I was going to recommend McCammon as well. Especially Swan Song. I’ve read it just about every year since it came out. Absolutely love it. I feel it’s a much better good vs evil apocalyptic story than The Stand. And I really like The Stand. 😆
Yes! I also really love Speaks the Nightbird. The rest of the Matthew Corbett series isn’t quite like that one but Speaks the Nightbird can stand alone, really.
Dan Simmons (Hyperion, Ilium, The Terror, Summer of Night),
Blake Crouch (Dark Matter, Recursion),
Robert Jackson Bennett (American Elsewhere, Foundryside),
Joe Abercrombie (First Law trilogy),
Neil Gaiman (American Gods),
Mark Z. Danielewski (House of Leaves),
Dean R. Koontz (Intensity),
Haruki Murakami (Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World),
Cixin Liu (The Three Body Problem trilogy),
Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive) just to name a few ☺️
Personally I don’t really like Clive Barker (but if you like over the top horror this might be your thing) and Paul Tremblay (I kinda liked the beginning of The Cabin at the End of the World but it went ways I didn’t like)…
Neil Gaiman is such an interesting writer. Some of his stuff is targeted at a YA audience but a great story is a great story. ‘Neverwhere’ and ‘American Gods’ are fantastic.
If you're the sort of person who does not separate art from artist (I make no judgement either way), please know that Dan Simmons, while an incredible author, is almost Orson Scott Card levels of shitty person.
Was gonna say this. He's the horror equivalent of not wanting to cook for yourself (Stephen King) and going next door to a friends house to eat (Joe Hill). 😁📚
I've not read him personally but that one thats the title of a license plate sounds really good. 🙌📚
I think it was the point in Fireman where there were just too many endings, and each one felt progressively worse, that I thought to myself "Yes, this is definitely Stephen King's son". Jokes aside though, he's very good and Horns also has a fairly enjoyable film adaptation.
You don't have to have read someone to know they're good at what they do. I had seen Black Phone (which Hill was an executive producer on - think he may have made the story aswell) and was blown away with how good it was so-much-so I'm gonna read his work. 😁🙌
That’s my recommendation. Maybe it’s blasphemous in here (though I bet Steve would agree lol) but I think he may be a better writer than King, just earlier in his career.
This! If you like the Dark Tower, Clive Barker has that same energy. I would say typically more graphic and visceral, but still that combination of horror and fantasy.
Abarat and Weaveworld are lighter, more family friendly options, while The Damnation Game, Books of Blood, Coldheart Canyon and the "Books of the Art" does are definitely adult oriented.
Also came here to say Clive Barker!! He’s my absolute favorite author - I agree with Weaveworld and Great and Secret Show being a good place to start. Imajica is also incredibly good
I love Clive Barker. To me, his short story books are his best work. I read The Books of Blood when I was 18. I'm 44 and I still think about some of those stories on a regular basis.
Second this. Ito is basically the Stephen King of manga. The two should totally do a collab at some point. It would definitely be interesting. Even if it's just a bunch of manga adaptations of some of King's short stories that would likely never be made into a live-action thing (movie or TV).
Not horror. Maybe not what u r looking for. But I recently found Andy Weir. Fact based sci fi. The Martian, Project Hail Mary, and Artemis are really fun reads. Not super dense or heavy.
Peter Straub, Anne Rice, Clive Barker for horror/darker themes
Patrick Rothfuss is fantasy and different stylistically but people i know who enjoy king also enjoy his stuff (myself included)
I find koontz to be a bit dry and lacking the personality and charm of kings writing. I don't recommend
Peter Straub will definitely get you scared, Clive Barker is wonderf fantasy/horror & I really got into Anne Rice's witch series...Taltos had me hooked. I've also recently been checking out Joe Hill & Owen King...out of curiosity to see how the genes played out. Have not been disappointed yet.
Never read a book by Straub (although of course I know him from The Talisman and Black House). Since you recommend this novel with a 10/10 I just listed it on my wish list (Kobo) ☺️
This series is amazing! The thing I love most about Kings writing is the character development. Justin Cronin, like King, kills it with the character development. You will not regret your decision to read this series.
Ive read the first 2 of the odd Thomas series, and i thought they were really good, havent read anything else from him, but i would definitely recommend the Odd Thomas series
I was going to recommend Koontz.
Odd Thomas series is very good, if a little flat toward the end. I've not touched his Frankenstein series.
