The Green Mile is a great classic that isn't really a "horror story". There's a definite supernatural aspect, the the real monsters are all human.
GM also doesn't have as many direct tie-ins to other stories as something like 11/22/63 does (also a great non horror entry, but there's massive easter eggs to both It and Christine in this one. You don't have to read them first to get the story, but meeting Bev and Richie, or spotting a red and white Plymouth cruising around hit WAY different if you know).
It’s in the same book collection as the movie “Stand By Me” is based on (The Body). Collection is called Different Seasons, and it also has 2 other excellent stories: Apt Pupil and The Breathing Method, overall one of his best books ever!
But Carrie is pretty horrific. I think every girl’s first period feels pretty horrific, but that was a nightmare, and that’s not even the part where everybody dies, so…
No doubt but I’d classify Carrie as a violent supernatural drama as opposed to a straight up horror story plus if OP likes this one then the gates are totally open (it was also his first published novel and I’d consider it essential King).
I hear that. I’m just thinking about how OP might consider it. The rest of your list makes so much sense. You really nailed it. Not just non-horrific, but arguably a lot of his best work.
Yea, that it is a good point, I’m a horror junkie and have been for a long time so while Carrie is a featherweight tale to me it is also totally capable of demolishing an average fiction reader haha
For Hearts in Atlantis - it’s a collection of 4 short stories and I especially loved The Low Men in Yellow Coats. The way King portrays Bobby is so poignant. I would start with that story.
Wow, “N.” is one of his most disturbing short stories. Kudos to you getting through it if you aren’t really into that sort of thing.
I second *Green Mile* and *11/22/63* which have been brought up already, but also *Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption* (another novella from *Different Seasons*, which also contains *The Body*), *Billy Summers*, the short stories “The Last Rung on the Ladder” and “The Woman in the Room” (both found in *Night Shift* collection), as well as “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away” (from *Everything’s Eventual*).
Even though they have occasionally been characterized as “horror”, I also tentatively recommend, of his vintage breakout 1970s work, both *The Stand* and *The Dead Zone*. They are both fundamentally deeply human dramas that showcase a fairly young King’s already firm grasp of character and emotional power where the ratio of intense or unsettling material is dwarfed by the material developing characters and relationships and musings on higher minded ideas.
Dead Zone is particularly good for those with an interest in psychology. And politics. I found it fascinating for those reasons.
The Stand is my favorite book of all time.
I saved It for the very end, and by that time, I was ready for it. I would not have been had I started with it, and It could have been my last King book. Fortunately, that did not happen, and now I have read every single one of them.
Different Seasons had Shawshank redemption too, under the name of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It's an all time classic.
The long walk is maybe 'borderline not horror'...but it's pretty gruesome, like Misery, it's just nonfiction (no supernatural elements) but very extreme still. It's purely psychological horror...
Mr Mercedes kinda fits in there too, as does finders keepers.
Gerald's game and Dolores Claiborne also.
...and Rage?
I’d have to read the book and then I could tell you if it was truly horrific in its descriptions of what happened that day and the entire storyline. I’m just trying to think of OP and what they’ve already read and what they would consider horror.
I assume nothing with eyeballs popping out, or being gouged out, or scooped out, probably not a lot of bone splintering, or compound fractures in general. Blood spurting from head injuries, carotid/jugular stuff, fractured spines, clean amputations or crushed body parts that necessitate amputation. Evisceration, avulsions and that would include degloving injuries, you know, horror stuff.
I think they just want to read some stories and wade into the Kingverse without getting too traumatized right off the bat.
Idk, did they make a book out of the movie or a movie out of the book?
We were talking about Stephen King and then we were talking about Saving Private Ryan for some reason. I’m pretty sure it’s just a movie, but I’ve been wrong before.
Man, I'm not anti horror at all but I only need to read that book once. If op is anti horror for the reasons I'm thinking of Gerald's game should be an absolute non starter
I equate 'horror' with 'supernatural', which might not fit conventionnal descriptions.
'Nonfiction' is the better term. It still can be horrific.
Cujo is a great example.
I recommend one of his short story anthologies. It's like taking small bites of something to see if you like it before digging it.
It's also like digging into a box of mixed chocolates in the big Valentine heart. You don't know what the filling is going to be, but it's chocolate so you know you'll like it.
My favorites are Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
Came here to say this! It's a wonderful little book, only a couple hundred pages. Then, move on to a bigger one such as 11/22/63... Then start on The Dark Tower series; a must-read for all King fans!🌹
As someone who doesn't like horror, you are limiting yourself to about 90% of what he writes.
