Stephen King is a household name, a legendary American author with more than 50 novels and 200 short stories to his name.
He isn’t new either, he’s been publishing books since1974. His stories are what you read if you are looking for a scare ton of chapters. They’re full of chilling horror, suspense, crime, magical realism, and happenings of the supernatural nature.
It’s no surprise then that his books have sold more than 350 million copies, and most of his literary works have been adapted into television series and films.
And… in 2015, Stephen King was awarded a National Medal of Arts from the United States National Endowment for the Arts, thanking him for all he’s done for literature.
I just had to write a post on this phenomenal writer! So, I compiled a complete list of Stephen King’s Books.
I have added some fun facts and some FAQs, so read on to know about the world’s best horror writer.
Our Top 3 Stephen King Books at a Glance:
Who is Stephen King?
Stephen Edwin King is an American author who has written horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. He was born on September 21, 1947, and has been publishing bestsellers for over 45 years.
Before his successful writing career, he was an English Teacher, which—presumably—formed strong foundations for his mastery of writing.
He’s used in his hometown, Maine, as the setting for a lot of stories including Pet Sematary and Carrie. He also advises upcoming writers to use things and settings they know to create a relatable world and experience.
His works have earned him a lot of awards and general recognition. He has been awarded World Fantasy Awards, British Fantasy Society Awards, and Bram Stoker Awards. He has also been awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation and a National Medal of Arts from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. I cannot list all the prizes and honors, but I know his trophy cabinet is full.
Stephen King married Tabitha Spruce—a novelist too—on January 2, 1971, and the couple has three children, a daughter and two sons, and four grandchildren.
What Did Stephen King Write?
Stephen King wrote both fiction and non-fiction books, 7 of which were published under a pen name, Richard Bachman. He used a pen name because he didn’t want to publish more than one book under the same name.
In total, he wrote 63 novels, 20 novellas, around 120 short stories, and there have been 5 published non-fiction books in his name.
The Chronological List of Stephen King’s Published Books
- Carrie (1974)
- Salem’s Lot (1975)
- The Shining (1977)
- Rage (1977)
- The Stand (1978)
- Night Shift (1977)
- The Long Walk (1979)
- The Dead Zone (1979)
- The Mist (1979)
- Firestarter (1980)
- Roadwork (1981)
- Danse Macabre, non-fiction, (1981)
- Cujo (1981)
- The Running Man (1982)
- The Dark Tower, novel series, (1982 – 2012)
- Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982)
- The Body (1982)
- Apt Pupil (1982)
- The Breathing Method (1982)
- Pet Sematary (1982)
- Christine (1983)
- The Talisman (1984)
- Cycle of the Werewolf (1985)
- Thinner (1984)
- Skeleton Crew (1985)
- The Bachman Books, novel collection, (1985)
- It (1986)
- The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
- Misery (1987)
- The Tommyknockers (1987)
- Nightmares in The Sky, non-fiction, (1987)
- The Dark Half (1989)
- The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (1990)
- Four Past Midnight (1990)
- The Sun Dog (1990)
- Secret Window, Secret Garden (1990)
- The Library Policeman (1990)
- The Langoliers (1990)
- Needful Things (1991)
- Gerald’s Game (1992)
- Dolores Claiborne (1992)
- Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993)
- Insomnia (1994)
- Blind Willie (1994)
- Rose Madder (1995)
- The Green Mile, novel series, (1996)
- Desperation (1996)
- The Regulators (1996)
- Bag of Bones (1998)
- The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)
- Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
- N (1999)
- Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing, non-fiction, (1999)
- Elevation (1999)
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, non-fiction, (1999)
- Gwendy’s Button Box (1999)
- Dreamcatcher (2001)
- Black House (2001)
- Everything’s Eventual (2001)
- From a Buick 8 (2001)
- Faithful, non-fiction, (2004)
- The Colorado Kid (2005)
- Salem’s Lot Illustrated Edition (2005)
- The Secretary of Dreams: Volume One (2005)
- Cell (2006)
- Lisey’s Story (2006)
- Blaze (2007)
- Duma Key (2008)
- Just After Sunset (2008)
- Stephen King Goes to the Movies (2009)
- Under the Dome (2009)
- The Secretary of Dreams: Volume 2 (2010)
- Full Dark, No Stars (2010)
- 11/22/63 (2011)
- GUNS (2013)
- Joyland (2013)
- Doctor Sleep (2013)
- Mr. Mercedes (2014)
- Revival (2014)
- Finders Keepers (2015)
- Joyland Illustrated Edition (2015)
- The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015)
- Blockade Billy (2015)
- UR (2015)
- End of Watch (2016)
- Charlie the Choo-Choo (2016)
- Sleeping Beauties (2017)
- The Outsider (2018)
- The Institute (2019)
- If It Bleeds (2020)
