Least Favorite Stephen King Books

[@willianfernandes8880]

I totally agree with u about Misery... Annie Wilkes is really creepy, but I was not surprised all long the story

[@graciemartinez5855]

I loved Misery

[@JoanieMaeZie]

For sure! I think I’m the unpopular opinion on this one.

[@Im_mashing]

Yeah. the long walk was soo good

[@thewickerman4083]

Really enjoy your reviews Jo

[@beartackle]

I couldn't finish the first book of The Gunslinger. My friend kept saying how good the series is, so I tried again reading the revised version. That was so much better! Now I will continue the series. Great video! Misery is one of my all time favorite King books (I was scared of the villain/fan in that story), so it was interesting to hear why people wouldn't rate it so high.

[@LilFoxyCosplay]

Liking thinner seems to be an unpopular opinion but I personally really liked it King has something for everyone which is what I love about his writing

[@douglasbunch3313]

Lived in Spain for many years. The Gypsies never had a problem being called so. No need to be offended FOR them if they aren’t offended by it

[@garythompson3223]

Misery was originally going to be a Bachman book. He was writing it as Richard Bachman, then it came out that he was Richard Bachman, so he released it as Stephen King.

[@lilykbooks7983]

I really liked misery and the gunslinger. I tried to read thinner but got bored and stopped, I think im gonna give it some time and try again in a few months. The gunslinger gets a lot of hate and thats one of my favorites actually. Misery was good but not great, I saw the movie after reading the book and I think I wouldn't like it as much if I didn't read the book first so I see where you are coming from.

[@tellemstevedave5559]

Gunslinger gets hate? Interesting. I couldn't get into King untill I read that one.

[@octaviss]

Awesome book collection and great channel! I recently read Thinner and I like it, but with Misery happens to me something similar as you, probably because I also remember too much the movie. Cheers!

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Octavi Thank you! And thanks for watching! It’s a bummer about Misery, but maybe the movie experience was worth worsening the book experience... idk

[@billkeon880]

I took Paul Sheldon’s writing (very average) as King’s comment that sometimes average artists sometimes get undeservedly get fame and how fans can be overly fanatical even with those kinds of artists

[@AlexBlackReads]

This is really interesting as a non Stephen King reader. I remember enjoying The Long Walk and Rage a bit, but not so much Misery and I pretty much gave up on him after that since I'm not a big horror reader anyway. I've been wanting to give him a second try, maybe by reading The Shining. I've heard a lot of bad things about Gunslinger and it seems like most people just see it as a necessary evil for the rest of the series.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Alex Black Yeah some people really like Gunslinger, but I’m more in the necessary camp. The Shining is one of my absolute favorites! If you want less horror, you might look into Dolores Claiborne. Also a fav of mine, but more of a compelling contemporary with some unique storytelling. I hope you do give him another try! He has a pretty diverse body of work.

[@therealzeldamasterofminecr2434]

The Eyes Of The Dragon,The Talisman,11/22/63,Hearts In Atlantis,On Writing all not horror including on writing especially cause thats kings story from his birth in 1947 to when it was released in 2000

[@darkwitnesslxx]

The Drawing of the Three has a one page recap of The Gunslinger. It sufficiently tells you what you need to know.

[@biashacker]

The Gunslinger made no sense. Why did Randall Flagg aka the man in black just not kill the gunslinger when he had the chance. He seemed more capable and could have killed him when he put him in a trance. Way too contrived. I always got the feeling the man in black could kill the gunslinger at any point in the books. And let's not talk about the ending to the Dark Tower series which was rushed and lazy.

[@KamisKorner]

You made an ALL King shelf 😍 Awesome! I agree with you, there are several books that people don’t like that I ended up loving. Your collection is beautiful! There are some versions I have that I need to replace.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Kami's Korner Yes! We keep rearranging! We can’t decide how to organize the big shelves. There are so many more we’re missing or have poor or shorty copies of. It’s a really fun hobby, though, hunting for them.

[@KamisKorner]

Joanie Reads Yeah, the book club editions are the ones I want to replace! Also my copy of Tommyknockers, although a first edition, had writing on the edges from a child of the night 😡 So I need to find another.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Kami's Korner Damn those pen-wielding children! A few of mine are also just not in the greatest shape. Crinkled dust jackets and such.

[@redvitaminblue]

I didn't think I'd encounter another King fan with a similar opinion about The Gunslinger. I have tried it on 3 different occasions since 2006 - finishing it twice - and it remains my least favorite king novel so far (of the 20+ that I've read). The setting, the characters, and the world described by King just never grabbed me -- dull, arid, and stale are the words that come to mind. I really wish I could have found a way to enjoy it because ultimately it made me abandon trying to read the other Dark Tower books for more than a decade.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

redvitaminblue Your description fits perfectly for the first tries of this! Have you continued the DT series at all? I finished just recently and am hoping I’d have more interest in the Gunslinger if I try it again. I will say the second book in the series is one of my favorites by King. Win some and lose some I guess lol. If I hadn’t had someone pushing me to go the whole series, I don’t know if I ever would have even finished The Gunslinger.

