Ranking Stephen King Books (Very Unpopular Opinions!)

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Ranking the 15 Stephen King Books I Have Read!
MORE Horror Recommendations: • Horror Recommendations
MORE Ranked Book Lists: • Ranked Booklists
NOTE - This video was filmed BEFORE I read Later, which is why isn't not included in my rankings.
Time Stamps:
15 1:42
14 2:31
13 3:07
12 4:29
11 5:29
10 6:16
9 7:02
8 7:48
7 8:39
6 9:33
5 10:22
4 11:22
3 12:21
2 13:05
1 13:56
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[@danielcorey2156]

I would read Different Seasons or Dolores Claiborne next. Both are outstanding.

[@TheLeenieBaby]

Dolores claiborne is my 2nd favourite book of Stephen King. Blaze being my favourite! I dont know why, but I enjoy his less paranormal and more normal books better. I really enjoyed The girl who loved Tom Gordon too

[@literarylove123]

Salem's Lot is my favorite King book, but I appreciate hearing your thoughts and opinions.

[@sapphirebre]

Misery was the first book I read by Stephen King and it has still been my favorite. Least favorite for me was Wizard and Glass within the Dark Tower series. Definitely recommend The Talisman by King. It’s an epic cross-country journey by a young boy trying to save his mother that transcends across different magical dimensions.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Cool I never hear anyone recommend that one

[@jaustill237]

Misery is a great place your start, though it might set the readers expectations pretty high.

[@JasonsWeirdReads]

This is a solid list, Rachel! I’m glad to see The Institute up high, as it’s one of my favourites of his latter works. And Pet Semetary is a masterpiece!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks! I really enjoyed buddy reading that one with you!

[@literarylove123]

The Dead Zone movie with Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen is good.

[@AlbertTheConjugator]

I hear ya. King books are usually a hit or miss for me. Especially when the books are close to 1,000 pages. I read a little everyday. If the finish isn't very good, I feel like I wasted a whole week of reading time. The Stand is must read, but the ending may disappoint some people.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I find I tend to do best with his shorter works

[@carlajohannessen]

Rachel, you should totally read 11/22/63. Knowing your tastes from watching your channel and knowing your love of sci-fi, I just know you’d enjoy it! It is my personal favorite from Stephen King. Then following is Salem’s Lot. But, I think since Salem’s Lot was my first King novel it just has a fond place in my heart. I appreciate your opinion and it’s always fun to hear another’s opinions on books that I may or may not like.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Really appreciate the recommendation

[@karenbecks9906]

Loved the video Rachel. I am always interested to hear different thoughts on King’s work. There are 2 that you haven’t read that are in my top 5 and they are 11/22/63 which I think you would enjoy and The Green Mile. When The Green Mile came out in the late 90s it was serialised in 6 volumes and I remember eagerly waiting each month for the next volume .. it’s a long wait especially when you read each part the day it came out and you had to wait 4 weeks till the next (I think I still have the original copies in one of my boxes packed away). The following year it was released as 1 book and of course the movie was released not long after. I think the 2 best adaptations of Kings books to movie are Misery and The Green Mile, they also have my 2 favourite SK characters Annie Wilkes and John Coffey. I look forward to another video later on if you read more of SK books

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Appreciate you enjoying my rather controversial video. I'll have to try those ones. I never saw the movie for Green Mile so I don't know much about that short story

[@ITCamefromthePage]

We have very different personal lists BUT I loved your views and explanations on all of these books! Subscribed and am interested in hearing more of your book opinions!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks! Glad it was interesting to watch despite our differing opinions

[@FrostaWingsIt]

I agree with all of your points, this was a really good ranking. I read Carrie as a teen and remember liking it, but after your points, I might have to revisit it! Pet Sematary is my fave of his by far too! (But I don’t like many). I had planned on re-reading this month, so I found your video to be a sign and just do it!! Haha

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks and I am glad you liked Carrie more. Please don't let me affect your memories of it

[@christinelagueux8155]

My daughter has to read Stephen King for next semester in high school. Good video for her 🙂

[@NicholasKaufmann]

Great ranking! I love PET SEMATARY, too! Personally, I would rank IT higher because I really connected with the characters. However, regarding the scene you hinted at, I have no idea why it's there or what its intended purpose is. It's just weird and off-putting.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks... and yes despite the scene, I couldn't rank IT higher because I really didn't feel that character connection

[@juleschristiansalabatinore6543]

Hi, Rachel! Loved your ranking. My least favorite Stephen King books for me were The Tommyknockers and Roadwork while I absolutely love Misery, Bag of Bones and Different Seasons.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard a lot of mixed things about Tommy knockers. Glad you also loved Misery

[@SoundFuryBookReviews]

Great list! Pet Semtary is in my top 3 as well, along with The Shining and Misery. My stepdad let my sister and her friends, when they were 10 or so, watch the movie version of Pet Semetary and my mom got angry calls from all the other parents 🤣

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Too funny! And yes Pet Sematary is great

[@TheCourtsOfLove]

I'm going to get back into Stephan King reading The Regulators (This book looks right up my alley upon hearing about it and although not every likes the very strange aspects of it I'm definitely looking forward to it.) Then desperation.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah don't know much about those two

