time with these characters some almost a thousand pages, when you lose them or it's over you're almost grieving in real time with them. 😢
O dear, The Regulators is one of my favorites. I have read it 5 times. Now I have to put The Stand at #1 and Misery at #2. Regulators will be #3.
My son of 14 watched this video with me and hé did nog agree on Eyes of the dragon. Hé was 10 when hé read this and hé loved it.
I also love The Regulators! I think it's great!
The marketing department thing. 😂
Haha. My little American accent making an appearance lol.
I liked Christine,Firestarter,Misery,It,The Stand,The Shining,Holly and some others. A lot of his books are meh or trash
Yeah his catalogue is definitely a mixed bunch. I think of a lot of it depends on the time of his life he wrote it in and what substances he was consuming at the time 😂
There is nothing for people to be mad about it’s your opinion. Granted I may not agree with you on some of your picks but that’s my opinion as well. Not everyone is going to like the same books or have the same opinions. That’s what makes everyone different. Personally I don’t think any of his books are overrated. Either you like them or you don’t. Seems to me when someone doesn’t like something they say it overrated because they are either disappointed because they were looking for something to happen in the story that they didn’t get over the just didn’t get what the book was actually about. Anyways great video.
Thanks so much for the great comment! Yeah I agree with you. Sometimes it's even more fun to watch people review books that I disagree with.
liked most of your tier list☺U would love under the dome if you liked the stand.
A few people seem to be recommending that one. I'll have to give it a read.
I wanted to sample King and started with The Dark Tower. I didn't read another after that. This list makes me think I should try again with a different book. What's the best introductory King novel?
It depends on what you’re looking for. I love 11/22/63 and Duma Key
@robintimpone2214 something that is quintessential King. I think of him writing scary novels so I'd probably want to read something scary. From this list it looks like I should pick one of the S tier novels.
@@byucatch22 For quintessential King, and something ranked S tier here, I'd recommend It or The Shining. The rest are all obviously fantastic, but each one has a little drawback that might put new readers off. For example, The Stand is my all time fave but, as Jay noted, the very ending is disappointing. Your mileage, of course, may vary.
@@theoriginaledi thanks for the input. I'll think I'll try It since that's probably what I think of first when I think of King.
Misery is a good one too. Fear and dread on every page 😅.
Interesting list...mine (70+ books, many more than once) would not be the same...as it should be.
#1 'Salems Lot
#2 Wizard and Glass
#3 The Wastelands
#4 The Drawing of the Three
#5 The Long Walk
#6 The Talisman
#7 The Green Mile
#8 11/26/63
#9 The Stand (uncut)
#10 Misery
****bottom****
Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower
The Wolves of the Calla
Insomnia
Dreamcatcher
The Tommyknockers
The Regulators
Faithful
The Stand is my favorite. Will try 11 23
If you hated Eyes of The Dragon. Then avoid Fairy Tale. Books missing The Long Walk, Billy Summers and Needful Things. Have read all of the Dark Tower im of the camp hated the ending..
Woah! Everybody LOVES Needful Things in the comments. Billy Summers and The Long Walk too? Got it! Thanks mate.
@PaperbackJourneys Billy Summers is straight up crime. There are a few references to another King book in passing.
I liked the ending but I already knew many did not like it, so ....
@@klaasveenstra161 I know people who loved it. And I've read a lot worse endings from other authors.
I personally believe that the Shining is better then misery and salems lot I also believe salems lot is better then misery. I respect your opinion though
You need to read the girl who loved Tom Gordon.
Billy Summers was awesome
I have the same oppinion on much of the SK books I read (I didn't read that much SK, though), I would put insomnia in A tier. However, contrary to pretty much everyone else, I didn't like 'It'. I thought it was bloated, and it dragged on and on, all the backstories on all the characters in excrutiatingly details... what a drag. It would be much better if it was a third in lenght. 'It's meh for me.
Hello I’m a big fan of your channel
I just recently got my book published and it would be an honor if you could read it. Is there any way I can send you a copy ?
Salem’s Lot was good. 11/22/63 was fair - 10 pages of story, 1,000 pages of padding. Worst ever was Fire Starter. Didn’t like Needfull Thimgs either.
Bag of Bones? Dreamcatcher?
So, I think it's safe to say you won't read "Fairy Tale" lmao
That’s a good book
@Tripp-d4g i liked it but honestly the fantasy elements were its weakest parts
@@TheLongestTake yeah true
Finders keepers? Mr Mercedes?
Wizard and Glass and Hearts of Atlantis need to be higher
I liked Wizard and Glass but Hearts in Atlantis wasn't for me (except Low Men in Yellow Coats which I loved!)