84 Stephen King Books Ranked (From CARRIE To HOLLY) (1974 To 2024) 50 years of the KING
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- čas přidán 18. 09. 2023
- Wherein our hero Durfee ranks 84 Stephen King books. And OMG is it ever a horrific blooper-filled struggle. #StephenKing #BookRankings #HorrorNovels
For those who are nitpicky...Ya I did not read or review RAGE or BREATHING METHOD for my channel so i did not include them on this list ALSO!!!. Since i did not review on the channel the individual novellas in IF IT BLEEDS and FULL DARK NO STARS i did not include them as individual books either. I figure someone will point all this out in the comments anyway...so.
Laws yes! M-O-O-N spells #1
Curious: both have been around a bit...both are, imho, worthy tales...is there a reason to avoid or not read those two ?
And, yes, you absolutely do not have to answer that: suffice to say there could very well be some completely subjective personal preferences involved...hope I haven't offended.
Despite being a nitpicker, I enjoy your posts and reviews!
Is the real reason you choose to not do rage cause it's controversial or that you don't want to spend money getting it they aren't cheap
I'm glad you have Needful Things ranked so high. IMO, it's his most underrated book.
agree
“Steven King’s 84 books ranked”
Brian: “Alright, starting with book #105….”
11/22/63 is not only the greatest Stephen King book, but is one of the greatest books of all-time.
I rank it at about #5 but I do agree it’s a great book; I’ve read it twice.
Loved your video. Salems Lot was also my very first SK novel. However; you killed a tiny piece of my soul every time you tossed a book to the floor! Thanks again!
Great list Ill just write my top ten:
1. Waste lands
2. Talisman
3. The stand
4. Drawing of the three
5. Gunslinger
6. Wolves of the Calla
7. Wizard and Glass
8. Shining
9. Salems lot
10. Needful things
11. It
12. Nightmares & dreamscapes
13. Desperation
My man! Exactly what I needed right now ^^ Ordering some King books next week. Much appreciated! Your reviews helped me pick up Hearts in Atlantis the other month which was barely on my radar. Big Mac of literature he is not. Wowski.
Excellent! This is a momentous moment for your channel. And for us Constant Watchers.
Great video and list. You got everything right about The Stand, It and The Shining. Love it. Going to be starting Holly next week.
A great video and a heck of an achievement to reread everything in the span of 3 years! It'll likely take me at least a decade when I do it! I haven't ranked them all, but did a top 10 list and we share 5 of our top 10s, including the top 3 being the same, albeit in a different order. Thanks for the video!
The fact that you’ve read all of his work is super impressive. I’ve been looking like a ranking video of his novels for years!
Great list, your top 10 is similar to mine, and so happy to see the love for the 7th Dark Tower book, I was starting to think I was the only person who really dug it. Anyway, here's my own top 10...
1. The Stand
2. It
3. The Dark Tower VII - The Dark Tower
4. 11/22/63
5. Needful Things
6. Salem's Lot
7. Under the Dome
8. The Dark Tower II - The Drawing of the Three
9. The Dark Tower III - The Waste Lands
10. The Green Mile.
From my understanding, there's supposed to be a remake of Salem's Lot.
Mr. Durfee, you read about 3 times faster than I do. Thanks for this video. I know it was tough ranking so many titles. The stand is my favorite as well. 11.22.63 is probably #2 for me. So much to read must...read....faster!!!!
Love ya Durf but man The Shining that low gut punched me. Thanks for the video!!
So happy you finally finished them all. Way to go!!
Video i have been waiting for so long. Thank you Brian! Btw what about your health condition, any updates? Hope you are doing well!
Great video! We are very fortunate to have half a century of works from Mr. King. We had a couple of close calls there!!
You’re becoming my Stephen King channel..maybe you can get Mike to finally finish his tier list 😂
I enjoyed every minute of this. Had to sub.
Great video! Thank you!
I’ve never read a Stephen King novel, and actually just finally started my first book a week ago. I chose the stand to start with and seems like I made a great choice because it is awesome so far! Super excited to see where the story goes and am excited to read more of his books!
You poor soul
After reading the stand read It. Even if you’ve seen the movie. It has the best scenes out of any book I’ve ever read and it will help you understand Kings writing style if you’re just getting into his novels. They’re a commitment but it gets so much easier to read lengthy books when you’re starting with the stand or it. Hope you have fun on the journey!
U will not be disappointed King got me into reading. Dark tower series was my fav. Stand was great duma key is awesome
That's my favourite!
Christine was my first king book. Good place to start
Nice ranking. I'm going to have to watch it again to take it all in since you rattled through it at a fair old clip. ❤
The Shining being that low gives me indigestion.