[@TheBookclectic]

I didn't realize you've read so many King books! I really enjoyed this video Rachel! I'd love to see more like it!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Glad you enjoyed it! I gotta say I'm pretty burnt out on King from this reading project

[@angelaholmes8888]

Here's my favorite books from king In no particular order The long walk The talisman The stand Sleeping beauties The gunslinger The wastelands Wizard and glass The dark tower Black house Under the dome Rose madder Eyes of the dragon Insomnia

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Loved seeing this... lots I still need to attempt

[@paulijooste3010]

Hi Rachel - so love your channel and slowly working my way through the HUGE backlog so a bit late to some of these BUT my 2 cents - I do love Stephen King when I'm in the mood and Pet Sematary has always been my favourite along with Hearts in Atlantis. And then I'm a fan of the lesser known books specifically Rose Madder - I adore that book but I think it's because it just really touches a very real part of my life about the very very real reality of abuse, I really feel he did a fantastic job with that one and then I also love Lisey's Story - once again touching on a very real subject of "cleaning up after loosing a loved one". Misery YES a brilliant novel and then I also love Dolores Claiborne. LOVE LOVE LOVE your channel 🖤🖤🖤

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Aww first thank you! I really appreciate you chiming me with some recommendations

[@ifeanyiagulefo6329]

Just happened across your channel. Wanted to see other's opinion on where they ranked certain books of his. Something you said in your video made me realize why some people get turned off by his work. You talked about enjoying the institute because of how straight forward it was and how he doesn't go into strange and awkward places. I'm not entirely sure what you are referencing so I won't assume, but I do know I have friends that feel the same way because it seems like he veers off in some of his novels, and certain parts seem to have nothing to do with the current story. And other times it feels like there is just too much information being given. I started reading the dark tower series a few years ago. It wasn't until about two years ago that I realized a lot of his other work intertwines with the dark tower series and the multiverse he's made. I'm pretty late to the party on that. But after reading Wizard and Glass, which is my favorite book of the series and favorite book by him, I started reading the other books that had connections to the dark tower. The Talisman (amazing book), Black House(sequel to the talisman), The Stand, Hearts of Atlantis, Salem's Lot, just to name a few that are connected. And I found that a lot of the extra fluff or weird passages that people, even myself, glossed over and disregarded was actually linked to other concepts and timelines that are crucial to the dark tower. I'm not a die hard fan, but I love when stories become rabbit holes because I get a chance to lose myself in them and let the search for answers become a mild obsession. I became a more invested reader of his work just from attempting to figure out all the character connections and important occurrsnces that's overlapped in stories. Some are glaring and others are incredibly subtle, but set the stage for many of the plots. Yet, they are still able to stand alone as their own stories, which I think is very impressive. Anyways, didn't know if you knew that. And maybe it will help you in your selection when reading his books.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thank you! Yes I find it interesting to see what books different readers connect with and see which ones will work for me

[@chrisconnors7418]

I browsed through comments and a few people recommended Dolores Clairborne and The Outsider, both books I haven't read. I'll have to give those a try then. Thanks, folks!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I love seeing all the recommendations!

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

I love this video and your list please stay safe and enjoy your reading love your channel love your number one Australia fan John xxx keep up your amazing work on Stephen king please

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thank you!

[@JJRfromNYC]

I respect your list. I say you should really commit to reading The Dark Tower series. I know The Gunslinger gets panned a lot. King edited that book years later after he had written books 5,6, and 7. There is an 8th Dark Tower book called The Wind Through the Keyhole that King wrote later and fits in chronologically between books 4 and 5 (but you’re supposed to read after book 7). Also, as you probably know, many King books tie in to The Dark Tower series. It, The Stand, The Shining, Rose Matter, Salem’s Lot, Eyes of the Dragon (EOTD if a GREAT Fantasy read!) and many others. I appreciate your enthusiasm for books and I look forward to seeing your YT reviews in the future. Be well.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Really appreciate your thoughtful response to my video. I'm definitely interested to see more of this multiverse that everyone talks about so I'm intrigued of Gunslinger has a lot of links. I have a response video to this video coming on Tuesday

[@susansprague7304]

I really love Rose Madder - quite under-rated in my opinion!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I never hear about that one!

[@fullmoonmadnessvlog]

Currently reading "duma key", its nice but i dont have any expectations about the end. nice video.

[@poeticpiscean]

Just came from your other Stephen King video. Dolores Claiborne is so underrated. Glad to see a couple of recommendations. I think it might my favourite of his. Followed by Pet Sematary. Gerald's Game is also very good. Read that one when I was probably too young and it stayed with me.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the recs

[@margaretwhittaker7519]

Did you know that Misery was originally supposed to be a Bachman book? And, interestingly, your favorite is my least favorite, even though Pet Semetary had the creepiest scene he's ever written (in my opinion). I think my favorite King is always the next one, I'm always interested to see what else he can come up with.

[@traci3868]

It was? That's so interesting! Now that you say that, though, I can definitely see how it would've fit as a Bachman book.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh interesting! I do tend to like the Bachman books

[@mariorodman2723]

Start to read Blaze.. One of my favourites books 📚 of Stephen king 👑.. I believe you would like it. 💕

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the rec!

