The 20 Best Stephen King Books of All Time (Ranked + Sorted)

by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.

Contents

1. The 20 Best Stephen King Books of All Time

2. Books 1-5: The Top 5 Stephen King Books of All Time

3. Books 6-20: More Top Stephen King Books to Read

4. Best Stephen King Book FAQs

5. What Is Considered Stephen King’s Best Book?

6. What Is the Best Stephen King Book to Read First?

7. What Is Stephen King’s Scariest Novel?

Looking for the best Stephen King books of all time?

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The 20 Best Stephen King Books of All Time

Why these best Stephen King books and not others? The best Stephen King books below are the top picks from my long list of Stephen King’s books, ranked by a combination of Goodreads rating and number of Goodreads reviews. The aim is to surface what’s most loved AND what’s most popular.

Books 1-5: The Top 5 Stephen King Books of All Time

Here are the 5 best Stephen King books from my database…

1. The Stand – Stephen King

Published 1990 // 1,153 pages // Rated 4.3 over 579,800 reviews on Goodreads

2. The Shining – Stephen King

Published 1977 // 659 pages // Rated 4.2 over 1,216,700 reviews on Goodreads

3. It – Stephen King

Published 1986 // 1,116 pages // Rated 4.2 over 877,500 reviews on Goodreads

4. The Green Mile – Stephen King

Published 1996 // 592 pages // Rated 4.5 over 266,500 reviews on Goodreads

5. 11/22/63 – Stephen King

Published 2011 // 849 pages // Rated 4.3 over 460,200 reviews on Goodreads

Books 6-20: More Top Stephen King Books to Read

Here are the next 15 best Stephen King books on the list…

6. Misery – Stephen King

Published 1987 // 370 pages // Rated 4.2 over 547,000 reviews on Goodreads

7. On Writing – Stephen King

A Memoir of the Craft

Published 2000 // 320 pages // Rated 4.3 over 215,800 reviews on Goodreads

8. Different Seasons – Stephen King

Published 1982 // 560 pages // Rated 4.3 over 186,900 reviews on Goodreads

9. Pet Sematary – Stephen King

Published 1983 // 580 pages // Rated 4.0 over 461,900 reviews on Goodreads

10. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) – Stephen King

Published 1987 // 463 pages // Rated 4.2 over 210,800 reviews on Goodreads

11. Salem’s Lot – Stephen King

Published 1975 // 483 pages // Rated 4.0 over 359,400 reviews on Goodreads

12. Carrie – Stephen King

Published 1974 // 253 pages // Rated 4.0 over 564,500 reviews on Goodreads

13. The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) – Stephen King

Published 1991 // 422 pages // Rated 4.2 over 172,700 reviews on Goodreads

14. Doctor Sleep – Stephen King

Published 2013 // 531 pages // Rated 4.1 over 218,600 reviews on Goodreads

15. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) – Stephen King

Published 1982 // 231 pages // Rated 4.0 over 484,600 reviews on Goodreads

16. Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) – Stephen King

Published 1997 // 845 pages // Rated 4.3 over 153,700 reviews on Goodreads

17. The Institute – Stephen King

Published 2019 // 561 pages // Rated 4.2 over 166,800 reviews on Goodreads

18. The Outsider – Stephen King

Published 2018 // 561 pages // Rated 4.0 over 221,300 reviews on Goodreads

19. Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) – Stephen King

Published 2014 // 437 pages // Rated 4.0 over 266,700 reviews on Goodreads

20. The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) – Stephen King

Published 2004 // 1,050 pages // Rated 4.3 over 134,000 reviews on Goodreads

Best Stephen King Book FAQs

What Is Considered Stephen King’s Best Book?

The #1 Stephen King book on our list of best Stephen King books is The Stand. Note: Stephen King's favorite picks from his own books are Lisey's Story, It and 11/22/63.

What Is the Best Stephen King Book to Read First?

New to Stephen King's work? The best Stephen King book to read first is The Stand, The Shining or It. Want more suggestions? Check out this list of the 20 best Stephen King books of all time.

What Is Stephen King’s Scariest Novel?

Stephen King's scariest novel is It. For more terrifying books by Stephen King check out this list of the 20 best Stephen King books of all time

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