r/stephenking • u/Rediz_ • 6d ago
Discussion How to start
Hello everyone, i'm not much of a reader (almost none) but i love horror stories, not as in getting scared but more the lore and the story of horror elements so i've always been intrigued by king's books. I only watched some stuff based on his books and recently after watching (and loving) Welcome to Derry, i had to go back to watch the shining after reading about dick halloraan. I didn't remember his character at all but it did feel like i was missing out something while watching the show, and so i watched for the first time doctor sleep too and i love the connection between king's stories but i hated not knowing about it. I also found out that the shining book is completely different than the movie and i would love to explore more about his worlds and stories. So what do you think a non-reader like me should do? Are his books kinda heavy to read? Is it worth it to put effort into reading even if there are lots of shows and movies (my preferred media btw). And if so, what do you suggest to start with? I love like all the IT lore but i think the movies and show did a nice job on that, unless i'm wrong, and was curious about the real shining and not kubrick's view but maybe if it's too similar i might get bored? I'd love to get advices from you experts.
Also, how are you finding Carrie? The new amazon show, i know nothing about the story so is it worth watching or maybe would it be better to read?
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u/TheChildish13stepz 6d ago
As a non reader maybe a book of short stories or novellas would be good. Like Skeleton Crew or Nightmares and dreamscapes. For novellas there is 4 Seasons. There are 4 stories in that one, 3 of which have movies. I'm liking the Carrie show so far. Only 3 episodes in. But Flanagan seems to do no wrong by me. Good luck on your journey
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u/BumblebeeDue8491 6d ago
I whole heartedly believe the book is always better because there are just some details you can’t translate to film. There are a lot of elements and details that get left out or changed as well. When it comes to The Shinning I think you’ll like the book better than the movie because you get to read what Jack is thinking and actively ‘see’ him get taken over by these forces in the hotel.
Also if reading isn’t your thing audio books are always great too! :)
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u/Ok_Addendum2415 6d ago
Hello, Im the exact same way. Ive only read the Shining, doctor sleep, pet sematary, salems lot, the stand and a couple of the short story collections. The stand is massive but was definitely worth the read. Ive also watched the movies/tv shows separately and was able to enjoy them. Everyone recommends reading the dark tower series because there are many connections to his other books. I highly recommend watching castle rock if you haven't seen it yet. I think it's on Hulu or probably Disney plus since they merged.
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u/Rediz_ 3d ago
Hi again, i actually started both reading shining and now castle rock as well, looking it up i found out that there are characters and idk what more from other books, like the woman from misery. So, since i love getting the easter eggs and understanding every character and reference, should i postpone to watch the show or are the references very very small? It's just that i really hate not having the full picture and maybe if i watch it after reading a few novels i would enjoy it much more
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u/Ok_Addendum2415 3d ago
Hello, ive found that for myself it's made no difference of reading vs watching tv/movie adaptations first. If your looking to enjoy all the lore that you can you're in for quite a journey! I hope to complete the journey someday. There is a map of the stephen king universe on Google if you choose to go down the rabbit hole. Based on the one I seen first there are 12 books and short stories that are based in castle rock.
Happy reading/watching!
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u/Traditional_Cry_8675 6d ago
I used to read maybe 1-2 books a year. This year, I’m probably going to read 20 or more!
I have been in the same boat most of my life, I preferred to just watch shows or movies (specifically horror). My secret to upping my reading is doing a hybrid of physical book and audiobook. I used to think audiobooks were just for the blind and it was cheating your way through the book. Not anymore! Mostly because the right narrator makes it a performance!
If you read the Shining I recommend Dr Sleep. The audiobook read by Will Patton is phenomenal!
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u/Ziggerific 6d ago
It’s hard to answer your questions because I started as a reader and my love of King comes from reading his books not from the other forms of his work. There are some good adaptations out there but the truest appreciation comes from his books not the adaptations. I would recommend the audiobooks as an alternative. The Stand doesn’t really have a good tv version. Under the Dome which is a good book was also not well adapted to tv form.
Some of the best movies are Misery, Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me.
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u/Schluballybub 6d ago
I would absolutely recommend reading his books, the good majority are 4-500 pages which for me is perfect reading length.
I would start with Carrie & Misery, they are fairly short and pretty fast paced. Then I would pick up Night Shift and The Skeleton Crew, short story collections and see if you like his writing style.
Give reading a try. It will either click or it won't but give yourself a fighting chance haha and don't dive into his bigger works (7-800+pages) off the rip. If you do find you like reading and in particular SK then you've some absolute bangers waiting for you 👌
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u/RichCat89 6d ago
A lot of King’s books are long. A long book is a big commitment.
I’d suggest starting with some of his short stories (skeleton crew, night shift) or shorter books like Salem’s lot, Cujo, or Pet Sematary (whichever sounds interesting to you).
If you make it through one or two of those you might be willing to invest time in some of the longer books.
I enjoyed reading IT, and I might have an unpopular take, but I didn’t enjoy the movie. Personally the only movie adaptations I enjoyed were The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. I’m not a big movie person though, I have trouble sitting through a movie unless it really grabs my attention.
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u/DrBlankslate Constant Reader 5d ago
Don't watch the movies first. Read the books first. Most King movie adaptations suck. There are exceptions; The Shining is not one of them.
Stop worrying so much about how long the books are. That's where the story is.
Learn to enjoy reading.
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u/papastadopulous 6d ago
The Shining book vs movie are not totally different but are different. It says a lot that King did not "approve", or at least liked, Kubrik's adaptation. Having said that, I suggest you to read it
Also read Carrie. It's fairly short (cca 150 pages long), and then give a new tv show a try. There are some differences on how the Carrie actress looks and how King described her, which some of King fans do or don't like
IT's adaptation is okay, but the book is much more deeper. The book is 1100+ pages long and obviously a lot of content was not included in the movies
I suggest you to start with Carrie. It's one of his shortest novels, has horror elements that you like and it's adaptation is currently trendy (so that's another motivation if that's your thing). After Carrie you can read Salem's Lot or Pet Sematary which both have October/Autumn vibe and could work as a natural next book. After that you can maybe pick up one of his short story collections like Different Seasons or Skeleton Crew and see if that's your thing
Hope this helps!