[@billkeon880]

Institute, Outsider and Revival (4.5/5) are the best of the later King for me. Christine was a pleasant surprise and Pet Sem was a HUGE surprise, and now one of my top King books. I love all his big famous novels. Thought Needful Things was great and could have been a Rod Serling story. Salem's Lot gave me nightmares when I read at the start of the pandemic. Cujo and Firestarter were good and worth a look but were 3.5/5 for me. Desperation 4/5, but more essential ones elsewhere

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I still need to read Outsider & Revival... and agree Christine was a nice surprise

[@WandasBestLife]

I noticed that some of your higher ranking Stephen King books were written through his Richard Bachman pseudonym. I prefer his writing style as Bachman. I read the Bachman books when I was around 12. The Long Walk is my favorite and explains why I enjoy dystopian books with horror elements so much now. I think it would be a fun idea if you read Desperation and The Regulators. Same characters, different storylines, one written as King, one written as Bachman. Big surprise, my favorite is the Bachman one, The Regulators. I read them back to back not long after they came out.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes you are absolutely right that something about the Bachman books tends to work better for me. That's super interesting about Desperation vs The Regulators. You certainly have me intrigued

[@TheCourtsOfLove]

The Regulators sounds so good and although it's generally a very liked book, with a few rankings placing it either at the top or bottom, you either love it or dislike it kinda deal - Looking forward to reading it and desperation.

[@fiberartsyreads]

Great list! I definitely see your points on Needful Things, what I love about that one is that it’s absolutely bonkers! It just devolves into this banana pants story if these people doing wacky and awful things. 😂 It’s really unfortunate that that one scene in It is there because it totally ruins an otherwise phenomenal story (in my opinion of course). It’s long but I just love it-but for that one scene. I think it’s easy to overlook that scene because it’s such a short part of the story, I know the last time I read it i just skipped those couple pages. I still don’t quite understand his point with that scene. I really like The Dead Zone too,Johnny is such a sad character. Misery was the first King book I read back when I was 12 or so and loved it. PetSemetary is so good! The Shining is my favorite horror book ever because it actually scares me! There are some parts that gave me nightmare and had me looking around to see if anything was around me.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks Crystal. Love to see you weighing in. While I didn't enjoy it, I will agree that it was banana pants by the end. LOL glad we had some overlap in our favourites

[@clairesayers7727]

Salems Lot and Pet Semetary are definitely two of my favourite King books. I do think that The Regulators and Desperation are seriously under rated , I loved both of them . The Institute is on my tbr for next month 🙂

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Well sounds like we have some similar and very dissimilar tastes!

[@katblack394]

I totally agree with your IT rating - that scene you're talking about did not sit well with me at all. Stephem KIng tried to explain it, but I still think it was totally unnecessary and to be honest, the most horrifying thing in the novel for me. Thank you for addressing it.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I struggled with the book regardless but that scene was unnecessary

[@monilily]

I'm just gonna go ahead and thumbs up this video now even before watching it, because I always appreciate your opinion. Update: Great job! I've read a few of these too. I also have a complicated relationship with King's writing. I'll have to read Pet Sematary one day (and now you have me curious about The Running Man). My favorite is The Green Mile, and I'd definitely recommend it to you.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ooh thank you! And nice to hear I'm not the only one with a complicated relationship with King. Maybe I'll give Green Mile a try

[@nellis2626]

Thank you for your post, I started “It” back in college scared the heck out of me. Watched the original. Once I got married and had my boy’s thing’s chanced. My youngest who’s now 21 loves Horror. So I’ve been watching more horror lately, and wanting to read more. My son didn’t enjoy the book “IT” I’ve heard from another book girl who said the similar thing’s about Pet Semetary. I will be looking forward to listening to your post.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

So glad you enjoyed the ranking. I definitely think people's experience with Kings books will depend on their own reading experience (like where they were in life when they read these iconic books)

[@LivingDeadEnby]

Finally someone who dislikes Salem's Lot as much as I do :) I'm 47 years old and often say that Stephen King raised me during my teenage-years. I began to read very early (hyperlexia) and so I always read books ahead of the age they were intended to be read. I think I got into him when I was 12. My ranking is as follows (I need to re-read some of them, though, as it is a long time ago since I've read them and I absolutely have no memory whatsoever of Desperation, haha! I just remember that I liked it a bit more than Salem's Lot): 1) The Stand (1990 version) 2) The Long Walk 3) Carrie 4) The Shining 5) Dead Zone 6) It 7) Misery 8) The Dark Half 9) The Tommyknockers 10) Doctor Sleep 11) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 12) Dolores Claiborne 13) Cujo 14) Christine 15) Firestarter 16) The Green Mile 17) The Eyes Of The Dragon 18) Rose Madder 19) Needful Things 20) Insomnia 21) Gerald's Game 22) Desperation 23) Salem's Lot I didn't read Pet Sematary back then because I saw the film - and didn't want to read the book spoilt by the film. As it's so long ago now, I'm eager to read the book finally, as I like the story and I'm pretty sure it will make my top 5 King books. I stopped reading his books after The Green Mile, but got gifted The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, which I liked, but it didn't kickstart my love for his writing again. I also never read the Dark Tower series because I'm not into Fantasy - although I heard not long ago that there are scifi elements in it as well, now I'm intrigued :) And of course I had to read Doctor Sleep as it came out. I love The Shining and was happy that he revisited it, even though I wasn't SO impressed with it as with the first book. OK, enough! Greetings from Austria!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Love seeing your list! Seeing that we have similar feelings about Salem's Lot, it makes me very interested in your top picks since we dislike some of the same books

[@LivingDeadEnby]

@@TheShadesofOrange The Stand is an awesome book, I think that you would like it! It's a squirrel killer, though (as Moid would call it 😆).