Great review! What a chance, we both share the same Top 3 in the exact order! The rest of the ranking were totally different. I think that's what makes Stephen King's ranking fascinating - everyone is so different because there are so many masterpieces! By the way, either your mic or editing was picking up more sound (if not most sound) into the left channel at the beginning.
Wow well done, BRAVO!!! As a fan of Stephen King that started reading his stuff in middle school I didn't realize he was up to 84 pieces of work. Highly enjoyed this recap and I agree with a lot of your rankings especially THE STAND!
This man's dedication has definitely earned my "like"
Cool video - it looks like it was fun to do! "Thinner" was the first book I ever read from King - I think I was 15 at the time. And it still holds a special place in my heart - it is the book that hooked me. "The Wind Through the Keyhole" I thought was fantastic! It was neat to step back and see a little bit of Roland's early life. "Sleeping Beauties" is on my October TBR. However, my all time favorite King book has to be "The Stand" with "11.22.63" a very close second followed by "The Green Mile". I haven't read all his books yet, but I'm getting there!
Fair warning. “Sleeping Beauties is one of King’s worst books. It’s just dreadful and it drags painfully slow in many sections.
@@Alex-sr3ez thanks for the warning! I read the book in October. Actually, I devoured it. I know a lot of people didn't like it, but I loved it! It took me 6 or 7 days to read it (I also work many hours - I'm an event planner - so I read every free second I had). That's why books are so amazing! You just never know. :-)
@@nohemiperez912 wow, well that’s great that you enjoyed it.
I think his short stories are some of his best. I do prefer the longer books, but these collections have some of the best he’s ever written.
Night shift and skeleton crew are very solid collections. Children of the corn, the jaunt, night shift, ballad of the flexible bullet, the monkey, the mist, jerusalem's lot, survivor type... He was a master at the shorter format, strange because his novels are usually so bloated
@@bernabefernandeztouceda7315 I agree, and the novella books are great too. I love the bloat! 😂🤘Sai King
Fantastic video, thank you 🙏
I picked up reading middle of last year and I’m finishing the last tower book now. I’ve read over 15 king and I love most so far. Love seeing different rankings too.
My favorite
1. The Stand
2. Carrie
3. Pet Semetary
4. Cujo
5. It
6. Misery
7. The Shining
8. The Dead Zone
9. Christine
10. 11.22.63
11. The Talisman
12. The Black House
The moment we've all been waiting for!
Rose Madder is my favorite King book. So many aspects appealed to me. I really enjoy reading King's work. He develops characters so well.
Bravo for doing this! I have not read all of SKs books, but he is my favorite author.
Great stuff Brian 👌
The Stand is my 1st Stephen King book. I'm halfway done with it after 7 days of reading. I work a 9-5 and any moment I'm not working, driving, or sleeping, I'm reading The Stand. I haven't gone to the gym or done anything else since starting it lol. I'm mad at myself for never starting sooner. 😅
Glad you liked that horribly boring book 👏
It's not my favorite but if you make it through it I would suggest The Talisman next followed by The Dark Tower saga. Remember when reading the saga, don't give up on it after the first book. I always feel it is harder to get through but is necessary for the rest of the story same as The Drawing of the Three. By The Wastelands though it is balls to the wall can't put down reading. The saga as a whole is my favorite work of fiction all time, and I get called to go on the quest at least every couple of years.
Happy reading!
I never think The Dead Zone gets enough love on these lists. I'm not saying it's top 10 or anything, but I have always found it to be a very powerful story starting with such a simple theme. And, if you are into the "world on the turtle's back" business, it is sort of a pivotal book for that whole "King universe" idea with how it starts to pull other books, like Cujo, into the story. In terms of chronological order of release of books, it was in my memory one of the first to do that.
The Dead Zone is a classic!!
Great list . . . thanks for doing this. My top three are It, Salem's Lot, and The Drawing of the Three.
Damn I'm used to wild SK book rankings but yours is like spot on with my own rankings, right on
You have a really badass Stephen King list here I've read every single one of them my favorite is It I read that book way back when I was in high school and it got me on my path to reading pretty much also I like Sleeping Beauties it was a pretty good book and honestly my opinion on Stephen King is he's one of the most prolific fiction authors ever and he still to this day cannot end a book,character work and world-building there's no one better but when it comes to endings. anybody out there that read Stephen King knows what I'm talkin' about. Keep up the good work you're a speed-reading monster
You got my like in the 1st minute just be saying you've managed to read all of Stephen King's books! That was a tremendous journey!!!
Cell above the shining is CRAZY 😂 no hate I was just genuinely floored
Trust me. I am too
I really appreciate that you must have put a lot of work and thinking in this nice project. But as it is a matter of taste,mine is another. For me Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass are the best novels that King has written.His typical horror stories are mostly absolute fine but the whole Dark Tower series digs way deeper.Gunslinger is somehow even a philosophical book.Wizard and Glass is something for the heart with a really touching story in a story.