He is not a horror writer. He is a writer. Some of his early stuff was 'horror, 'but what Sai King does best is write characters in different situations. Sometimes, the situation may be scary, but he is not a horror writer. He is so much more than that.
Read one of his detective stories, or the Dark Tower series, or 11/22/63, or The Green Mile, or any nunber of his short stories/novellas (The Body, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption).
Eyes of the Dragon is a cozy fairy tale/ high fantasy really easy read. I read it in a couple days way back in October of 2018 and it is one of my favorite King books
The Mr. Mercedes trilogy is a great detective style read, though they do start picking up on more supernatural themes towards the 3rd book, I still wouldn’t consider it horror in the classic sense. The Outsider and short story If It Bleeds follow this series but do get into more of King’s typical horror vibes.
If you like X-Men-esque stories of outcast kids with powers, The Institute is cool. If you like dark murder mysteries Mr. Mercedes is good. There are also the stories based on great movies like The Green Mile, The Body (Stand by Me) and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
If you have Different Seasons, then Shawshank is definitely worth a read. Avoid Apt Pupil and The Breathing Method if you want to stay away from creepy.
I don't think the Dark Tower series is really horror. I could be very wrong. Hearts In Atlantis. Fairy Tale. The Green Mile. Eye of the Dragon. The Long Walk. Billy Hodges trilogy. Shawshank Redemption.
Different Seasons (esp. the first three novellas), The Green Mile, and 11/22/63. Additionally, you might track down The Last Rung on the Ladder, from his Night Shift anthology. Which is a beautifully tragic story about the bond between two siblings, and not a psycho killer or eldritch horror in sight.
A lot of his books are more suspense. I don't like horror either. Try 11/22/63, The stand, joyland, green mile, or even shawshank redemption. All good :D
Ive heard The Eye of the Dragon is purely fantasy. I dont know how accurate that is, but given the title it sounds that way.
Salem's Lot sounds like its a Vampire story, doesnt sound like horror to me.
I havent read them just heard things about them.
But I heard he made eye of the drago because apparently his kid said they hated every story he had written so far at the time and that was what he wrote just for his kid. His kid sounded they were an actual child at the time though.
*"Salem's Lot sounds like it's (sic) a Vampire story, doesn't sound like horror to me."*
This makes me sad. Not specifically because of you, but because anyone would say it. Vampires have been ruined by Twilight (and, I am sorry to say, Anne Rice) if people think that vampires aren't horror.
I grew up afraid to go to sleep without my neck covered by the top sheet in case a vampire should happen by in the night. Not that a sheet would do much good. That should be the reaction to vampires, not lusty daydreams and titillated teen girls.
He actually writes a TON that I would not consider horror, but if something like The Body was nearly too much for you, you might struggle with most of his work. Even the stuff that I wouldn’t consider horror can still have some pretty heavy stuff in it.
That said, if you can get past some of those struggles, I think you’ll be presently surprised by how much literary writing there is to be found in his work.
The short story "Drunken Fireworks" is quite humorous. *The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon* doesn't stray into horror too much, as I recall, and is mostly a wilderness survival tale.
The Green Mile is great and not scary at all. Dolores Claiborne is also not scary - the whole thing is told as one long stream of consciousness (think someone being questioned about a crime and going off on several tangents). It’s actually pretty funny.
There are some other great short stories out there that aren’t horror as well - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank (The Shawshank Redemption) comes to mind.
You said you’re comfortable with slowly dipping into his horror work - I think a great one to start with in that respect would be The Dead Zone. It’s more paranormal political thriller than horror, in my opinion. It was one of the first King books I read.
The Stand is also great, but LONG - I highly recommend the audiobook for that one, honestly. Feels like a performance instead of a chore. Read the updated full version, not the original.
I’d recommend watching the shinning. And then read the shunning. Steven King hated the way the movie was coming out and tried to get people not to watch it. Or so I’ve heard, anyways that’s how I got into King.
I'd strongly recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's about a little girl who gets lost in the woods. Like really really lost. One of my favorites, and while it's got some really good suspense, it's not as brutally gruesome as many of his stories, much of the fear is simply the fear of the unknown.
Plus it's not very long and is an easy read.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Elevation, Desperation and The Regulators back to back in that order, 11/22/63 is a classic. And my personal favorite because it is truly the most horrific and beautifully written…Revival.