[@stevengentry9396]

I like your rankings videos, even if I have different opinions. I have only read a handful of Stephen King novels. His short stories seem to hold up better for me. Of the novels, Salem's Lot is my favorite. I'd like to say The Stand is my least favorite, but I DNFed it after 600 pages, when I realized that I didn't care about any of the events or characters in the book. Christine is probably my least favorite of those I have completed. Your ranking was fun to watch.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

So glad you enjoyed it, even if we don't completely agree! Yeah I thought I would hate Christine but I weirdly found it entertaining

[@traci3868]

I love Stephen King and I think I've only found maybe...one book so far (I haven't read them all either) that I don't really care for and am finding it to be a slog to get through. Some of your least favorites are my big favorites, and in the case of Carrie I actually have the opposite opinion about that scene which is so interesting to see two women who have such polar opposite opinions about something like that. Really great list and I really loved seeing what your thoughts and opinions were about these books!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

So interesting that you feel the opposite about Carrie as another women. It just goes to show how personal reading experiences can be

[@traci3868]

@@TheShadesofOrange I absolutely agree. I love seeing how we all differ in our reading experiences of the same books. It's so cool!

[@chrisconnors7418]

A bold brave start putting Salem's Lot at the bottom :) But (only slightly more) seriously, what type of person gives a thumbs down because someone likes different books than they do? They must be a delight at family gatherings and office picnics. I'd have put Salem's Lot near middle, and then IT at the bottom (no, Tommyknockers at the bottom; hmm, Cujo at the bottom maybe). Same thoughts on Carrie as yours too. It was among the first and almost turned me off King completely. I thought The Institute was derivative. It felt like I'd read it all before and there wasn't anything new there for me. You covered a few I haven't read (Tom Jordan, The Long Walk, Misery). I enjoyed Dr. Sleep--I went in not knowing anything about the review status. If you get around to reading The Stand, read the original version rather than King's version where he put back in a bunch of scenes the editors cut out. I read both versions, and while I know some people really liked King's version, it didn't work for me. Too long, too many side diversions, pacing suffered badly, I started getting bored and really didn't care about many of the side plots/characters. The long version did shed more light on some things, but not anything important, IIRC. I also enjoyed Firestarter (book version). It was one I reread a few times (that was way back before I curtailed rereading greatly since there were so many new books coming out I needed to read).

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Haha I definitely go for the Unpopular Opinions! Loved hearing how our lists compares. I'm surprised you haven't read Misery, just because of how popular it is. I'd definitely be open to read Dr Sleep in the future

[@Monsterblood]

Great ranking! I'm not the biggest King fan, either. I've only read 5 or 6 of his novels so far, and a few of his story collections. My favorites are Salem's Lot and Misery. Maybe I need to give Pet Sematary a reread! I first read it a long time ago in my teens but I don't remember caring for it much... but everyone seems to have it in their top 5 or even top spot for his work

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Nice to hear from someone else who is also hit or miss with king... I hope you give Pet Sementary another try

[@crystalr.castillo2784]

great list! Misery & Pet Cemetery are my my top favorite 🖤

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Sounds like we have similar tastes

[@AJDunnReads]

I'm doing a Stephen King reading project on my channel (reading them in order) and I did a first 10 books ranking recently. I love seeing others' ranking videos of his books. Very interesting placements! 😁

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh fun! I'll have to check out your ranking!

[@lisalantrip7509]

I have read 30 Stephen King books and surprisingly you have read 7 books that I have not! You've definitely made me want to read The Running Man and The Long Walk. My favorites are Revival, Joyland, 11/22/63, The Green Mile, Wizard and Glass, Pet Semetary, and The Institute.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

That's interesting that we don't have have more overlap! I'd be interested to try Joyland and Revival

[@nevskislake]

Stephen King is my favorite author, and I absolutely loved this video. I loved hearing your popular and unpopular opinions here. My favorite Stephen King book is The Shining, followed by IT and Salem's Lot. Christine really surprised me. My least favorite Stephen King book was The Colorado Kid. I actually hated that novel. My unpopular Stephen King opinion: I am not a fan of the Dark Tower series. As far as recommendations go, I would recommend Joyland. The ending did not land for me (I will be curious to see what you think), but the rest of the book had more emotional pull than I was expecting. I would also love to hear your thoughts on The Dark Half or Revival.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I appreciate that you were able to enjoy the video despite your love of a King. Because yes, this video was definitely not meant to be a roast. I think these kinds of Ranking videos are interesting because he has such a range of work so I like to see what clusters of books certain people like and how they compare to my own tastes. I have considered reading Joyland since I (mostly) enjoyed Later

