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What's your FIRST Stephen King book?
The Dead Zone...I think I was in 7th or 8th grade and I wouldn't say it made any sort of impression on me. However Salem's Lot was my second and that one did
I can't remember which was first. In my early teens I was inhaling all of the horror books at the library as quickly as I could.But, I do remember Carrie. We had to pick a book to review for an English assignment and I chose Carrie. My school wouldn't allow it as we were supposed to choose a "proper" book and so my mum faught tooth and nail until they allowed it. I got a B in the assignment and King became a huge part of my life.
Duma Key. Not one of his best works, but surely got me totally into King.
I read It back at the end of 2017, and was hooked. Since then, I've read/listened to 37 of his books.
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I tried to read Hearts in Atlantis when I was 12. I loved the movie. But the book was a little out of my depth with the sexual references. I blame it on a sheltered childhood.When I was 15, I read Misery. I devoured it. Since then, I've been a huge King fan.
I'd just seen The Shining at a local theater. It was the first "modern" (ie: post-1960) horror movie I'd ever seen (at the tender age of 10). Scared the sh*t out of me, but fascinated me. A week later, my mom comes home with a box of used books she'd somehow come upon, and The Shining was in there. I had no idea at the time who King was...didn't even realize The Shining was a book...but I immediately devoured the book because of how terrifying I found the movie. The book was, of course, much different from the movie, but I loved it as well. I've re-read it two or three times since then.
Cujo was my first and I was upset about the book as I love animals, but that didn't deter me from reading anymore King books! lol After Cujo, I read Firestarter and then Salem's Lot (which that creeped me out big time!).
I'm pretty sure that my first Stephen King was Salem's Lot.
I think mine was The Shining. My dad had allowed me to watch it with him on cable when I was about 11. Of course I was scared to death, and of course I read the book RIGHT AWAY. (And I stand with the author about Kubrick's film: it's beautiful to look at, but it's not really a good representation of the novel's emotional nuance.)I also remember being terrified by the paperback cover of 'Salem's Lot, but I think I actually read it a little later.
It's been awhile, but I'm pretty sure 'It' was the first King novel I read.
This goes back many years, but "Cujo" was my first King book...I got it for Christmas in 1983.
Richard wrote: "This goes back many years, but "Cujo" was my first King book...I got it for Christmas in 1983."Mine too!😊👍
11/22/63. I fell in love with that book almost immediately. Now it is tied for first with Pet Sematary
I just read Pet Semetary for the first time this year. Great story!
My first was Carrie, and then 'Salem's Lot.
My first was Misery, what a way to get involved in King. Loved the book, really well written.
The first one I read to completion was Dreamcatcher.I love the genre and Robert McCammon is my favorite, but a lot of King’s work, I saw the adaptations instead of reading the books. When I was younger I became a voracious reader, but I was also a latchkey kid that loved horror movies.
I always looked forward to the King adaptations. Maybe I’ll go back and read many of them.
I can’t remember which one was first between Cujo, Pet Sematary, and Misery. I had watched the movies first and then my Mom bought me the books when I was middle school aged. They all made lasting impressions on me... I enjoyed them in more ways than the movies (although Pet Sematary could be really slow sometimes). But the two Stephen King books that made the biggest, longest lasting impressions on me were The Tommyknockers and The Talisman. LOVE those books.
Carrie, which I enjoyed but not enough to become addicted, so I read Salem's Lot on someone else's recommendation and that did it. Proud to say I have read absolutely everything that man has put out into the world. Good or not so good. Favorites are the Gunslingers series, The Stand, The Talisman 11/22/63
My first Stephen King book was It and I read it when I was about thirteen. I was already a huge horror nut, both movies and books, and LOVED his writing. I ran to the library and immediately checked out Carrie, Pet Sematary, and Salem's Lot. After those, I slowly found and devoured just about every book he has ever written.
When I was in the sixth grade I convinced my sister to let me read her copy of The Stand. I haven’t been right since
Reckon mine was Dead Zone. S'far as I'm concerned DZ is a tad underrated. Enjoyed it enough to read every book - bar three - he's written since.... and that's quite a few.
The Shining.I can still remember the feeling I felt while reading the scene in chapter 34 (view spoiler), the suspense King manages to build during those few pages is palpable.
My first book was Misery for a school job, I had to choose one book, I wanted something different from classics, so I read the plot and it called my attention. I enjoyed it and I realized there are entertaining books out there and not only classics.
Talisman (with Peter Straub). Dark as hell. Loved it!
I picked up Cycle of the Werewolf when I was young enough that just the pictures appealed to me. I think Carrie was the first one I definitely read.
I’m a recent Stephen king fan, well I’ve always loved the movies but never paid attention to his novels that was until IT the remake came out I loved it so much I knew I had to read the novel. I swear it scared me more than the movie. Next I’m reading the Cujo!!
My first King book was actually one of his newer ones, 11/22/63, I am fairly young now so I was Really young when it first came out. I had read it after my family took me to the book depository in Dallas. I had seen some of the movies before, much to my mother's dismay, but after reading that book I absolutely fell in love with his writing.
My first was Misery. I remember it was the only Stephen King book my Mom would let me read at the time. Ha!To this day, it's still one of my favorites.
Levan wrote: "I stumbled upon this and it got me thinking. What was your FIRST ever Stephen King book - and did it make a lasting impression on you?Mine was actually Carrie, then 'Salem's Lot, then Pet Sematar..."
Read that same stuff in the same order--because that was all that was there when I started reading King in 1975. I haven't read everything he's ever written, but a lot of it, and think this year's entry, "The Institute," is one of his best books--just not enough horror for my tastes.
At the end of my seventh grade (second year of middle School here in Italy) my mother allowed me to read whatever I wanted to. My first choice was The Shining. It was a scary summer (1984), and King became my favourite writer since then.
Levan wrote: "I stumbled upon this and it got me thinking. What was your FIRST ever Stephen King book - and did it make a lasting impression on you?Mine was actually Carrie, then 'Salem's Lot, then Pet Sematar..."
I've read most everything of his in the order he's published them, starting with CARRIE that I got the day the first UK paperback edition came out way back when.
Mine was 'Salem's Lot, and for a week after I finished it I had an elemental fear of the dark. None of his other books impacted me that much.
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Clown in a Cornfield (other topics)It (other topics)
Carrie (other topics)
The Stand (other topics)
Pet Sematary (other topics)
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Mine was actually Carrie, then 'Salem's Lot, then Pet Sematary, the last being my favorite of the three. I then went on to read his other stuff like Christine (meh to me), and The Stand (my all-time fave SK novel)
How about you all? Just curious to know!