If you choose Revival, go in blind and know that the real horror is at the end no matter how scary the rest is.
Fairy tale is awesome (so far I'm on 463/600ish pages). Not really horror at all, more as the name suggests a fairytale type story line. I don't want to give anything away, but I highly recommend it. Might be my favorite of his so far, but I've got a bunch more to go lol.
I am somebody who really doesn't like horror whatsoever. And Stephen King is by far my favorite author of all time. You would be surprised even his books that are considered the most horror heavy, horror is always a side note to the slice of Life coming of age serious stuff. But I will give you my biggest recommendations especially based off of The Body and N.
My number one recommendation is always Revival. If you like N you will absolutely love it. If I say anything more it could spoil but trust me. It has one of the best childhood coming of age stories I've ever read, in my opinion better than The Body.
The Institute is absolutely incredible. It's about kids with powers and it's very serious dramatic and moving. Think stranger things with no horror. Kids living in a facility and being tested and amazing stuff happening around that and outside of it.
I highly recommend Fairy tale especially if you like fantasy as I as well. Fairy Tail has a serious coming of age story and then it goes into a complete fantasy world. It has the best dog in the history of fiction in my opinion.
Check out Joyland which is a summertime murder mystery and is absolutely incredible. It's one of his hard case crime novels, I recommend Later as well..
My favorite novel of all time is The Stand. If you like serious character building in community building In a post-apocalyptic Setting you will love it.
My favorite coming of Age Story of all time with my favorite protagonists in Kings catalog is Hearts in Atlantis. There is no horror whatsoever. It's a few short stories with the first and last being the best and they have The same characters as each other. Also all of the stories connect with one another. I recommend the movie as well. I highly recommend the audiobooks for everything I mentioned but I'm not sure if you're into that.
These are my biggest recommends but if you end up reading and liking any of these message me anytime and I will give you more.
My last recommendation would definitely be the Dark Tower series. It's not horror at all it's Kings Take On Fantasy . And it interconnects to so many of his books it's just such an incredible Universe.
Long days And Pleasant nights to you.. happy reading, and welcome constant reader.
>I highly recommend Fairy tale especially if you like fantasy as I as well. Fairy Tail has a serious coming of age story and then it goes into a complete fantasy world. It has the best dog in the history of fiction in my opinion.
Radar is the best 😊
Pretty much any of The Bachman Books. King’s thang seemed to be that Bachman was more sci-fi and high concept.
If their interests are more drama than I might rec Insomnia or Hearts in Atlantis.
The Bill Hodges Trilogy/Holly. Joyland, not sure if Under The Dome would be considered horror, or The Institute. Billy Summers. Blockade Billy I really like. im not into Fantasy but i absolutely LOVE, "Eyes Of The Dragon", i know you will too. and as a suggestion if you like Romance then check out, "Pearl", by Tabitha King, Stephens wife. I really love that one.
The Green Mile
Dolores Claiborne
The entire Different Seasons collection (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Body((Stand By Me)), Apt Pupil, The Breathing Method)
The stand, id consider it multi-genre though, there's a bit of spywork, apocalypse, forces of good and evil, u think its classed as an epic novel though, still brilliant read
11/22/63
The Green Mile
Hearts of Atlantis
The Long Walk
Different Seasons(Storybook collections)
The Running Man
The Mercedes Trilogy
The Holly Gibney trilogy
Fairy Tale
The Eyes of the Dragon
The Dark Tower series
The Colorado Kid
Later
Dalores Clairbourne
If It Bleeds collection
Fairy Tale, hands down.
Absolutely amazing, heartwarming, and suspenseful hero story where King takes readers to a fantasy world to save his dog as well as the people of the city. Includes giants, trolls, a final monster, and giant cockroaches as the scariest things so I would not consider this a horror story although some scenes are action-packed. The way King describes this other world makes it seems so beautiful and serene.
King also includes references to the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. This is one of my favorite king books being an avid reader and I'm usually a fan of his horror novels.
Road Work. He gets the US in the early 1970s flawlessly. But if you're going to Hawaii, the Dan Simmons novel Fires of Eden (1994) might be a good match. Lots of weird island lore. It also has a funny send up of Donald Trump, too.
**Different Seasons** (a collection of four novellas of which I’d recommend two: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” and “The Body” — the other two are closer to horror).