[@NakiasHideaway]

I've only read Later by Stephen King which I enjoyed for the most part so I can't chime in on your rankings. But I do know the ones you have as your least favorite are the ones I have no desire to read... especially It. And the ones in your top 5 are some I have on my TBR, like The Institute and Misery. Great rankings list, Rachel!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'll be interested to see your rankings once you read more of his books

[@NakiasHideaway]

@@TheShadesofOrange Oh I'll never read enough King to do my own rankings. There are very few of his books I actually want to read. 😁

[@literarylove123]

I choose Pet Sematary as number three; The Shining as number two; Salem's Lot as number one. You should read The Stand next.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Loved hearing your top 3. And honestly I'm pretty intimated by the Stand

[@halko1802]

I haven't read much Stephen King but recently finished IT and agree completely with you about it. The Long Walk and Pet Sematary I'm looking forward to 🙌🏽📚

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I hope you enjoy those two!

[@SacrificeTheVeggies]

My mom gave me a pop-up book of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon when I was little and that’s how my love of horror began haha

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh cool!

[@redpaladin98888]

agree 100% on 'salem's lot. never understood how people could love it so hard lol

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Aw thanks for sharing my unpopular opinion

[@chrisbronico3667]

I have read about half of his books. Bottom 5: 5. Revival 4. The Dark Hf 3. Gwendy’s Botton Box 2. Firestarter 1. The Eues of the Dragon Top 10: 10. Desperation/Misery /Cujo depending on the moment 9. Carrie 8. Pet Semetary 7. The Green Mile 6. Joyland 5. The Institute 4. Needful Things 3. Mr. Mercedes 2. Salem’s Lot 1. The Stand

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Love seeing your breakdown! I'd be interested to try Joyland. I see Revival in your bottom and that was another one I was eyeing up

[@chrisbronico3667]

@@TheShadesofOrangei actually really enjoyed most of it but I absolutely hated the ending. Some love the end and some hate it. I am on the side of not liking it.

[@levispinks2458]

I’m not a huge fan of Stephen Kings writing unfortunately (please don’t hurt me 😅), but I do love the films. However I flew through Later, and I loved it which gave me more faith that I may enjoy his writing one day.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

We sound similar! And glad no one roasted you in the comments for not being a big fan 😅

[@JNoMooreNumbers]

I haven't read the most recent. There's a 2nd one now so haven't been seeking them out. I like the Stand the best and Gunslinger was ridiculous taking 20 years to do and bizarre to really get into. He ripped people off charging 1 dollar a chapter not an online book 15? or more years ago and not finishing it. No refund or credit. Lost respect for him with his arrogance. The Plant. Hated Misery. Basically his earliest were his best. Later on there were more duds.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ah yes the Stand is so beloved. I've heard mixed things about the Gunslinger but I'm intrigued by it

[@ainwena7595]

My favorite from Stephen King (besides his short story collections) is the Running Man. I think it is a fun all around story-I even enjoyed the movie for it too. I haven't read The Institute (although it is sitting on my shelf). I also enjoyed Salem's Lot, but I love vamp books. I liked this list-there were some that I decided to put on my TBR that I have considered in the past. My all time favs from him are his short stories. Quirky, dark, and about the right length for his style of writing for me. I also had a problem with the portrayal of Carrie the first time I read it, but then for the second read (a few years ago) I decided to read it as a product of the 1970s (as I love history) and then I enjoyed it the second go round.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I really need to try some of his short-story collections

[@odditycat6233]

I feel similarly. King is a super mixed bag for me. Usually its his politics and long winded storytelling style that kill it for me. But I do have some faves! And yes, I really like salems lot personally. Needful things is my fave. but we're all different and its okay.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Sounds like our rankings are the opposite! Haha yeah definitely a mixed bag for me

[@jjnewbold]

Great video idea! I love Pet Sematary and The Institute as well. I'd be curious to see if you like Doctor Sleep and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, two of my other favorites.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks! I did enjoy Tom Gordon (it was midlist) and I'll hopefully check out doctor sleep in the future

[@christinelagueux8155]

My daughter has to read Stephen King for high school. Good video for her 🙂

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'm curious which one she'll be reading!

[@christinelagueux8155]

Me too

[@christinelagueux8155]

@@TheShadesofOrange Me too. She won't be starting it until after Christmas break.

[@christinelagueux8155]

My daughter started her Stephen King class yesterday. She gets to choose 2 books. She wants to read the Shining but hasn't decided on a 2nd one yet. She is thinking maybe Misery, Dolores Clairborne or her teacher recommended Cujo.

[@literarylove123]

I still need to read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

[@wrv341]

Late on this, but read Salem's Lot recently and not only is it my least favorite Stephen King book, it is my least favorite book of all time. And I love many of his other popular books, The Shining, IT, The Stand, Misery, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Dark Tower series. And I read through the comments and a book(or books) not getting too much love here that I think is excellent is Desperation and The Regulators. Desperation is incredibly suspenseful and The Regulators is the fastest pace onslaught of chaos you'll ever read (although I would recommend Desperation first because the characters "leak" over in Richard Bachman's Regulators in very strange ways).