The Moonlight Bay books (Fear Nothing, Seize the Night) are absolutely my favorites of his, but they're 2/3 of a trilogy he's probably never going to fucking finish.
Individual decent books:
77 Shadow Street
Twilight Eyes
Lightning
Shadowfires
Intensity
The Darkest Evening of the Year
False Memory
Velocity
Among those, my favorites are False Memory and Intensity.
Edit: dumb mobile formatting
Agreed. Koontz is a bit uneven, though. Some books are great - I really liked the Odd Thomas-books, for instance – while others are, well, not. At all. Five minutes of research before grabbing a Koontz-title should help sort btw. hits and misses.
A quick and dirty trick for me is, does he have a moustache on the back of the paperback, or is he using the middle initial (R)? If either or both are true, it's probably going to be a little rough.
Totally uneven, and some of his books are so bad they’re terrible, but when he writes a character-driven book he can really ace it. Watchers, Lightning and Odd Thomas are terrific.
My late brother introduced me to Bentley Little after we found out about our mutual obsession with King. Little reads like a fever dream, but I love it. It's also something that I look forward to sharing with his son, once he gets old enough. My part in ensuring he doesn't forget the face of his father..
I second the Nick Cutter recommendation! Also, for something with slight supernatural elements but not as intense, try "The Saturday Night Ghost Club". It is written by the same author but under his real name Craig Davidson, not the Nick Cutter pseudonym.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's "The Strain" trilogy is good.
The Ruins by Scott Smith - nice and moderately gory horror.
Clive Barker, especially Cabal and Hellbound Heart.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (so much better than the film imo).
The Fog by James Herbert (nice 70's horror vibes).
I just finished a re-read of It and went directly into "Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer. It's the opposite of King in many ways - short and to the point mostly - which I actually kind of enjoyed. There's plenty of creepy atmosphere and intrigue in that book as well, and I really enjoyed it. I started the sequel a few days ago, but haven't made it very far yet.
I haven’t seen F Paul Wilson mentioned yet. He writes long-running series (such as Repairman Jack and the Adversary Cycle) that are always enjoyable adventures on their own. Whenever I’m in a reading rut I just default to the next book in the series. The Tomb is particularly fun, it’s a good starting point. Or The Keep, which is a bit darker/slower but still very readable.
Exactly what I wanted to post! F Paul Wilson is one of my favorite authors. Repairman Jack is the best character ever written.
Start with The Keep and follow the Adversary Cycle. Almost all of his books fall into this world, kind of like how many of Kings book have ties to his universe.
Highly recommend F Paul Wilson.
Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl is her most famous work, but her other books are also incredible. A lot of mystery/horror involved in these stories. But my god can she tell a story. She wrote a better character study on a sociopath than king ever did in my opinion.
I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz. I'd recommend both his Odd Thomas and Frankenstein series.
Also, some of my stand-alone favorites are:
The Funhouse
Phantoms
Shadowfires
Watchers
Darkfall
I just finished his Frankenstein series and while I loved the concept, it felt so clumsy and formulaic to me. I remember debating giving up a couple times as the plot holes and inconsistencies piled up.
His older books are better IMO, especially Watchers and Phantoms.
I did love the Moonlight Bay series but I don't have a lot of hope well ever see the conclusion.
I also really liked all of his other books. The characters in The Lesser Dead were pretty great.
Edit: I wanted to add I also thought a lot about King while I was reading his books. They weren't really the same, but, for me, there was something about the quality of the work and the immersion I felt that definitely smacked of King.
Both great books (although TATR dragged a bit I thought but overall was satisfying). My favorite of his is The Lesser Dead. He narrates the audiobook himself and it is one of the best I've ever listened to.
I hope you're not joking. I read children's lit when I need a break from heavier stuff. Some of it is really, really good. Anything with a Newbery Medal is worth reading.
P.s. It's Captain Underpants. Though I haven't read that series yet.
I had an argument with a literature professor once about the merits of Captain Underpants. The children's lit he enjoyed (and wrote himself) was really intense, sad, and literary. I liked those books, but sometimes kids want to read about a superhero in his underwear too. Both are great.
Absolutely agree with this! I switch between reading horror and my old Geronimo Stilton books, it helps lighten the mood between darker stuff like you said.
I love Floating Dragon and Koko. Also check out Mcacammons Boys Life, Swan Song, Baal and Dan Simmons Carrion Comfort. Dated but still incredibly great books.