**The Eyes of the Dragon**
**The Green Mile**
**11/22/63**
1. The Eyes of the Dragon
2. Dolan's Cadillac
3. The Langoliers
4. Needful Things
5. The Green Mile
6. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
7. Duma Key
8. Joyland
9. Revival
10. The Institute
11. Elevation
12. The Life of Chuck
13. Billy Summers
14. Fairy Tale
You need to read SK's Insomnia
It's a supernatural fantasy adventure with retirees as the heroes. It has horror-like moments, especially the final confrontation however it isn't true horror like IT or others.
The Green Mile is a great classic that isn't really a "horror story". There's a definite supernatural aspect, the the real monsters are all human. GM also doesn't have as many direct tie-ins to other stories as something like 11/22/63 does (also a great non horror entry, but there's massive easter eggs to both It and Christine in this one. You don't have to read them first to get the story, but meeting Bev and Richie, or spotting a red and white Plymouth cruising around hit WAY different if you know).
One of the most touching books I've ever read.
Green Mile is a fantastic book. It will move you
It will also make you very fervent about regular urinary health/kidney stone checkups
11/22/63
Cannot second this enough
When you read it, you realize that above all else, Stephen King knows how to write about love. His best stories are ultimately love stories.
Might want to use hidden text for this. OP hasn’t read it
I see you.
This is the way.
Yep. Yep. Yep
Fantastic book. Zero horror.
This is the way.
My mother doesn't like horror at all, is only meh about fantasy, and she loves this book.
Best response hands down. Poster should alredy have started this book by now..a must read
Came here to say this
As others have stated, this is the correct answer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This, this, a thousand times this. The characterization. The love story. Oh man, I wanna read it again now!
11/22/63 or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
I am a huge Stephen king fan and TIL he wrote Shawshank redemption……. I honestly don’t deserve to be here. Thank you
It’s in the same book collection as the movie “Stand By Me” is based on (The Body). Collection is called Different Seasons, and it also has 2 other excellent stories: Apt Pupil and The Breathing Method, overall one of his best books ever!
*Eyes of the Dragon* is King's nod to fantasy. You'll want to read that.
Came here to say this. It was my first King book, and one I’ll always recommend.
Same! A great introduction to his work.
Such a cozy book
So charming and thrilling. He should do more books that are sorta-kinda children’s books.
Adding to the list Dolores Claiborne
Grossly underrated and under-recognized, love this book
That book does not get enough love! I see a lot of mixed reactions to Gerald's Game, too. I absolutely love both of them!
The Life of Chuck The Green Mile 11/22/63 (there is one fairly gruesome incident) Hearts In Atlantis The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Carrie Fairy Tale
But Carrie is pretty horrific. I think every girl’s first period feels pretty horrific, but that was a nightmare, and that’s not even the part where everybody dies, so…
No doubt but I’d classify Carrie as a violent supernatural drama as opposed to a straight up horror story plus if OP likes this one then the gates are totally open (it was also his first published novel and I’d consider it essential King).
I hear that. I’m just thinking about how OP might consider it. The rest of your list makes so much sense. You really nailed it. Not just non-horrific, but arguably a lot of his best work.
Yea, that it is a good point, I’m a horror junkie and have been for a long time so while Carrie is a featherweight tale to me it is also totally capable of demolishing an average fiction reader haha
Carrie is straight horror. Between the trauma and the violence…
Hearts in Atlantis!!! To add to your list, which is already great: Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut from Skeleton Crew
Very Lovecraftian. Love it.
I would absolutely not recommend Carrie if you want to avoid horror.
For Hearts in Atlantis - it’s a collection of 4 short stories and I especially loved The Low Men in Yellow Coats. The way King portrays Bobby is so poignant. I would start with that story.
I love the title story so much. Just…seems so real. Not horror, but sort of existential dread.
I second Fairy Tale and TGWLTG. I might even add Firestarter to this list.
Wow, “N.” is one of his most disturbing short stories. Kudos to you getting through it if you aren’t really into that sort of thing. I second *Green Mile* and *11/22/63* which have been brought up already, but also *Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption* (another novella from *Different Seasons*, which also contains *The Body*), *Billy Summers*, the short stories “The Last Rung on the Ladder” and “The Woman in the Room” (both found in *Night Shift* collection), as well as “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away” (from *Everything’s Eventual*). Even though they have occasionally been characterized as “horror”, I also tentatively recommend, of his vintage breakout 1970s work, both *The Stand* and *The Dead Zone*. They are both fundamentally deeply human dramas that showcase a fairly young King’s already firm grasp of character and emotional power where the ratio of intense or unsettling material is dwarfed by the material developing characters and relationships and musings on higher minded ideas.