[@redvitaminblue]

@@JoanieMaeZie As a matter of fact, I'm about half-way through 'The Waste Lands' at the moment. Last summer I experienced a renewed interest in King and that eventually led me back to the Tower. The series is becoming a bit more compelling now that Roland and crew have discovered the Beam, but I think I still prefer King's horror/dark fiction more than the fantasy stuff. Probably best that I stagger the Tower books so as to avoid burnout. Do you have a preferred reading order (i.e. mixing in 'The Stand', 'IT', 'Insomnia', etc. between Tower books)?

[@JoanieMaeZie]

redvitaminblue I’m glad you’re getting back into King! I don’t really have a preferred order the DT and related books. I’m too much a mood reader. I haven’t read Insomnia or Hearts in Atlantis yet, or even Wind through the Keyhole. My plan is to reread the DT series after I’ve read most everything else, read Wind in the middle, and see if I feel like doing the related ones mixed in as well. 🤷‍♀️ If you have the patience, I very much think King’s books in order of publication is generally best tho.

[@danmarshall5895]

The Gunslinger isn't much better on a reread (for me, at least). It also took me 3 or 4 tries to get through, but I will note that the parts I love (beginning and end, mostly) I really love.

[@horrorchannelakagoosebumps2442]

Great video. As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t read that many so I don’t have least favorites yet.

[@ghostlygirl713]

Cycle of the Werewolf was originally meant to be a calendar. One short story per month.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Nikki Childers I had heard that. I suppose that would have been kinda neat.

[@Raventooth]

Have you read Rage?

[@tonyarmijo9519]

Cycle of the werewolf is fun for what it is! Felt like a short story/comic book! Loved it. I’m reading Thinner atm, but I’m actually digging it! Just finished Different Seasons. Sooo great. Apt Pupil was my favorite novella in there. If you’ve never read that collection, you def should

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Tony Armijo Apt Pupil was awesome! I wasn’t expecting much from it and I just loved it! I wonder if I should give Cycle of the Werewolf another chance sometime. I’m glad you’re digging Thinner! That’s another one I think I might like more with a reread.

[@mistyl7045]

Thinner is one of my least favorite books too. I didn’t really love Cell either.

[@darkwitnesslxx]

Cell put me off King for a few years. I assumed he was done. He's bounced back.

[@darrylgordon6360]

King said he would never have a cell phone (perhaps fear of cancer?). Now I maybe the last one in America never to have a cell phone.

[@Orion-zq8jf]

I agree and disagree with some of your picks.. I grew up reading king koontz rice and others.. Im 40 now so even when i read a lot of their stuff it was outdated a bit.. And king koontz and rice had their locations of inspiration.. Amazing how different cultures are in different parts of a country.. Anyways.. Good vid

[@tellemstevedave5559]

The blurp is called a tagline. Great video!

[@kizzyfur]

You rated Thinner 4 stars, Misery 5, Cycle of the Werewolf 4 and The Dark Half 4, on goodreads, those are the kind of ratings I leave for books I really love.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Christopher Brown I recently reread Misery I believe I changed my rating. I used to not be as tough when rating books, but I did find things I enjoyed in all of these.

[@fabianopolo8783]

@@JoanieMaeZie im gonna try to reread it too bc of the parts when Paul writes the novel of Misery i CANT hahaha so yeah im gonna reread it soon

[@therealzeldamasterofminecr2434]

The Gunslinger even in the revised and expanded version I find was written poorly but when you know the story and give it a reread it's good it's a book you have to get explained cause it was written so poorly (remember the first 4 chapters were released individually in newspapers and chapter 5 was written to add the rest of the book and he slapped all of it in and pumped the book which was a success but was written poorly I think he should completely rewrite the book with his current wording cause then its easier to understand that's my opinion. I like books 2 and 3 he was writing it intending it to be a novel and all book 4 doesnt have a good story still havent finished it one day I will so I can read the last 5 storys (yeah i said 5 little sisters of eluria and wind through the keyhole count

[@JoanieMaeZie]

the real zeldamaster of minecraft Lol they do both count. I’d say you could read Little Sisters of Eluria whenever. Haven’t read Wind through the Keyhole yet, but I’ve heard the same. I’ve thought that rereading The Gunslinger later would be better, but a rewrite would be better. I didn’t know that much about its origins, but it does feel pretty disjointed. The couple other serial books I’ve read I thought were mostly really good, but I’m betting it’s hard to make them cohesive. I actually liked book 4 more than 3, but I think that’s not the norm. I’m through book 6 now, and excited to finish off the series soon. I hope you dig book 4 more when you get back to it!