Thanks for this video! I love that I come across CZcamsrs like yourself who take the time to talk about King and rekindle my enjoyment of his work.
I am just beginning my journey through the SK catalog in order of publishing. I get my books from the library so I am waiting for Carrie and Salem's Lot. Cant wait to get started! I havent decided if I am going to reread the books I have already read.
Ungh, you’re killing me!!! Wizard and Glass was sublime!!!
Yes, Brian! I was literally wondering if you'd do a list like this. I'm going to watch this tomorrow.
Also doing similar with reading all King stuff. Just read The Dead Zone which was great.
Wonderful author. Love your channel mate. Always makes me smile.
Completely agree with you about The Stand, my favourite book of all time too
Totally agree with you about the wind through the keyhole
I love the Langoliers, I didn't even know they sold it individually 😮 ordering that right now. A lot lighter than the old hardback compilation when I do a reread
What a Great short story!!
Most of my favorite King books come from early in his career. After the mid-80s, he's kind of spotty for me.
1. The Stand
2. The Dead Zone
3. Different Seasons
4. Christine
5. Salem's Lot
6. It
7. Pet Sematary
8. The Shining
9. Bag of Bones
10. Doctor Sleep
Glad to see The Long Walk got some love. The most underrated King novel. It also hits very close to home as someone who has drive down route 1 more times than i can count.
The unabridged The Stand will always be my favorite. Runners up are 11/22/63 and The Langoliers.
Good work.
We’ll just edit that out. 😂 Loved this.
Bravo on selecting The Long Walk. A truly chilling tale…
One of my absolute favorite stories by him
Great list! I've read most of them🎉
I've only read maybe 25 of his books but I actually really enjoyed Elevation, surprised to see it second to last.
I laughed when you knocked over the phone. Very relatable
Very entertaining video, Brian! Lots of disagreements (I'm finishing "Billy Summers" and for me that would be ranked somewhere near 80/"Pet Sematary" would be #1). And what kind of librarian ends a video that way 😆!#TeamEdward
Funny. I think Billy Summers should be in the top 10. Prolly the vet in me. Thank you.
Always nice to see a real King fan in action, I enjoyed it!
I absolutely agree with #s 1 & 2!! The Stand - best of all time. I would rank Misery in the top 5 somewhere along with IT.
Thank you for validating my love of The Long Walk.
My excitement kept building as I realized he hadn’t mentioned 11.22.63 yet. I was holding out for #1 but I’ll take #3.
11.22.63 is my most favorite novel! I would absolutely love for SK to write additional stories about Al in the diner. Like, what his first trip down the rabbit hole was like etc. I think it would make for some cool stories. 😊
😮😮 very surprising and interesting rankings!
Totally agree on Wizard and Glass and the Shining!
Steven king has so many novels. I feel like he just pumps them out nonstop. They can't ALL be quality. But it is kind of crazy to see steven king having more shelf space than Tolkien in every Barnes and noble store.
King and I are contemporaries so I was able to read these as they came out. I've always looked forward to a new King novel.
How often do your publishers take submissions I have a few short stories Nice video by the way
The Audible audiobooks of Kings books are great! I listen to them almost daily at work.
I'm with you on your top 2! "The Stand" is my all time fav and "IT" is a very close 2nd place!
0:00 I bet Brian never gets tired of doing that intro all the time XD
I was pleased you have Desperation in your top ten! It is one of my favorite King novels, so under-rated by most King fans.
That pile of books... book abuse! Bad man! no doughnut!
I just finished that one a few days ago. It's a good one, without thinking to deeply, I would say it made the back half of my King top ten.
@@theivory1what about the tommyknockers?? Rereading it now and it's classic King. I don't get the hate it gets
Revival at 27, I'll take it. It's my current favorite King novel, so I'll have to read 1-26 now.
Greetings and Salutations
I recently started reading Rose Madder
But that was after The Golden Years by author Stephen King
😊 Great upload thanks 😊
I love Stephen King books and also agree that his short stories aren’t the best but some gems have come from his short stories
Numbers one and two cannot be denied! The rest of the list sort of how each person might subjectively deal with the King catalog, but The Stand and It are essential and the best.
Ouch, just started Wind Through the Keyhole, didn't think it would be mentioned so soon! I agree Hearts in Atlantis is literary genius. It's okay to have The Shining so low, though on my list it might actually trade places with 'It'.
It suxx imo
I personally thought The Wind Through the Keyhole was one of his best. It isn't integral to the series, but, for me, it was just beautifully written and was a wonderful way to spend some time with the Ka-tet one more time.