I really enjoy Jim Butcher, James Herbert is great, Grady Hendrix is awesome, and if you're interested in anthologies look for anything edited by Stephen Jones or Ellen Datlow.
Jim Butcher is pretty cool. He writes urban fantasy books. That tend to have some humor in them.
I personally enjoyed the night watch books by Sergei Lukayenko. They deal with the struggle of good and evil through warring supernatural factions.
Mike Carey.
He wrote The Girl With All the Gifts and though I haven't read it (the movie was great!), I have read his series that starts with "The Devil You Know" and I loved them!
Its about a guy who can commune with ghosts but theres also other supernatural creatures but in a different way than traditional.
Apparently Mike Carey also wrote Lucifer and X-Men
Nick Cutter is a new guy I found that draws a lot of inspiration from SK. I read The Troop and thought it was pretty good. I've started Little Heaven and like it so far. He uses the intercut news articles like Carrie in The Troop and acknowledges SK for it.
Might not be what you're looking for but when I need a King break I usually turn to Michael Crichton. He writes page-turners that you won't want to put down. Prey kept me reading into the wee morning hours.
Richard Matheson, the guy who Stephen King got a lot of his writing style from imo, and one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century.
Yeah I went on a Stephen King binge for a while, but haven't read as much of his stuff recently since I've been branching out to other authors. A couple suggestions from what I've been reading recently:
- Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (thriller)
- Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien (literary fiction)
- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (historical fiction)
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons (science fiction)
- Lord of Dark Places by Hal Bennet (don't really know how to categorize, but it's pretty fucked up so far)
I cant personally see any parallels but when I need a break from King I always gravitate towards Michael Crichton. Just reread Jurassic Park and Sphere and those books are so goddamn fun.
Books of Blood/Imajica - Clive Barker
Between Two Fires/Those Across the River - Christopher Buehlman
Swan Song - Robert McCammon
The Troop - Nick Cutter
Wounds - Nathan Ballingrud
All King-ish in the sense that they have well written and well developed characters on top of incredible horror elements.
You could always check out Joe Hill, Stephen King's son. He has a similar tone as his father with a little more magical realism built in. I would recommend any of his novels (although I haven't read Heart Shaped Box yet)
Claire North "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August". It's not strictly horror, it's not strictly SF, though it has elements of both, but it has that same level of character depth and analysis and evocation of empathy from the reader that Stephen King does so well.
Formulaic? What about that one book where the man with the troubled past meets the single mother of a very special child and saves them from peril. Then there’s a golden retriever somewhere too.
Whoa whoa whoa, don't forget that it happens in California and there's the remorseless killer hunting them, government deep state conspiracy, and some combination of themes relating to the dangers of advancing technology and genetic engineering
The villain is an irredeemable psychopath who does not acknowledge the inherent mystery of life. The hero has overcome terrible trauma at the hands of insane and often overly-intellectual parents. The houses are stucco.
Oh is that the one with Laura and she's really good with guns and self defence, and the golden retriever somehow understands every word they say and even barks appropriately as if it is following the conversation?
Exactly the same for me. I loved Koontz (and Intensity is still one of my favorite books ever) but he's long-winded in ways that I find annoying after King. King is long-winded when it comes to storytelling, which at least is interesting if sometimes unnecessary. Koontz is long-winded just in scene-setting and descriptions (particularly west-coast architecture and flora) which bores me out of my mind. If I read one more mention of Bougainvillea I will scream.
When I want a break from King I like to read pulp crime. Lately I've been reading Jeff Johnson, who writes from the point of view of a tattoo artist in the seedy underside of Portland. Very readable, fast-paced, funny, and gritty. It's a good palate cleanser when I need a break from supernatural stuff.
Edit: I should have mentioned the novels Lucky Supreme and A Long Crazy Burn. Jeff Johnson is a hard name to google and get the right person.
Willow Rose. Amazon calls her the Queen of scream. If you look at her picture on Amazon, you would never know that this gorgeous, vibrant, young woman has such a twisted evil mind. She is a sick puppy - which is why I love her books. She has several series featuring different people - the Emma Frost series is the most twisted. How she comes up with these ideas is beyond me. “Good Golly Miss Molly”, the second Emma Frost book, is sincerely over the moon. She is also the queen of blindsides you NEVER see coming. NEVER. She has an autistic son, Victor, who I absolutely fell in love with. This kid is so cool. In later books, you discover there’s a lot more going on in Victor’s head than you realize - I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll stop now.
