Best Stephen King Books to Start Your Journey Into Horror

The Stand, a novel first published in 1978, brings us a dystopian world where due to an error in the US Defence lab computers, a morbid virus went loose and most of the human population is no more. Those left form groups to create the world anew.

The Stand is one of the longest individual novels in a Stephen King book list so it isn't a surprise that throughout the story we meet approximately a hundred characters. What is notable, they are all convincing and "alive", so much so that, getting to know them, we emphasize with them, support them, no matter is they are good or bad. In fact, there are no strictly good and bad characters here, which we believe to be another plus side and maybe even the main idea behind the plot. In this story, Stephen King presents us with the concept that people are much more complex than just good and bad and assuming they are can be a grave mistake. Leave some space to get to know them and their motivation. And never forget that the world will not survive without compassion and fortitude.

The book is really multi-faceted, full of philosophy, metaphors, and religion, yet it is still an undeniably one of the Stephen King books, rich in his unique style. It is also one of his most monumental works. King himself mentioned that he believes The Stand to be one of the few works by him that might become his literary heritage and will be in demand even after he passes away.

Salem's Lot is the second published Stephen King's book believed to be significant to his future trademark style. Here, he starts to explore the twists and hooks that will be still capturing his readers years and years later. It is also the first of his novels with a writer as a protagonist. According to King, Salem's Lot was intended to be a curtsy to Bram Stoker's Dracula and a step into an ever-popular vampire trope. Evidently, Salem's Lot has more similarities with the Stoker's Dracula than with modern-era romanticized vampires image.

In the story, we get to know one Ben Mears, a writer who comes back to his hometown in hope to cast away his old demons and instead finds a flock of new ones. People go missing and then they come back. It would be better if they didn't. Thus, the terror starts...

This is a book for those in awe with classic King horror, it is full of despair where the last glimmer of hope is left. And of course, it is for those who prefer the true and scary vampires that breath danger instead of shining with sex appeal.

The Gunslinger is the first installment in the only official series in the Stephen King book list. King had been writing the series for almost 30 years, starting with short stories published in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine that were combined into a book in 1982. That book was The Gunslinger. This is where the long journey began. 

In this novel, we follow the last of the gunslingers, Roland Deschain on his quest to find a mysterious Man in Black who is supposed to know the road to the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes. Throughout the story, Roland meets various people and we gradually learn his story and background.

Although the story was officially published in 1978, there are hints to it in King's earlier works. In 1969, the author (a college student at that time) wrote The Dark Man poem where we first meet the future antagonist of The Gunslinger. A year later, in 1970, King also wrote a short story titled Slade where we meet Jack Slade, a character some readers believe to be a test run for Roland.

The Shining is one of the most famous Stephen King books and his first bestseller. The story takes us to the Overlook Hotel where an ex-teacher and aspiring writer Jack Torrance works as the off-season caretaker while his wife and son accompany him. But the hotel is not exactly a normal hotel and weird things happen there which affect Jack in not the best of ways.

The novel was highly praised by the critics for being "more than your average horror" and highlighting a severe alcoholism and domestic violence problems that do exist in our society.

The Shining has a story behind its creation. The idea of it had struck King during his stay in the Stanley Hotel where he and his wife Tabitha went to have some rest. The hotel stood on a ridge and, as it was late fall, was empty but for them two. King and his wife were also told that heavy snow can sometimes cut the hotel from the civilization for days.

The King family had only spent a single night in the hotel but on that night Stephen had a dream of his son running the corridors escaping a fire hose. Waking up with a jolt, King had an idea for a novel. Many interior elements that we see in the story are replicas of those the Stanley Hotel had that time.

One of the most terrifying among King's horror stories has a really succinct, short yet powerful name—It.

We get to know the town of Derry, Maine, where a serial killer hunts children. When seven kids form the Losers club they find out that the murderer is not a human being but a creature able to change its looks to whatever the person fears the most. It's preferred appearance is none other than a clown, chosen to lure little ones to death.

The story is told in two parallel time periods with a gap of 27 years, we meet the characters as kids and as adults. We see them being horrified and traumatized but holding onto their faith and friendship. It is a coming-of-age story told by Stephen King using his childhood fears. Although the novel received mixed reviews from critics, It is considered one of ten best Stephen King books by readers. The writer was nominated for several prestigious awards and won the British Fantasy Society August Derleth Award in 1987 with It.