[@marianapgar4409]

I think in the Dark Half, you were trying to remember the psychopomps.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Marian Apgar Yes! Thank you.

[@stacysstories7636]

I liked the Misery movie so much more then the book. That book was so hard for me to get through.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Hey I’m not the only one! I seriously never hear bad things about the book. Movie does rock though. 😊

[@lewys9204]

Thinner and misery are actually top tier books of kings lot. Did I miss something about #his worst books.

[@CoffeyCoffeyCoffey]

I work with mostly women and it seems that they all enjoy mysteries and romance, and usually the mysteries include romance. Nicholas Sparks is hugely popular. Also, Jodi Picoult. I'm curious, though, as someone who's never met a woman who enjoys Stephen Kings books, why King? I have three sisters who have never, and will never, pick up one of his books. My mom, too, is not a fan. She hates even hearing his name. I think that mostly has to do with his reputation. But, again, why King?

[@JoanieMaeZie]

I was into horror movies from a young age, and King TV adaptations were always super accessible. That's how I started with him, but when I tried his books, I found that his writing just does it for me. His character work is awesome, and the content is usually very real and visceral and interesting. I know a few other female King fans IRL... Didn't know that was unusual. Thanks for commenting!

[@sk70091]

Aww, Misery is my favorite Stephen King book, but to each their own. I agree about The Gunslinger though, that's my least favorite, I was listening to it as an audio book and it just put me to sleep every night. The whole Dark Tower series is a bit of a hit and miss with me, I enjoyed books 2 and 3 a lot, but the rest weren't really for me.

[@lostmotion18]

Outsider was sure a creepy book and I had to chug a liter of mouthwash after finishing because it tasted so bad.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

LMAO 🤣

[@matthewmedley8532]

Least favourite kings are thinner and the gunslinger. Just couldn’t engage with either book.

[@turtleanton6539]

Cycle of the werewolf was a calendar

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Turtle Anton Like a real calendar? Cuz that could be cool. 🤔

[@harunkucukcelebi1594]

😄😄

[@seaofentertainment6942]

I personally hate "Elevation", only because King doesn't really clear up anything in that book, it also felt really forced, I would have been fine with it if he had added +150 more pages, just to flush the characters out a little more, and not make it feel as forced as it was. But with "The Long Walk" not one of my favorite Bachman book, I felt that one went to "The Regulators", my reason for not liking "The Long Walk"; I think it just bloated, and went no where to me. I like the concept of it, but not how it was executed. But I like your video.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Luke Leihsing Thank you! The Regulators was fun. Elevation definitely read more as a short story to me. I think that sort of unexplained ambiguity works better in a shorter format. It would have been a much different type of book if he’d cleared things up. But that’s my opinion! I do agree the characters and their relationships felt a little forced. The Long Walk, though...agree to disagree lol. Thanks for commenting!

[@VampwolfWarrior]

My least favorite King book is the Outsider. It doesn't feel like he wrote it at all and the characters were all terrible except for Holly and even she couldn't fix it. Such a cool concept and the worst execution possible.

[@JoanieMaeZie]

The Outsider seems pretty popular, but it really didn’t work great for me either. It took the detective thing he’s been doing that I don’t love on it’s own and added some superstition and stilted characters. Yeah that ones not high on my list. Though, yeah, Holly rocks. I have high hopes for the Holly story from If It Bleeds.

[@miaowang6919]

I love the outsider, my top 5 favorite 😅😅😂😂😂

[@juleschristiansalabatinore6543]

My least favorite King books would be Rage and Roadwork. :)

[@JoanieMaeZie]

Jules Christian Salabatino Real I can definitely relate. With Roadwork especially, but I’m hopeful that I’d get more out of a reread of that one. I think the cover was a bit misleading with that one too.

[@darrylgordon6360]

Dt book 1 is typical of a boy writing his first novel with more plot than character so I read it and loved it since I was 19 at the time. Plus the art is fantastic and his views of the possibilities was all worlds connected to our own was great and the mutant zombies and a boy called Jake. Maybe Terry brooks award winning book running with the demons you should try instead if you aren't hooked on the st series.

[@MistressMary...22-u9j]

most stephen king books are hard to get through...not all but most. i gave up on most of them they are so boring

[@chrisbronico3667]

I think my least favorites are 5. Revival - I liked a lot of this book but couldn’t stand the ending 4. Gwendys Botton Box - kind of boring. Not what I expected it was going to be and didn’t see the point of it or reason for it 3. The Dark Half - Great premise but not executed effectively. Lots of slow parts and don’t care for the sparrows 2. Fire Starter - found this one quite boring and slow moving. Thought this concept was handled much more effectively in The Institute 1. The Eyes of the Dragon - the only SK book I’ve read that I absolutely hated. Just awful. Terrible

[@hfdbmysx1473]

you're really cute btw, good list