Best SK novel for someone in need of a fast read.

[junkodudeturkey835]

I know the title implies i must be someone with ADD, but i have been suffering from moon issues that impact on my concentration of various thing, and the length of time i can stay invested in a certain story.

I am currently reading the first Dark Tower novel and enjoying it immensely, finding the world to be very interesting and i like Roland and Jake. But for a horror SK novel, what is one that's fairly easy to get through? I would love to read IT, The Stand and Dreamcatcher someday (i have them on my amazon account), but they are just so long...i doubt i would be able to keep my interest in them at this moment in time. Could anyone suggest one that's best for a newbie to SK?

And its important i do, since i am in need of reading more novels in order to get more knowledge about it into my mind before i try writing a novel of my own (a story which i am insanely passionate about).

 

[biodroid]

Pet Sematary and The Shining and The Dark Half all are excellent

 

[alchemist]

His short story collections are also excellent.

Salem's Lot is relatively short, I think.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Salem's lot is a good start - it's not his shortest but it's a good one to get into.

Different Seasons has four short novellas inc. the one that became the Shawshank Redemption, and is a good one. I'd also mention Firestarter and The Dead Zone as shortish works and easy to get into.

 

[paranoid marvin]

If you're reading the Dark Tower series then there are several of his other novels that are useful to read first (though not vital) - particularly in relation to a certain character.

The Stand is one, but that is one of his longer novels. So I would say Salem's Lot is relevant to the Dark Tower series (and is a good read too), but the one I would offer is The Eyes of the Dragon, which is easy to read, short and relevant to the DT novels.

If you want something unrelated, then (imho) Cell is a brilliant novel. Relatively short, easy going and a great storyline. The only surprise is that it hasn't been made into a movie/tv show yet.

 

[HoopyFrood]

The Eyes of the Dragon was (probably) my first King book and I very much enjoyed it. And yes, definitely an easy read. Very different to his other stuff in that it's more medieval fantasy-esque but you get to see yet another facet of the being that is Flagg (a recurring character through King's work).

For just a very entertaining and chilling read, I think The Shining is one of his very best.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

Salem's lot is a good start - it's not his shortest but it's a good one to get into.

Different Seasons has four short novellas inc. the one that became the Shawshank Redemption, and is a good one. I'd also mention Firestarter and The Dead Zone as shortish works and easy to get into.

Might as well put Salem's on my wishlist, my novel i have been working on has elements similar to that of vampire/zombie novels. Would help me understand how to do those stories well.

 

[Glisterspeck]

All I've read of his is Gerald's Game and On Writing. Neither were too long. Gerald's Game is more psychological horror I guess. On Writing may inspire you to get to work on the story you've been posting about elsewhere. It's pretty great.

 

[Brian G Turner]

If you're looking for short fiction from Stephen King then you can hardly go wrong with the Bachman Books - four novellas he originally published under the name of Richard Bachman, to test how much his name alone sold his fiction.

 

[BigBadBob141]

Hi Ryan J
As you say a lot of SKs books are long, however I found "Duma Key" very creepy and if I remember right its not one of his brick sized epics.

 

[Christopher Lee]

Firestarter is a good, shorter one, not to mention one of his best.

 

[zaltys13]

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a very short and very good Stephen King novel.

 

[Grimward]

I'm with Hoopy; Eyes of the Dragon if you want a novel (as opposed to a short story or novella) that won't give your elbows tendonitis. Doesn't get anywhere near the press it deserves.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Mist

 

[Michael Colton]

Needful Things

While The Stand and Insomnia are both amazing, I would not recommend them for someone looking for speed or an introduction to King. The Stand in its full edition is very long and Insomnia, despite being my favorite King novel, has a very slow pace for much of it.

 

[Boaz]

The Eyes of the Dragon

Eyes of the Dragon

I also recommend The Eyes of the Dragon.

If you're looking for short fiction from Stephen King then you can hardly go wrong with the Bachman Books - four novellas he originally published under the name of Richard Bachman, to test how much his name alone sold his fiction.

I'm not an expert on King, but I think Brian may be referring to Different Seasons... a collection of four novellas published under King's name. Three of the stories have been turned into Hollywood movies... Apt Pupil, The Shawshank Redemption, and Stand By Me.

 

[HoopyFrood]

There is Four Seasons, yes, which are all excellent novellas collected together.

But he also did do a few shorter novels (comparatively) under the name Richard Bachmann, including Thinner and The Long Walk.

 

[Boaz]

Then I stand corrected. Thanks, Hoopy!

 

[paranoid marvin]

Also The Running Man is a Bachman book (altogether different from the film) and is excellent - though not scary.

The Langoliers is also a good short by King, but as I have said before his short story 'The Sun Dog' is for me also his most chilling; and I've read quite a lot of King material (though not much after the conclusion of The Dark Tower series).

If you're looking for something that will nicely tie in with the DT series, then Salem's Lot is a good one to read.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Misery.

And if you need something really fast, watch the movie. Kathy Bates and James Caan rock in it!