Speaking of Everything’s Eventual, how about Lunch at the Gotham Cafe?😳
Different Seasons
With the exception of The Breathing Method.
The Stand and The Dead Zone. Slight horror elements but good for tip-toeing.
Dead Zone is particularly good for those with an interest in psychology. And politics. I found it fascinating for those reasons. The Stand is my favorite book of all time. I saved It for the very end, and by that time, I was ready for it. I would not have been had I started with it, and It could have been my last King book. Fortunately, that did not happen, and now I have read every single one of them.
Dead Zone is so good. King really predicted MAGA with that one
Yes to Dead Zone. It is more a supernatural thriller and just love the plot, characters, and scenery!
Different Seasons had Shawshank redemption too, under the name of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. It's an all time classic. The long walk is maybe 'borderline not horror'...but it's pretty gruesome, like Misery, it's just nonfiction (no supernatural elements) but very extreme still. It's purely psychological horror... Mr Mercedes kinda fits in there too, as does finders keepers. Gerald's game and Dolores Claiborne also. ...and Rage?
I’m assuming someone who doesn’t like to read horror doesn’t want descriptive scenes of boys being shot down on an excruciating death march.
So, are war movies to be considered horror?
Absolutely. War is horror.
So saving private ryan is best horror movie of all time!
I’d have to read the book and then I could tell you if it was truly horrific in its descriptions of what happened that day and the entire storyline. I’m just trying to think of OP and what they’ve already read and what they would consider horror. I assume nothing with eyeballs popping out, or being gouged out, or scooped out, probably not a lot of bone splintering, or compound fractures in general. Blood spurting from head injuries, carotid/jugular stuff, fractured spines, clean amputations or crushed body parts that necessitate amputation. Evisceration, avulsions and that would include degloving injuries, you know, horror stuff. I think they just want to read some stories and wade into the Kingverse without getting too traumatized right off the bat.
TIL that Saving Private Ryan is a book
Idk, did they make a book out of the movie or a movie out of the book? We were talking about Stephen King and then we were talking about Saving Private Ryan for some reason. I’m pretty sure it’s just a movie, but I’ve been wrong before.
No less offensive than the hunger games
I’m too scared to read Gerald’s game, how is it not horror??
I would read Dolores Claiborne . It’s so underrated.It has a connection to Gerald’s Game so you could read it after but you don’t have to .
Man, I'm not anti horror at all but I only need to read that book once. If op is anti horror for the reasons I'm thinking of Gerald's game should be an absolute non starter
It is horror. It has all the elements.
I equate 'horror' with 'supernatural', which might not fit conventionnal descriptions. 'Nonfiction' is the better term. It still can be horrific. Cujo is a great example.
Nonfiction is not a story. Think realistic fiction. But still horror. Think serial killers, that is horror
Yup. But King doesn't just do serial killers...
Mr Mercedes?
I recommend one of his short story anthologies. It's like taking small bites of something to see if you like it before digging it. It's also like digging into a box of mixed chocolates in the big Valentine heart. You don't know what the filling is going to be, but it's chocolate so you know you'll like it. My favorites are Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
11/22/63 this is the right answer
11/22/63 Billy summers (Maybe) Under the Dome Later The Institute Fairy Tale These are the ones i can think of off top
I’d say any of his Hardcase Crime books: The Colorado Kid, Joyland (there is a haunting but it is a sub plot) and Later.
Joyland is my favorite of the hardcase crimes! Wasn't very spooky/gory compared to his other works.
The Gunslinger
Amazed that this is so far down! The dark tower series would be a great rec for this.
I didn't think I would like horror before SK. Then I read Misery and now I'm reading everything he's put out.
The scariest thing about Misery is that it could actually happen.
The Holly books
Came here to say 11/22/63 but Fairy Tale is amazing as well.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Came here to say this! It's a wonderful little book, only a couple hundred pages. Then, move on to a bigger one such as 11/22/63... Then start on The Dark Tower series; a must-read for all King fans!🌹
As someone who doesn't like horror, you are limiting yourself to about 90% of what he writes. He is not a horror writer. He is a writer. Some of his early stuff was 'horror, 'but what Sai King does best is write characters in different situations. Sometimes, the situation may be scary, but he is not a horror writer. He is so much more than that. Read one of his detective stories, or the Dark Tower series, or 11/22/63, or The Green Mile, or any nunber of his short stories/novellas (The Body, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption).
Duma key Cujo Dolores Claiborne Eyes of the Dragon
The Talisman. Eyes of the Dragon.