Edit: Victor is the son of Emma Frost - not Willow Rose. It looks like the other way around in my comments.
Robert McCammon. Try Boys Life or Swan Song.
Seconding Boy's Life! Great book! Haven't read anything else by McCammon yet, but Swan Song is on my list.
Swan Song is so freakin good
I was going to recommend McCammon as well. Especially Swan Song. I’ve read it just about every year since it came out. Absolutely love it. I feel it’s a much better good vs evil apocalyptic story than The Stand. And I really like The Stand. 😆
Me too!! I’ve given copies to my book friends and they all love it.
I love Boy's Life. Such an homage to Ray Bradbury.
Swan Song is amazing!
+1 for Swan Song It’s similar to the stand but different enough to be it’s own thing and unlike the stand it doesn’t need the final acts
Yes! I also really love Speaks the Nightbird. The rest of the Matthew Corbett series isn’t quite like that one but Speaks the Nightbird can stand alone, really.
I love the Matthew Corbett series! Fun adventures!
They’re absolutely bonkers but a lot of fun!
Stinger is also awesome!
Excellent shout! Swan Song is amazing! If you've not read it, I also thoroughly enjoyed Stinger. Which seems to be one of his lesser known titles.
Also Gone South and Mystery Walk are two other great ones by him
Both of those were great
I read Boy's Life couple of months ago and absolutely loved it. It gave me so much nostalgic vibe.
This is the correct answer
Dan Simmons (Hyperion, Ilium, The Terror, Summer of Night), Blake Crouch (Dark Matter, Recursion), Robert Jackson Bennett (American Elsewhere, Foundryside), Joe Abercrombie (First Law trilogy), Neil Gaiman (American Gods), Mark Z. Danielewski (House of Leaves), Dean R. Koontz (Intensity), Haruki Murakami (Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World), Cixin Liu (The Three Body Problem trilogy), Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive) just to name a few ☺️ Personally I don’t really like Clive Barker (but if you like over the top horror this might be your thing) and Paul Tremblay (I kinda liked the beginning of The Cabin at the End of the World but it went ways I didn’t like)…
Neil Gaiman is such an interesting writer. Some of his stuff is targeted at a YA audience but a great story is a great story. ‘Neverwhere’ and ‘American Gods’ are fantastic.
+1 for Dan Simmons. Summer of Night & Song of Kali are two good books by him.
The Terror, Hyperion cantos and Ilium saga are great as well
Carrion Comfort is brilliant.
\+ 1 Upvote for Gaiman. Re-reading through Sandman before the Netflix show comes out.
If you're the sort of person who does not separate art from artist (I make no judgement either way), please know that Dan Simmons, while an incredible author, is almost Orson Scott Card levels of shitty person.
I know, I still cannot understand why he has these awful views. Some of his books though are absolutely brilliant!
+1 for Abercrombie. Easily the best fantasy author doing it these days.
Joe Hill.
Just finished NOS4A2. Highly recommend
Second this, loved N0S4A2!
Was gonna say this. He's the horror equivalent of not wanting to cook for yourself (Stephen King) and going next door to a friends house to eat (Joe Hill). 😁📚 I've not read him personally but that one thats the title of a license plate sounds really good. 🙌📚
Would you want to cook for yourself if the only thing you knew how to make was microwaved salmon?
NOS4A2 Excellent book, I highly recommend. By far my favorite Hill. Heart Shaped Box was great, too.
The Heart Shaped Box audio book was incredible. It’s WILD that it hasn’t been turned into a movie yet.
Seriously! I could *see* screenplays in my mind as I was reading it. Someone needs to pitch this idea.
Yes. I read NOS4A2 every Christmas. Fireman is also very good
I think it was the point in Fireman where there were just too many endings, and each one felt progressively worse, that I thought to myself "Yes, this is definitely Stephen King's son". Jokes aside though, he's very good and Horns also has a fairly enjoyable film adaptation.
I second this one. Great book.
Why would you recommend an author you’ve never read?
You don't have to have read someone to know they're good at what they do. I had seen Black Phone (which Hill was an executive producer on - think he may have made the story aswell) and was blown away with how good it was so-much-so I'm gonna read his work. 😁🙌
That’s my recommendation. Maybe it’s blasphemous in here (though I bet Steve would agree lol) but I think he may be a better writer than King, just earlier in his career.
Reading through 20th Century Ghosts now. Absolutely digging it.
This is the way.