[@TheShadesofOrange]

OK thank you for sharing my unpopular opinion of Salem's Lot. We share a lot of favourite so I definitely value your opinions

[@august3777]

As far as Carrie goes, the problems that you more than likely had with the story and the "girl problems" was actually given to him by his wife. The story about this book was that Stephen King wrote a few pages of the book, then thought he had got too far with it, and threw it away. When his wife read it, she encouraged him to continue writing it and gave him the ideal of the shower scene and all the girl throwing tampons at her. So if that was your problem with the book, it was Stephen King's wife's fault. I really liked this boo9k, but for me the emotional drive behind the story centers on Carrie need or want to be included in high school life, which is seen when she is trying to create her own prom dress and telling her mom that she has to try and fit in. I think that it make the story real and makes me want to root for her. But, of course, high school kids being high school kids, they play a nasty prank on her and she ends up loosing it. I think its his best book ever. But that's just my personal opinion, of course. Also, you should take a look at this video here, which tries to explain how Stephen King predicted the raise of Trump through the Dead Zone. Personally, I'm not one to hate on Trump or anything, but it is fun to see some of the parallels between Greg Stillson and Trump. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4nJnJ-pgKyqeLc

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh seriously that was his wife!?! Wtf... LOL oh it was cringey for me

[@Georgesmomsu]

Ohhhh. So many controversial opinions 😳. I have read most of his books as they came out. I think I was 12 when I started reading him. The Long Walk is my favorite novella of his. Pet Semetary is fantastic, so so creepy. His writing style definitely changed after he was hit by the van. I really like his books, most not classified as horror. He does a character so well. Some of my favs: 11/22/63, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, The Mr Mercedes trilogy and Billy Summers. Billy Summers just came out and I think it is my fav of his. Such a great story. Definitely not a horror book.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yes very controversial! Loved hearing your other favourites. It helps me to plan my next King books

[@jrson5000]

Great list! Definitely agree w your thoughts on King as an author as some of his stuff i really dont find scary or my cup of tea, but i loved your top 5! I havent read misery so i have to go give that a read now. After i finish night of the living mannequins

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Glad you loved my top 5... those are ones I genuinely enjoy. And hope you're enjoying Mannequins

[@andrewclear8905]

I still don’t understand why people have such a big issue with kids having sex in It? Kids have sex-fact. I disliked the cheesy dialogue during the scene. None of these books are “problematic.” He didn’t write his books for the shifting cultural censorship of 21st century America.

[@thestudiointhelibrary1387]

My favorite Stephen King is 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'; least favorite is 'Tommyknockers'. I am presently enjoying the trilogy with Richard Chizmar: Gwendy's Button Box. I thought 'Elevation' was interesting. Shorter works seem to work best for me. Longer works could use some editing. I liked his book on writing as well.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I liked Tom Gordon and yeah I've heard bad things about Tommy Knockers

[@robdonut66]

Picked up Duma Key after years of not reading King and really enjoyed it.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

That's one I never hear people talk about

[@jstrange1]

King's one of those authors I read a lot but am actually not a big fan. He's just so readable to me. I suppose it's the premises that draw me in but the actually execution, imo, is often lacking. "Lisey's Story", for example, promised much more than it delivered. I understand King's moved away from over the top horror but the tension in the book was minimal. Yet I read it.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'm kind of the same! He's one of my "most read authors" but not necessarily a favourite. I think it's partially because he has such a giant backlist. So many of my favourite authors only have a single book or maybe two

[@literarylove123]

I really like Christine, too. There are some honestly creepy parts interspersed throughout the book. Also, The Shining is in my top 3 King books.

[@cindywingetbooks]

Pet Semitary is my favorite as well, followed by Misery and The Shining. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one that didn't like Salem's Lot! I feel like everyone else loves it. I felt the same way about it as you did. On the other hand, I just recently read The Long Walk and hated it. I didn't like having no explanation for the the long walk. With no motivations for the characters or not really getting to know them at all I felt nothing when they died. Very repetitive. And yes, Stephen King can be very long winded at times! Lol

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Sounds like we have some similar rankings!

[@anthonywheeler2082]

Four Past Midnight has four novellas in it, and it's very good. I mostly agree about Salem's Lot. I finished it but I nearly put it down early on.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Glad I wasn't the only one who struggled with Salem's Lot

[@SuperStrangSshadow]

So glad you love Pet Semetary. It's my all time fave because it is so dark and depressing book to read.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Absolutely. It's not just a favourite King book, but a favourite horror book. Period.

