I'm currently in the midsts of another Stephen King-induced nightmare, as I am reading his latest literary work, "Cell", and I began to reminisce about the many memorable moments that Mr. King (as he should respectfully be addressed, and rightly so!) has brought into my life. Now, I'm a great fan of Mr. King's, I think I've read most of what he's ever put to paper, and I was also a long time member of the Stephen King library (you can never have enough skeleton keychains, if you know what I mean!). That being said, I'm not here to say that all that Mr. King craps on turns to gold. There have been some definitive misses. (Dreamcather, I'm looking in your direction!! Why don't you take of the mask, and call yourself what you really are...IT 2!!) But I would like to take this opportunity to list my top 10 Stephen King Novels (Stories) in descending order from lowest to highest:
#10 The Mist: Nothing better than hearing giant man-eating creatures all around you, and not being able to see them coming right at you.
#9 Hearts in Atlantis: I'm not a very big fan of history and/or politics, but this collection of stories puts the Vietnam War, and its aftermath, in terms and perspectives I can understand. Socially poignant, but still within the realm of the supernatural.
#8 Misery: How can one middle-aged, retired nurse be so horrifically terrifying? There is nothing scarier than that which is still within the realm of possibility. One of the greatest villains of all time. (Here's your Caca- Doodie Paper!! Classic!)
#7 The Stand (Unabridged Version): Definetly the longest of Stephen King's works (The Dark Tower Series not withstanding), I found this version at my local swap meet at a great deal. The juxtaposition of Mother Abigail and Randall Flagg is great. Military bio-chemical warfare gone wrong? Nothing wrong with that. (M-O-O-N, that spells great!) Besides, you gotta respect a book that has a character named Trash Can Man.
#6 Rita Hayward and the Shawshank Redemption: One of the first stories where I love both literary and cinematic versions. This one stands as a testament to Mr. King's ability to write works of fiction without vampires, zombies, ghosts, or demons. (Tax Fraud, SCARRRRY!!)
#5 The Green Mile: John Coffey (like the drink, only not spelled the same), is one of THE best Stephen King characters of all time (in my humble opinion). Once again, a great cinematic adaptation of one of Mr. King's finest.
#4 Insomnia: Perhaps one of the lesser known Stephen King gems, this one's protagonist is possibly the oldest in Mr. King's library. (Yet he still managed to get the job done without the help of Viagra). Also the first time I heard of the Crimson King {ominous music}.
#3 The Body (aka Stand By Me): One of my favorite movies of all time, I saw it before I even read the novella. A tender coming-of-age story that a young boy, such as myself, can identify with. (You know, except for the whole corpse thing).
#2 The Dark Tower Series: 7 books, one masterpiece of literary fiction/science fiction/horror/and soon-to-be comic book. The title not only refers to the central focus of the series, but also to the crux of Mr. King's entire literary works. Almost every single Stephen King story ties in to the epic journey of Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger.
#1 IT: Pennywise the Clown. Perhaps the single largest cause of Coulrophobia (I'd like Obscure Phobia's for $500, Alex!) since Bozo. My very first Stephen King book, remains my favorite, as well as the only one that I have read more than once. I felt totally invested in the lives of the characters, and as a teenager in high school, I was able to identify with The Loser's Club because I was one myself. It's a great story about the bonds of friendship, confronting one's fears, and the power of belief and imagination. The made-for-TV mini-series was okay, having the star power of John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Tim Curry, and Annette O'Toole (yep, MILF-y Martha Kent herself!), but it couldn't quiet capture the magic that the novel conveys.
Well, that's it. It's controversial, it's thought-provoking, it'll probably be read by a grand total of 2 people (myself included), but it's mine. Live with it. Until Next Time Constant Reader.
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