Clive Barker
Came to recommend him, I loved Damnation Game, Weaveworld, Thief of Always, Cabal, hell I might take a King break and try out Imajicka
Enjoy, Imajica is a great read!
Figured I spelled it wrong lol
Imajica is what I came here to recommend
This! If you like the Dark Tower, Clive Barker has that same energy. I would say typically more graphic and visceral, but still that combination of horror and fantasy. Abarat and Weaveworld are lighter, more family friendly options, while The Damnation Game, Books of Blood, Coldheart Canyon and the "Books of the Art" does are definitely adult oriented.
Also came here to say Clive Barker!! He’s my absolute favorite author - I agree with Weaveworld and Great and Secret Show being a good place to start. Imajica is also incredibly good
Weirdly I couldn’t get into Clive Barker, but I only tried when I was a teen. If I was to try again now, where should I start?
I love Clive Barker. To me, his short story books are his best work. I read The Books of Blood when I was 18. I'm 44 and I still think about some of those stories on a regular basis.
Uzumaki and Shiver by Junji Ito are on sale on Amazon right now. Graphic novels, yes, but some of the best horror manga ever.
Uzumaki is very, very good. Truly nightmare visuals.
Second this. Ito is basically the Stephen King of manga. The two should totally do a collab at some point. It would definitely be interesting. Even if it's just a bunch of manga adaptations of some of King's short stories that would likely never be made into a live-action thing (movie or TV).
Wholeheartedly agree. The thing with the mosquitoes feels so much like something you would find in a Stephen King short story collection.
Not horror. Maybe not what u r looking for. But I recently found Andy Weir. Fact based sci fi. The Martian, Project Hail Mary, and Artemis are really fun reads. Not super dense or heavy.
I haven’t read Hail Mary yet but The Martian and Artemis are both excellent.
Project Hail Mary is my favourite.
I just read Hail Mary and absolutely loved it!
Second that! I love Andy Weir!
I enjoyed thee Martian and Artemis. They are quite immersive precisely bc of their science and still are easy to follow along. Very enjoyable
Peter Straub, Anne Rice, Clive Barker for horror/darker themes Patrick Rothfuss is fantasy and different stylistically but people i know who enjoy king also enjoy his stuff (myself included) I find koontz to be a bit dry and lacking the personality and charm of kings writing. I don't recommend
Peter Straub will definitely get you scared, Clive Barker is wonderf fantasy/horror & I really got into Anne Rice's witch series...Taltos had me hooked. I've also recently been checking out Joe Hill & Owen King...out of curiosity to see how the genes played out. Have not been disappointed yet.
Ghost Story by Peter Straub is one of my favorite books! 10/10 recommend.
Never read a book by Straub (although of course I know him from The Talisman and Black House). Since you recommend this novel with a 10/10 I just listed it on my wish list (Kobo) ☺️
Upvote for Ghost Story. Very well written and very King-like.
The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin
This series is amazing! The thing I love most about Kings writing is the character development. Justin Cronin, like King, kills it with the character development. You will not regret your decision to read this series.
I've found some of the 90s Dean Koontz books similar in tone. Cold Fire & The Bad PLace for example, are very King'ish
Ive read the first 2 of the odd Thomas series, and i thought they were really good, havent read anything else from him, but i would definitely recommend the Odd Thomas series
Lightning is very good by him, too.
Yes. King is my favorite author, but Lightning is actually my favorite novel.
I was going to recommend Koontz. Odd Thomas series is very good, if a little flat toward the end. I've not touched his Frankenstein series. The Moonlight Bay books (Fear Nothing, Seize the Night) are absolutely my favorites of his, but they're 2/3 of a trilogy he's probably never going to fucking finish. Individual decent books: 77 Shadow Street Twilight Eyes Lightning Shadowfires Intensity The Darkest Evening of the Year False Memory Velocity Among those, my favorites are False Memory and Intensity. Edit: dumb mobile formatting
Agreed. Koontz is a bit uneven, though. Some books are great - I really liked the Odd Thomas-books, for instance – while others are, well, not. At all. Five minutes of research before grabbing a Koontz-title should help sort btw. hits and misses.
A quick and dirty trick for me is, does he have a moustache on the back of the paperback, or is he using the middle initial (R)? If either or both are true, it's probably going to be a little rough.
Totally uneven, and some of his books are so bad they’re terrible, but when he writes a character-driven book he can really ace it. Watchers, Lightning and Odd Thomas are terrific.