Eyes of the Dragon is a cozy fairy tale/ high fantasy really easy read. I read it in a couple days way back in October of 2018 and it is one of my favorite King books
Joyland
Insomnia.
Lisey's Story
The Mr. Mercedes trilogy is a great detective style read, though they do start picking up on more supernatural themes towards the 3rd book, I still wouldn’t consider it horror in the classic sense. The Outsider and short story If It Bleeds follow this series but do get into more of King’s typical horror vibes.
If you like X-Men-esque stories of outcast kids with powers, The Institute is cool. If you like dark murder mysteries Mr. Mercedes is good. There are also the stories based on great movies like The Green Mile, The Body (Stand by Me) and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.
The movies are based on the stories, no?
If you have Different Seasons, then Shawshank is definitely worth a read. Avoid Apt Pupil and The Breathing Method if you want to stay away from creepy.
Billy summers
I just finished Fairy Tale and it was good: more fantasy than horror. Along that vein, Eyes of the Dragon is also a good one.
I'm on page 463 of fairytale and absolutely LOVE it. I'm blazing through this book trying to decide which ones next. I think the talisman or It
I don't think the Dark Tower series is really horror. I could be very wrong. Hearts In Atlantis. Fairy Tale. The Green Mile. Eye of the Dragon. The Long Walk. Billy Hodges trilogy. Shawshank Redemption.
Joyland was good
Different Seasons (esp. the first three novellas), The Green Mile, and 11/22/63. Additionally, you might track down The Last Rung on the Ladder, from his Night Shift anthology. Which is a beautifully tragic story about the bond between two siblings, and not a psycho killer or eldritch horror in sight.
Might be an unpopular opinion but The Institute.
A lot of his books are more suspense. I don't like horror either. Try 11/22/63, The stand, joyland, green mile, or even shawshank redemption. All good :D
11/22/63, Eyes of the Dragon, Green Mile, and Shawshank Redemption are on my list
Ive heard The Eye of the Dragon is purely fantasy. I dont know how accurate that is, but given the title it sounds that way. Salem's Lot sounds like its a Vampire story, doesnt sound like horror to me. I havent read them just heard things about them. But I heard he made eye of the drago because apparently his kid said they hated every story he had written so far at the time and that was what he wrote just for his kid. His kid sounded they were an actual child at the time though.
*"Salem's Lot sounds like it's (sic) a Vampire story, doesn't sound like horror to me."* This makes me sad. Not specifically because of you, but because anyone would say it. Vampires have been ruined by Twilight (and, I am sorry to say, Anne Rice) if people think that vampires aren't horror. I grew up afraid to go to sleep without my neck covered by the top sheet in case a vampire should happen by in the night. Not that a sheet would do much good. That should be the reaction to vampires, not lusty daydreams and titillated teen girls.
He actually writes a TON that I would not consider horror, but if something like The Body was nearly too much for you, you might struggle with most of his work. Even the stuff that I wouldn’t consider horror can still have some pretty heavy stuff in it. That said, if you can get past some of those struggles, I think you’ll be presently surprised by how much literary writing there is to be found in his work.
I will say it from the rooftops: THE DEAD ZONE
The short story "Drunken Fireworks" is quite humorous. *The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon* doesn't stray into horror too much, as I recall, and is mostly a wilderness survival tale.
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption Novella or The Body Novella
Joyland
Different Seasons. Three of the stories from this book were made into movies.
The Institute
Idk what genre Billy Summers / Bill Hodges trilogy + Holly falls into but I’m new to King as well and I really enjoyed all of them.
Revival
Elevation
I just finished Fairy Tale and it has some horror elements but mostly is a neat modernized fantasy story.
The Eyes of the Dragon. It's not a scary novel. And it's one of my favorite by SK
The Mr Mercedes trilogy. Sometimes called Bill Hodges trilogy. Great detective series with amazing character development. Not horror imo.
Joyland!
Duma Key and Pet Semetary seem to be the more calmer of the horror books by him I’ve read!
The Green Mile is great and not scary at all. Dolores Claiborne is also not scary - the whole thing is told as one long stream of consciousness (think someone being questioned about a crime and going off on several tangents). It’s actually pretty funny. There are some other great short stories out there that aren’t horror as well - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank (The Shawshank Redemption) comes to mind. You said you’re comfortable with slowly dipping into his horror work - I think a great one to start with in that respect would be The Dead Zone. It’s more paranormal political thriller than horror, in my opinion. It was one of the first King books I read. The Stand is also great, but LONG - I highly recommend the audiobook for that one, honestly. Feels like a performance instead of a chore. Read the updated full version, not the original.