@@guitearist yeah I really enjoyed it, and glad I read it as a coda to Dark Tower instead of book 4.5
I have same issue with Misery that you have with The Shining. I know it is a fantastic book, but I had seen the movie so many times as a kid that it took all the shock and awe out of it for me.
I saw that movie probably 5 times over the years. I decided to read the book on the beach a few summers ago. I was amazed how closely the movie stayed to the book. I agree the book would have been better had I not seen the movie. My daughter just started Misery yesterday. We're buried in snow here now and they're off school today, what a perfect recipe.
@@theivory1 What a perfect setting!! I agree. The movie was very true to the book. Stay safe and happy reading.
The shining on the other hand... Completely different from the movie. Those who watched it shouldn't mind since the book is way better because the character development is insane, plus some of the plot it's not the same. The movie is just fun but the book is a piece of art
My favorites in no order. Desperation, it, drawing of three, dream catcher, green mile, dead zone. I also really enjoyed the short story Jerusalems lot.
The Wind Through the Keyhole might be my all-time favorite King novel!! 😢
I loved Wizard & Glass so much that when SK got hurt I sent him a get well soon card so he could finish the Dark Tower!
This is the video that we’ve all been waiting for!!!
I tried to get through the Dark Tower series back in the day. But I really got tired of waiting for them to come out.
great list.
Hell yeah Durfee
We absolutely agree on #2 & #1.
"IT" is my favorite book of all time, period. I couldn't put it down.
A tour de force in Stephen King book ranking. Let the bodies hit the floor. Durfee is so raw. The John Cassavettes of youtube.
The Black House, The Talisman, Dreamcatcher, Wizard and Glass and The Shining would all jump like 40 to 50 spots on my list :D. The Eyes of the Dragon would also jump quite a bit, I have a soft spot for that one, really enjoy it.
Fairy Tales would go to the back of the list, really did not enjoy that one very much. I think it was something about the first person perspective in a fantasy setting, it didn't feel right to me, I don't know I just didn't like it very much.
The Outsider is another one I would also rank a lot lower on my list, I felt that one ran out of steam about half way, very strong start and interesting premise that became less and less engaging the longer it went on for.
I actually kind of agree on the Sleeping Beauty ranking, I loved that book man.
Your top 10 is interesting, some of my own picks are in there but some are ones I would put a bit further down if I ever did a list of my own.
I would exchange The Dark Tower with Salem's Lot for example, and swap in Dreamcatcher instead of Shawshank Redemption, I really loved Dreamcatcher.
And I have not read On Writing so I can obviously not have it in my top 10, and while I really enjoy The Green Mile it's not in my top 10.
I'm pretty sure I would have Duma Key in my top 10, I love the characters in that book, some of his best characterization imo, I really connected with it.
Your top 3 is hard to argue with, they're all in my top 10 for sure.
Desperation is in the running for my number 1 spot, but my top 10 is almost all interchangeable for me, they could all end up on top, depending on what day it is.
Anyway, always interesting to see a Stephen King ranking, everyone always has at least 1 "controversial" pick.
I love this ranking. Different from what you typically see with the Shinning usually in the top 10. Like you I prefer Doctor Sleep. Thank you.
for me, switch It and The Stand, at least for right now. Have you also read the original version or just the expanded?
I had to do so much mental gymnastics to separate the book from the movie when I read the Shining. I can completely understand someone who had seen the movie first not loving the book nearly as much. I definitely prefer the book, especially after knowing why King didn't love the movie. But, I may be in the minority when it comes to those who have seen the movie first.
With that being said, thank you for going through the process of ranking all of these books! I can only imagine how challenging that was!
I don't generally like novellas either. But Stephen King has some good ones. I sort of think authors test out ideas in short stories because lots of authors write them. And if a short story is pretty good, they'll expand those ideas into a full novel.
There is a difference, in length, content and intention, between a short story and a novella. You don't recognize that difference. Different Seasons (1982), Four Past Midnight (1990), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), Full Dark, No Stars (2019) and If It Bleeds (2020) are collections of novellas. Night Shift (1978), Skeleton Crew (1985), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Everything's Eventual (11 stories, three novellas) (2002), Just After Sunset (2008) and The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (1915) are short story collections.
I can't really do a top 5 in order but my favorite is the first one I read which is The Shining, 1981 was in the 8th grade almost could not put it down. The other 4 would be It, The Stand, Insomnia and The Gunslinger. Haven't really read Black House and the only ones I want are the Dark Tower books that I haven't read yet, probably going to get them soon and start at number 1 and read them all through.
Love THE STAND. Greatest book I read this year.
Just added your book to my amazon list.
The way that these “Stephen King novels ranked” videos differ just shows how great a writer he actually is. No two lists are even close!
The Stand is always a standout though
That was epic. Library Of Congress material. The only extreme error was Blaze. I forgive you.