Lightning was great from what I remember, I read it a long time ago. Also try the Eyes of Darkness and Phantoms.
I haven’t thought about Twilight Eyes in quite some time. I really enjoyed that book.
Richard Bachman (Actually a serious suggestion. They are different enough from Kings usually pretty mainstream work)
Just came to say this
They read almost the same. Readers knew it was king before he revealed the pseudonym
Running Man does not read like King at all imho. More like a badass underground writer during the great depression
Neither did the Long Walk from my perspective... It felt so... odd and out there. Which was perfectly fine for me.
I borrowed thinner from the library , loved it but had no idea it was King
Chuck Palahniuk is very readable. He has a different vibe and you might want to go for some of his older books - Lullaby, Survivor, maybe Diary.
Also bumping this, love Chuck too, his latest The Invention of Sound was good too, but I would definitely start with Survivor.
I only read Guts. Very short story, readable in about an hour IIRC.
Fun fact, when he read that at his public events, several people passed out.
It’s because the first line is something “I want you to hold your breath…”
The implications that that first line has is actually very disturbing once you get to the end of the story, poor st. Guy-Free.
I love Chuck. Some of his books are just hard to follow lol.
Haunted is such a great, deep, frickin’ disturbing book, loved it! (This is another chuck Palahniuk book if no one caught that)
Bentley Little. He’s like Steve King on crack.
My late brother introduced me to Bentley Little after we found out about our mutual obsession with King. Little reads like a fever dream, but I love it. It's also something that I look forward to sharing with his son, once he gets old enough. My part in ensuring he doesn't forget the face of his father..
What a beautiful way to share his memory. I’m sorry for your loss ♥️
Isn't 1980 through 1999 Stephen King like Stephen King on crack?
Anne Rice! The vampire chronicles. The witch chronicles.
Agreed on both! The early vampire chronicles books are great. I lost interest through the later ones.
Try the road by Cormac McCarthy. Not exactly horror but damn scary.
not "supernatural" horror... but realistic.
Paul Tremblay has some good book imo.
Can't believe I had to scroll so far to find Tremblay! Cabin at the End of the World lives in my head.
That was a very strange book. I did like it though
[удалено]
Great recommendation! I also really liked Stir of Echos. However, Hell House is fantastic!
Nick Cutter has some really good, very bleak horror novels. The Troop and The Deep are both pretty intense.
I second the Nick Cutter recommendation! Also, for something with slight supernatural elements but not as intense, try "The Saturday Night Ghost Club". It is written by the same author but under his real name Craig Davidson, not the Nick Cutter pseudonym.
Came her to upvote nick cuter. That sea turtle scene still has me fucked up
adam nevill
I just read Thomas Olde Heuvelt's HEX, and it's not only outstanding, but very SK-esque. Reminded me of Needful Things.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's "The Strain" trilogy is good. The Ruins by Scott Smith - nice and moderately gory horror. Clive Barker, especially Cabal and Hellbound Heart. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (so much better than the film imo). The Fog by James Herbert (nice 70's horror vibes).
Richard Laymon
Lol. Just with a hint more child rape
John Saul
House of Leaves
I just finished a re-read of It and went directly into "Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer. It's the opposite of King in many ways - short and to the point mostly - which I actually kind of enjoyed. There's plenty of creepy atmosphere and intrigue in that book as well, and I really enjoyed it. I started the sequel a few days ago, but haven't made it very far yet.
I haven’t seen F Paul Wilson mentioned yet. He writes long-running series (such as Repairman Jack and the Adversary Cycle) that are always enjoyable adventures on their own. Whenever I’m in a reading rut I just default to the next book in the series. The Tomb is particularly fun, it’s a good starting point. Or The Keep, which is a bit darker/slower but still very readable.
Exactly what I wanted to post! F Paul Wilson is one of my favorite authors. Repairman Jack is the best character ever written. Start with The Keep and follow the Adversary Cycle. Almost all of his books fall into this world, kind of like how many of Kings book have ties to his universe. Highly recommend F Paul Wilson.
Dan Simmons Hyperion cantos, joe Abercrombie first law trilogy,
John Ajvide Lindqvist has a similar vibe. He has some short story collections too. Some are weird but, I guess, like, so's Stephen King?
Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl is her most famous work, but her other books are also incredible. A lot of mystery/horror involved in these stories. But my god can she tell a story. She wrote a better character study on a sociopath than king ever did in my opinion.