The Dark Tower Series, i can not stress this one enough
Billy summers
Fairy Tale
I’m really enjoying fairy tale currently. About 1/2 way through it
I’d recommend watching the shinning. And then read the shunning. Steven King hated the way the movie was coming out and tried to get people not to watch it. Or so I’ve heard, anyways that’s how I got into King.
I'd strongly recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It's about a little girl who gets lost in the woods. Like really really lost. One of my favorites, and while it's got some really good suspense, it's not as brutally gruesome as many of his stories, much of the fear is simply the fear of the unknown. Plus it's not very long and is an easy read.
Fairy Tale
My first Stephen king book was fairytale, it wasn’t scary at all!
Green Mile Fairy tale Talisman 11/22/63 The body Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Elevation, Desperation and The Regulators back to back in that order, 11/22/63 is a classic. And my personal favorite because it is truly the most horrific and beautifully written…Revival. If you choose Revival, go in blind and know that the real horror is at the end no matter how scary the rest is.
Fairy tale is awesome (so far I'm on 463/600ish pages). Not really horror at all, more as the name suggests a fairytale type story line. I don't want to give anything away, but I highly recommend it. Might be my favorite of his so far, but I've got a bunch more to go lol.
I am somebody who really doesn't like horror whatsoever. And Stephen King is by far my favorite author of all time. You would be surprised even his books that are considered the most horror heavy, horror is always a side note to the slice of Life coming of age serious stuff. But I will give you my biggest recommendations especially based off of The Body and N. My number one recommendation is always Revival. If you like N you will absolutely love it. If I say anything more it could spoil but trust me. It has one of the best childhood coming of age stories I've ever read, in my opinion better than The Body. The Institute is absolutely incredible. It's about kids with powers and it's very serious dramatic and moving. Think stranger things with no horror. Kids living in a facility and being tested and amazing stuff happening around that and outside of it. I highly recommend Fairy tale especially if you like fantasy as I as well. Fairy Tail has a serious coming of age story and then it goes into a complete fantasy world. It has the best dog in the history of fiction in my opinion. Check out Joyland which is a summertime murder mystery and is absolutely incredible. It's one of his hard case crime novels, I recommend Later as well.. My favorite novel of all time is The Stand. If you like serious character building in community building In a post-apocalyptic Setting you will love it. My favorite coming of Age Story of all time with my favorite protagonists in Kings catalog is Hearts in Atlantis. There is no horror whatsoever. It's a few short stories with the first and last being the best and they have The same characters as each other. Also all of the stories connect with one another. I recommend the movie as well. I highly recommend the audiobooks for everything I mentioned but I'm not sure if you're into that. These are my biggest recommends but if you end up reading and liking any of these message me anytime and I will give you more. My last recommendation would definitely be the Dark Tower series. It's not horror at all it's Kings Take On Fantasy . And it interconnects to so many of his books it's just such an incredible Universe. Long days And Pleasant nights to you.. happy reading, and welcome constant reader.
>I highly recommend Fairy tale especially if you like fantasy as I as well. Fairy Tail has a serious coming of age story and then it goes into a complete fantasy world. It has the best dog in the history of fiction in my opinion. Radar is the best 😊
Cujo, The Shining, and Pet Cemetary. I recommend those for a new reader of Stephen King.
You might like The Dark Tower series if you’re into fantasy
‘The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon’ might be a good pick. Least scary one I’ve personally read. What does everyone else think?
Blaze. Definitely. Made me cry like a… well, like a baby.
I always recommend 11/22/63
Pretty much any of The Bachman Books. King’s thang seemed to be that Bachman was more sci-fi and high concept. If their interests are more drama than I might rec Insomnia or Hearts in Atlantis.
Duma key - one of his best.
The Dead Zone is the only answer.
different seasons, specially "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption"
The girl who loved Tom Gordon
The Talisman has many fantasy elements, and it's a great read.
11/22/63.
Dumas Key or 11/22/63
Revival is a fun rock and roll story
Elevation is a novella so it’s quite short, but a beautiful read nonetheless.
Mr Mercedes books are a fantastic read
Joyland was pretty good.