[@starian72]

salem's lot was boring to me, I agree it was very forgetable! I enjoyed the shining and doctor sleep too! the institute is in my top too because it was so fast paced. I loved pet sematary!!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

SO boring! Glad you share my love for Pet Sementary

[@thelasthandbook6704]

The King book I push on everyone is The Talisman, though even I'll concede it is a bit dated. Anyway, I have to recommend it here, of course. Skip the sequel, though. It is slop in dire need of an editor, sadly. Rage is another one I can't recommend enough. Quite possibly the best psychological horror novel I've ever read. Pity the only reasonable way to find a copy nowadays is via piracy, since King wimped out over a connection to a school shooting. Quite short as well. As to your list, I mostly agree. I'm not a fan of IT, and not just because of "that scene." Rambling, storyteller King is pleasurable within certain limits, but IT exceeded them. I liked 'Salem's Lot for what it was, but can certainly understand why it wouldn't appeal to some. (Amusingly there's a short story where the slimy reporter from The Dead Zone meets the vampire from 'Salem's Lot called The Night Flier. Might be worth looking for.) I'd probably move Misery to the top of your list, but that's me. The Institute was ruined for me by his bizarre devolution into Trump Derangement Syndrome; he initially planned to bring back The Shop from Firestarter and The Tommyknockers but felt he couldn't do that due to Trump being in office.

[@JNoMooreNumbers]

I hate the political stuff added like that. TDS. Have the book but not read it yet. Now I don't want to. Partly why I haven't been seeking out his books. Know one cares about your political beliefs King. We just want to be entertained. Mama said never discuss politics and religion.

[@crisvis8905]

If he was a Trump supporter you all wouldn't have a problem with him talking about politics.

[@glyndwr15]

I liked King's 1970s and 80s output more than his later stuff. I have to agree about Salem's Lot. It really did nothing for me.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Wow I thought I was the only one who who felt that way about Salem’s Lot

[@jamesgossweiler1349]

I've never read a Stephen King novel which strikes people who know me as odd. I find that he tends to slip into the "rabbit hole" of unnecessary detail...page after page sometimes... where it's not needed. I tried to read The Dome and couldn't get farther than the third chapter. A novel should span 800 pages only if it needs to...

[@danielcorey2156]

He is definitely guilty of overwriting. However, he also does a ton of tight, excellent novella work. I’d recommend starting with either Different Seasons or Full Dark, No Stars, both of which are very strong collections (and on the shorter side).

[@TheShadesofOrange]

That is surprising! I tend to assume that most readers have read at least one of his books

[@MickeyDee602]

Pet Semetary was my favorite King book growing up, but it eventually got replaced by Under the Dome. Not sure if you'd like that one though. It's long and weird lol

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Still need to try that one. I'm intrigued by it!

[@sh4577]

I haven’t read a ton of King but I really enjoyed his newer one Later and I liked Liseys Story as well. Liseys Story took me a bit to get into it but then it got very good, Later I enjoyed from start to finish. I also enjoyed The Institute as well.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard things about Liseys

[@books-on-a-wire]

That scene in IT turned me off Stephen King for the longest time, I'm still baffled why it was included. But your list matched my likes really close - Pet Semetary is my personal favorite followed by The Shining and Misery. I think you would like Doctor Sleep and The Outsider is my favorite of his newer stuff.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

If our lists are similar, then I should definitely try those two... thanks!

[@constantlyreadingash]

I’m a pretty big King reader (I think I’m 43-44 books in) and I don’t even have It in my top 10 in regards to my personal taste. I think it’s a really good display of his writing skills but it wasn’t for me, which was really disappointing. I think I overhyped it too much.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I really appreciate hearing that from a big King reader. I feel like everyone puts it in their top 3

[@raymondstiehl6769]

Rachel is trying to break the internet with this video! Way to put yourself out there with some unpopular opinions. Going to grab some popcorn and read all the comments that will come in

[@TheShadesofOrange]

😂😂😂 I'm actually impressed people have been pretty civil ... yeah I was nervous to post this video

[@alynam82]

Some thoughts for you: Salems' Lot -- I didn't love this either. As a SK fan, I was surprised at how late in life I've read this, and I thought it was okay. I gave it 3☆ on Goodreads, which is low-end rating. IT -- I just read this in July, as a second time read. I really, really enjoyed but for the ending that dragged on, and on, and on... the scene that bothered you? Well, it sure was inappropriate, but I was ready for it, so I was able to look past it. Cell -- I had to DNF back when it was new. I may try again some day. Shining -- I read this back in 2000, so I'm definitely ready for a re-read. But Doctor Sleep was fun, and I think you may enjoy. The Long Walk -- wow, I enjoyed the heck out of that one. I went into that one blind, so I didn't know what to expect. Institute -- I'm a fan of all his recent books, and I think you would be too. I would recommend that you give the Mr. MERCEDES trilogy a try, because you seem to enjoy thrillers, but also because I seriously think that you would enjoy The Outsider (which makes reading the Mercedes books a requirement) Pet Semetary-- is a toss up between this book and The Stand as my all-time fave. I only read Stand once, and only a couple years ago. But Pet Semetary I read for the third time last October.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for weighing in. I feel like I need reread IT eventually now that I know what I'm expecting. I definitely want to try more of his new stuff since I liked the Institute

[@alynam82]

@@TheShadesofOrange sorry that comment was so long... I was just adding to it while I was watching

[@tyranosaurussx444]

I was disappointed by the luck of imagination by S.King in The Running Man. The main character Ben Richards is using a VIDEO TAPE RECORDER and has to send two tapes a day by POST, in this futuristic America in 2025. In 1982, I would have immagined a future where people would be recording with their eyeballs by 2025 and sending it through some supersonic hyperlink, or something like that. Instead S. King is using technology of the time when he wrote it. I still enjoyed the story, just this aspect was a bit of a let down.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Haha yeah that's a good point

[@ahill6858]

My goodness. Needful things , Salem’s Lot and IT are in my top 5. Haha

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'm do sorry 🙈😂

[@sarangbalakrishnankp99]

Are you english major ..? .your talking directing my mind throughout this vedio

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Hardly!