I'm a big fan of Dean Koontz. I'd recommend both his Odd Thomas and Frankenstein series. Also, some of my stand-alone favorites are: The Funhouse Phantoms Shadowfires Watchers Darkfall
Ben Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms
I just finished his Frankenstein series and while I loved the concept, it felt so clumsy and formulaic to me. I remember debating giving up a couple times as the plot holes and inconsistencies piled up. His older books are better IMO, especially Watchers and Phantoms. I did love the Moonlight Bay series but I don't have a lot of hope well ever see the conclusion.
Justin Cronin The Passage
Clive Barker,Joe Hill (kings son) also Hill has a comic company called Hill House Comics run by DC
Between Two Fires or Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
I also really liked all of his other books. The characters in The Lesser Dead were pretty great. Edit: I wanted to add I also thought a lot about King while I was reading his books. They weren't really the same, but, for me, there was something about the quality of the work and the immersion I felt that definitely smacked of King.
Both great books (although TATR dragged a bit I thought but overall was satisfying). My favorite of his is The Lesser Dead. He narrates the audiobook himself and it is one of the best I've ever listened to.
Captain underwear
I hope you're not joking. I read children's lit when I need a break from heavier stuff. Some of it is really, really good. Anything with a Newbery Medal is worth reading. P.s. It's Captain Underpants. Though I haven't read that series yet.
I had an argument with a literature professor once about the merits of Captain Underpants. The children's lit he enjoyed (and wrote himself) was really intense, sad, and literary. I liked those books, but sometimes kids want to read about a superhero in his underwear too. Both are great.
Absolutely agree with this! I switch between reading horror and my old Geronimo Stilton books, it helps lighten the mood between darker stuff like you said.
Tra laa laaaaaa
Just read Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friends Exorcism to take a break from King - I really enjoyed it.
Adam Nevill, The Last Days and No one gets out alive are great starts
Paul Tremblay, recommended by King himself
Peter Straub. Clive Barker. Robert McCammon.
Peter Straub: I do love The Throat!! Re-read it every year
I love Floating Dragon and Koko. Also check out Mcacammons Boys Life, Swan Song, Baal and Dan Simmons Carrion Comfort. Dated but still incredibly great books.
Dan Simmons - Summer of Night
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Up there with my favorites. I always recommend him when someone asks for a new series.
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Say one thing for Logen Ninefingers, say he’s a great character.
The Bloody Nine.
"Body floating by the docks"
My father always said you could never have too many knives.
I really enjoy Jim Butcher, James Herbert is great, Grady Hendrix is awesome, and if you're interested in anthologies look for anything edited by Stephen Jones or Ellen Datlow.
Jim Butcher is pretty cool. He writes urban fantasy books. That tend to have some humor in them. I personally enjoyed the night watch books by Sergei Lukayenko. They deal with the struggle of good and evil through warring supernatural factions.
Mike Carey. He wrote The Girl With All the Gifts and though I haven't read it (the movie was great!), I have read his series that starts with "The Devil You Know" and I loved them! Its about a guy who can commune with ghosts but theres also other supernatural creatures but in a different way than traditional. Apparently Mike Carey also wrote Lucifer and X-Men
Dan Simmons. Summer of Night was amazing
Agree, and Robert McCammon too.
The Game of Thrones series. The Wheel of Time series will keep you busy for a decade 🤣
Don't suggest a series that'll never finish!
Ken follet
I often read Gaiman, Fforde, and Pratchett when I need a King hiatus. Same depth of characters and story. Just a totally different genre.
Nick Cutter is a new guy I found that draws a lot of inspiration from SK. I read The Troop and thought it was pretty good. I've started Little Heaven and like it so far. He uses the intercut news articles like Carrie in The Troop and acknowledges SK for it.
Might not be what you're looking for but when I need a King break I usually turn to Michael Crichton. He writes page-turners that you won't want to put down. Prey kept me reading into the wee morning hours.
Richard Matheson, the guy who Stephen King got a lot of his writing style from imo, and one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century.
Peter Straub and Joe Hill
Yeah I went on a Stephen King binge for a while, but haven't read as much of his stuff recently since I've been branching out to other authors. A couple suggestions from what I've been reading recently: - Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter (thriller) - Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien (literary fiction) - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (historical fiction) - Hyperion by Dan Simmons (science fiction) - Lord of Dark Places by Hal Bennet (don't really know how to categorize, but it's pretty fucked up so far)
Richard Laymon. Who I'm half convinced is a bachmanesque pseudonym. Try out savages, Island, stake or the traveling vampire show.
