Ranking the Novels of Stephen King

Photo Credit: Matt Handle

Last Updated 1/19/22

Stephen King fills more space on my personal bookshelf than any other writer so I thought I’d rank his novels for any readers out there that haven't indulged in as much of his work. You're missing out! Note, when viewing the bottom of the list, you might compare these books to donuts. Sure, Bavarian Cream isn't a great donut, but let’s be honest, it’s still a donut. They’re all pretty damn good. I did not include The Bachman Books (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man) since I read those in their original collected package, nor did I rank King’s non-fiction or short story collections, all of which are excellent. Without further explanation, here’s my list.

1. It - One of his earlier works and back in vogue due to the recent hit film, It is still my favorite. Boyhood fears coming back to haunt your adulthood is one of King’s common themes and nowhere does he do it better than here.

2. 'Salem's Lot - His second novel remains one of his best. This is my kind of vampire story.

3. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands - This one and its follow up are my favorites of this series. If you like dark fantasy, you simply must try these.

4. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass - I devoured this one. Top notch.

5. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three - King’s epic series really gets going here. Great read.

6. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower - Some people have complained about the ending, but I thought it was absolutely perfect.

7. The Shining - A scary look at a family man losing his mind in a hotel full of ghosts

8. The Stand - An epic apocalyptic vision and a REALLY long book

9. Revival - One of his most recent books and one of his best. A dark look at the loss of faith and what horror might lie beyond death.

10. The Talisman (written with Peter Straub) - His first collaborative novel and it was definitely a success

11. Duma Key - A tale concerning the dark magic inherent in the creation of art. This is one of my favorites of King’s more recent work.

12. The Dead Zone - Entertaining story about a man able to see the future and what lengths he’s willing to go to in order to change it.

13. Doctor Sleep - A follow-up to one of King's early novels, The Shining, this one is another example that the master of horror still hasn't lost his touch.

14. The Outsider – This taut thriller about a case of mistaken identity and a very strange serial killer is not only one of King’s better books, it made for an excellent mini-series on HBO as well.

15. The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger - Promising start to an epic series of books

16. The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole - A spin-off of sorts from King's wonderful fantasy series and a really good read

17. Mr. Mercedes - A departure for Mr. King, this one is more of a detective story than pure horror, but he nails it. Great protagonist and a fun read.

18. Pet Sematary - Disturbing tale of what the loss of a child does to a father and how far he’d go to bring that child back

19. The Dark Half – Everyone has a dark side, including writers.

20. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah - Not as strong as some of the other books in the series, but a return to their style after the departure of Book V

21. The Green Mile - An example of well-drawn characters and a story that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

22. Under the Dome - More well-drawn characters in a long, enjoyable narrative slightly spoiled by the ending.

23. Later - A short, fast-paced tale of a boy whose ability to speak to the dead gets him in trouble with a dirty cop and a vengeful spirit.

24. Needful Things - Several of King’s stories deal with the dark secrets hidden in the small towns of America. This one tells such a tale quite well.

25. Finders Keepers - An entertaining sequel to Mr. Mercedes

26. Desperation - Meaner than many of King’s stories and probably all the better for it

27. End of Watch - This trilogy got sillier as it went along, but the main protagonist remains one of my favorites of his characters.

28. Cell - A different take on the zombie apocalypse, but no less entertaining

29. Insomnia - Creepy and well told with a tie-in to the Dark Tower series.

30. Bag of Bones - One of several books King has written that involve a writer protagonist. He knows his subject matter.

31. Cujo - Next time you see a big, mean-looking dog, you’ll make tracks that much quicker.

32. Black House (written with Peter Straub) - The gruesome sequel to The Talisman  

33. The Regulators - Companion to Desperation but not quite its equal

34. Carrie - A high school girl you REALLY don’t want to mess with

35. Christine - A vintage car you REALLY don’t want to mess with

36. The Tommyknockers - A lesson that alien artifacts might be better left alone

37. Dreamcatcher - Another take on malevolent aliens and the poor souls that run across them

38. Dolores Claiborne - The best of the four novels I’ve read where King writes from the female perspective.

39. Firestarter - A little girl you REALLY don’t want to mess with

40. Misery - A tale that reminds writers that sometimes you're best off just giving readers what they want

41. Rose Madder - Suffers from the same difficulty as Gerald’s Game, but with a more successful result

42. Thinner - The premise of this one is a bit silly (a gypsy curses an obese man to lose weight until he dies) but it's still a fun read.

43. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla - This one’s a bit of a departure from the other books in this series.

44. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - This one is smaller in scope than many of King’s works, but it’s still well-crafted.

45. Hearts in Atlantis - A bit of an odd story and another tie-in to the Dark Tower series

46. From a Buick 8 - A unique take on the traditional ghost tale

47. Blaze - King’s homage to Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men doesn’t hold up to some of his stronger work

48. The Eyes of the Dragon - King's first stab at writing Fantasy

49. Gerald's Game - A male writer telling a story from a woman’s perspective is a tough assignment, no matter how talented he is.

50. Cycle of the Werewolf - One of King’s lesser novels in both impact and length, but I'm a sucker for werewolves.

And here are his novels that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, ordered according to my level of interest. You can bet most of them will be added to my bookshelf soon enough.

11/22/63
Sleeping Beauties (written with Owen King)

Billy Summers

The Institute 

Gwendy's Button Box (written with Richard Chizmar)

Lisey's Story

Joyland

Elevation

The Colorado Kid

Blockade Billy