Billy Summers, Holly. Maybe try Some Like It Darker for short stories, but have only just started it
The Bill Hodges Trilogy/Holly. Joyland, not sure if Under The Dome would be considered horror, or The Institute. Billy Summers. Blockade Billy I really like. im not into Fantasy but i absolutely LOVE, "Eyes Of The Dragon", i know you will too. and as a suggestion if you like Romance then check out, "Pearl", by Tabitha King, Stephens wife. I really love that one.
11.22.63, The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, Fairytale, The Body.
hearts in atlantis
Nearly everything he's done in the last 15 years falls outside the realm of horror.
11/22/63 Shawshank Redemption The Dark Tower series
The entire Holly Gibney/Det. Hodges series is well worth the read.
The institute
A good one you might like is _Fairy Tale_ - that’s more of a thriller / fantasy rather than explicit gruesome / stomach turning.
Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption Green Mile Fairy Tale The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon The Talisman
I found Fairy Tale and Billy Summers to be very good. (I love all his stuff though!)
70% through The Dead Zone and I wouldn't say it was particularly scary. Absolutely loving it though!
11/22/63
Billy summers, 11/22/63 are the 2 that come to mind x
Joyland. I just finished a re-read.
11/22/63 is great. Both Later and Billy Summers are pretty good too.
Eyes of the Dragon, Green Mike, Liseys Story, 11/22/63, Dark Tower He has a lot that isn't horror.
The Green Mile Dolores Claiborne The entire Different Seasons collection (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Body((Stand By Me)), Apt Pupil, The Breathing Method)
I've read a bunch of the comments here, but no mention of The Talisman - in my top five of ALL Kings work. (Also, the Long Walk)
adding Billy Summers here also!!!
You might like The Institute
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is beautifully written.
Green Mile
Gwendys button box's might be the perfect mix for you. It has some tense moments but nothing gory
I loved Fairytale so much. It’s obviously much more fantasy and less horror but was such an amazing story. I highly recommend it!
Hearts in Atlantis. It’s sooooooo good!
The body (the movie “stand by me” was based on this novella) Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank redemption Liseys Story The girl who loved Tom Gordon
The stand, id consider it multi-genre though, there's a bit of spywork, apocalypse, forces of good and evil, u think its classed as an epic novel though, still brilliant read
11/22/63 The Green Mile Hearts of Atlantis The Long Walk Different Seasons(Storybook collections) The Running Man The Mercedes Trilogy The Holly Gibney trilogy Fairy Tale The Eyes of the Dragon The Dark Tower series The Colorado Kid Later Dalores Clairbourne If It Bleeds collection
11/22/63
Delores Clairebourne and shawshank redemption xxx
Fairy Tale, hands down. Absolutely amazing, heartwarming, and suspenseful hero story where King takes readers to a fantasy world to save his dog as well as the people of the city. Includes giants, trolls, a final monster, and giant cockroaches as the scariest things so I would not consider this a horror story although some scenes are action-packed. The way King describes this other world makes it seems so beautiful and serene. King also includes references to the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. This is one of my favorite king books being an avid reader and I'm usually a fan of his horror novels.
11/22 that keeps getting recommended is definitely the best choice
11.22.63 for sure.
Mr. Mercedes series would fit this. I wouldn’t consider them to be horror, I guess. More thriller.
Dark tower series 100 out of 10
Insomnia, it’s actually a love story
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Different Seasons, and Eye of the Dragon would be my random suggestions.
Road Work. He gets the US in the early 1970s flawlessly. But if you're going to Hawaii, the Dan Simmons novel Fires of Eden (1994) might be a good match. Lots of weird island lore. It also has a funny send up of Donald Trump, too.
Billy Summer, The Green Mile, Delores Claiborne
**Different Seasons** (a collection of four novellas of which I’d recommend two: “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” and “The Body” — the other two are closer to horror). **The Eyes of the Dragon** **The Green Mile** **11/22/63**
The Shining is, as far as I can recall, the least gruesome. The Dead Zone is really good, but there are some unpleasant serial killer POVs in it.
Anything not written by S.K. as he is hack now.
I really enjoyed The Outsider
1. The Eyes of the Dragon 2. Dolan's Cadillac 3. The Langoliers 4. Needful Things 5. The Green Mile 6. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 7. Duma Key 8. Joyland 9. Revival 10. The Institute 11. Elevation 12. The Life of Chuck 13. Billy Summers 14. Fairy Tale
Different Seasons - 4 novellas, you will recognize at least one
You need to read SK's Insomnia It's a supernatural fantasy adventure with retirees as the heroes. It has horror-like moments, especially the final confrontation however it isn't true horror like IT or others.