[@BeckyInCa]

I really like Me. Mercedes.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I need to give that one a try

[@bookishsix]

IT is one of my favorites, but yes that scene is where I stop liking it and if I reread it I will likely stop there. the shining is my top favorite so far with Pet Semetary as a close second 😊

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah the scene just felt unnecessary. Glad we share a favourite

[@tracey7241]

Salem's Lot did not work for me either. So much so that I started reading it again 2 months later, not realizing that I had already read it!

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I'm sorry that you also struggled through Salem's Lot

[@joeesposito5204]

I think you're making too much of "that scene" in It. It's not written in a sexualized way , nor is it intended to arouse the reader. I think the argument that it was unnecessary is fair but I think that it works within the context of the immediately preceding events

[@TheShadesofOrange]

To be clear, my ranking had more to do with my overall enjoyment. I honestly struggled to connect with the characters. That scene was just unnecessary in my mind

[@KimmielovesJoeJonas]

Have you read 11/22/63? That's my favorite Stephen King book 😊

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I have not, but a few people recommended it here

[@danat7016]

This was a fun video. My favorite sk books are misery and joyland.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks Dana. Glad we're still friends! I'd be interested in trying Joyland

[@danat7016]

@@TheShadesofOrange 😂😂 we are still friends!😊

[@jdsantibanez]

Not 11/22/63? It's an excellent love story. I really loved The Dead Zone and the movie, too (The Tv series, not so much). I haven't read The Dark Tower series. I began to read one and bored me. Maybe some day.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I really enjoyed the dark tower series just finished the final book the ending shocked me though you definitely should give it another try

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Yeah I haven't attempted that chunky monkey yet

[@SilverBulletCinemas]

Firestarter. If I could only recommend one book of his that I've read it would be that one. Perhaps his most insidiously evil villain ever, who purposefully & intentionally sets out to undermine & take the plce of a child's own parent. Truly evil shit. Plus Steve has trouble keeping it tight & I feel this is him at his most restrained Goldilocks-level, not too long, not too short. There's just enough meat on the bone so to say, no fat.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Thanks for the recommendation. I don't hear much about that one

[@AlbertTheConjugator]

Also, I got a controversial opinion for ya. I have always HATED the Shining movie. It never made any sense and Jack Nicholson overacts like crazy. I never understood why I hated it until I read the book during the quarantine. The story of a guy going nuts in seclusion with his family was very timely ;-) . It's very simple. Stanley Kubrick threw away King's story and made his own. He should've also thrown away REDRUM and even the title. The ability to Shine serves no purpose in Kubrick's movie. Also, Tony is laughable in the movie and serves no purpose. *Semi spoiler. In the book, the emphasis is on Danny. The Overlook hotel wants Danny for his power. King likes to write about possessed non-living things. Christine for example. In the movie, the emphasis is on the father Jack. Why? Because Jack Nicholson is a huge star.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Oh that is an Unpopular Opinion!

[@elizatash]

It was one of my least favorites, too. Especially the ending as you mentioned. I 100% agree.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Aww yeah I wanted to love it so badly but nope

[@rosiealma4276]

This list is in the wrong order. 😂 Actually, I love watching how differently people rate King.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Lol. Best Comment! Glad l hear you didn't mind watching an unusual rankings video

[@zaftra]

salems lot bottom, lol, stops there.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Here's my least favorite books from Stephen king The drawing of three Gerald's game The girl who loved Tom Gordon Duma key Doctor sleep but I did love the movie version The institute Lisey story

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Aw yeah I didn't mind Tom Gordon and honestly enjoyed the Institute

[@peterlightning9235]

I think Stephen King is pretty overrated. He's has lots of good books for sure. But, I think Michael Crichton is a lot better. I agree Misery and Pet Semetary are excellent. But, a lot of Stephens Kings books don't hook me like Michael Crichton's books and other authors do.

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Ah yes I definitely want to read more Michael Crichton. I've only read three of his books so far

[@thefellowshipoftheringsacc2502]

What the f**k this is almost the worst list ever (I know I sound mean but that is just my opinion

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Lol you certainly don't need to agree with my rankings. I knew my opinions would be very controversial

[@andrewborrs9443]

One of my favorite not on your list. You should check out 11/22/63

[@TheShadesofOrange]

I've heard such good things about that one!

[@andrewborrs9443]

@@TheShadesofOrange Still looking for books like 11/22/63, Books like Time and again by Jack Finney. Read so many books in the last year running out of books to read.

[@jukie16]

IT was way too long, and the ending was so bad 😢 I love both movies so much it makes me sad I didn’t like the book

[@TheShadesofOrange]

Aw yeah I sadly feel the same.

[@rocsimmons8535]

👍🏽👍🏽

[@Nomathomas2201]

Womp womp..