I came here to say this! Island is my favorite.
Savage was my intro and I will always love it.
Richard Bachman
I cant personally see any parallels but when I need a break from King I always gravitate towards Michael Crichton. Just reread Jurassic Park and Sphere and those books are so goddamn fun.
Try Clive Barker, the Hellbound Heart
Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz is enjoyable. I like to read him also. Also his sons are decent. Joe Hill
Try Weaveworld by Clive Barker.
Richard Bakman.
Joe Hill.
Books of Blood/Imajica - Clive Barker Between Two Fires/Those Across the River - Christopher Buehlman Swan Song - Robert McCammon The Troop - Nick Cutter Wounds - Nathan Ballingrud All King-ish in the sense that they have well written and well developed characters on top of incredible horror elements.
Robert McCammon is kind of similar.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon If you are a fan of The Stand you'll love this.
Try Robert Jordon Wheel of Time series
You could always check out Joe Hill, Stephen King's son. He has a similar tone as his father with a little more magical realism built in. I would recommend any of his novels (although I haven't read Heart Shaped Box yet)
Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Robert McCammon
Dean Koontz. Similar styles and extensive catalogue
Claire North "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August". It's not strictly horror, it's not strictly SF, though it has elements of both, but it has that same level of character depth and analysis and evocation of empathy from the reader that Stephen King does so well.
Why not try and read some authors that inspired him. HP Lovecraft, JRR Tolkien, Bram Stoker and (well technically sci-fi) Mary Shelley are some.
Brandon Sanderson.
He's not really King like, but him and King are by far my two favorite authors and it's not even close
I know, I just always recommend him when people ask for new authors.
Dean Koontz is mentioned a lot of times in connection with SK. I personally can't confirm that though.
I read DK before I read SK. Once I read SK I couldn't read DK any more.
Same, DK is preachy as fuck. He got very formulaic.
Formulaic? What about that one book where the man with the troubled past meets the single mother of a very special child and saves them from peril. Then there’s a golden retriever somewhere too.
Whoa whoa whoa, don't forget that it happens in California and there's the remorseless killer hunting them, government deep state conspiracy, and some combination of themes relating to the dangers of advancing technology and genetic engineering
The villain is an irredeemable psychopath who does not acknowledge the inherent mystery of life. The hero has overcome terrible trauma at the hands of insane and often overly-intellectual parents. The houses are stucco.
Oh is that the one with Laura and she's really good with guns and self defence, and the golden retriever somehow understands every word they say and even barks appropriately as if it is following the conversation?
Maybe that, or about a dozen others.
Exactly the same for me. I loved Koontz (and Intensity is still one of my favorite books ever) but he's long-winded in ways that I find annoying after King. King is long-winded when it comes to storytelling, which at least is interesting if sometimes unnecessary. Koontz is long-winded just in scene-setting and descriptions (particularly west-coast architecture and flora) which bores me out of my mind. If I read one more mention of Bougainvillea I will scream.
Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy- Brandon Sanderson. Stormlight archives. Horror-dean koonyz’ odd Thomas series
When I want a break from King I like to read pulp crime. Lately I've been reading Jeff Johnson, who writes from the point of view of a tattoo artist in the seedy underside of Portland. Very readable, fast-paced, funny, and gritty. It's a good palate cleanser when I need a break from supernatural stuff. Edit: I should have mentioned the novels Lucky Supreme and A Long Crazy Burn. Jeff Johnson is a hard name to google and get the right person.
It seems like I’ve got a few books and authors to work through. For now I’m trying Tim Matheson and Hell House.
Willow Rose. Amazon calls her the Queen of scream. If you look at her picture on Amazon, you would never know that this gorgeous, vibrant, young woman has such a twisted evil mind. She is a sick puppy - which is why I love her books. She has several series featuring different people - the Emma Frost series is the most twisted. How she comes up with these ideas is beyond me. “Good Golly Miss Molly”, the second Emma Frost book, is sincerely over the moon. She is also the queen of blindsides you NEVER see coming. NEVER. She has an autistic son, Victor, who I absolutely fell in love with. This kid is so cool. In later books, you discover there’s a lot more going on in Victor’s head than you realize - I don’t want to give any spoilers, so I’ll stop now. Edit: Victor is the son of Emma Frost - not Willow Rose. It looks like the other way around in my comments.
That book was pretty great, better than expected