10 Most Popular Stephen King’s Books?
1. Carrie (1974)
This is the very first novel that Stephen King published in 1974. The story is set in the year 1979—which, in 1974 is a future timeline—and follows a telekinetic teenager named Carrie White.
Carrie has had to deal with abuse from high-school bullies and an abusive religious household and decides to use her newly discovered telekinetic powers to take revenge on her tormentors. But, in the process of exacting revenge on her sadistic classmates and Margaret (Carrie’s own mother), she destroys the fictional town of Chamberlain, Maine.
King’s portrayal of violence, underage sex, and inclusion of cursing and negative view of religion made the book one of the most frequently banned books in US schools during the 1990s.
2. It (1986)
The story is set in 1958 and 1985 in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and follows seven kids who are followed by a monster, which often takes the form of Pennywise the Clown and is called “It.”
3. The Shining (1977)
This Novel made the list effortlessly because it’s also Stephen King’s first-ever bestseller: This horror novel was published in 1977 and was adapted into a movie, which also has a sequel. This paranormal story is about Jack Torrance, a new caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, who is looking forward to spending quality time with his family while focusing on his writing. A winter storm holds Jack hostage at the hotel and hell starts to break loose when evil forces which tried and failed to possess his son, Danny, possess Jack instead.
4. The Stand (1978)
This story is a tale filled with supernatural and fantasy fabrics and sewn into an apocalyptic timeline.
It begins after a plague kills most of the population, and the people split into 2 groups. Then a battle between the two groups ensues, and it’s a battle between the good and the bad.
5. 11/22/63
The story is about a time traveler, a high school English teacher named Jake Epping, who attempts to avert the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. The title is derived from the date of the assassination, which is November 22, 1963. King shifts away from his horror genre and writes a thrilling historical fiction story, in which Epping changes his identity, dances with the time continuum, and sees what may wait in the present timeline if he succeeds.
This novel, which is Stephen King’s 60th book, 49th novel, and the 42nd under his own name, was published on November 8, 2011.
It didn’t take time to become number-one bestseller staying on The New York Times Best Seller list for 16 weeks, winning the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Best Mystery/Thriller) and the 2012 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel, and earned nominations for the 2012 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and 2012 British Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
It has also had over 220,000 five-star reviews on Goodreads.
6. Salem’s Lot (1975)
Salem’s Lot is Stephen King’s second published novel, and it revolves around writer Ben Mears who returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, AKA Salem’s Lot in Maine after 25 years. He discovers that the town’s residents are turning into vampires. A battle ensues between the vampires and others, including Mr. Mears.
The story earned King nominations for the World Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel in 1976 and 1987, respectively.
7. Pet Sematary (1983)
Again using a familiar environment, King sets this story in rural Maine. In this horror classic, a family moves into a nice home, expecting to live a calm, uncomplicated and joyous life. However, they soon discover that this town is haunted by horrors that won’t remain dead and buried all because of the evil pet cemetery.
8. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
Gunslinger is the first installment of King’s “The Dark Tower” series, which served eight books and a short story much to the satisfaction of his enthusiasts.
In this story, Roland of Deschain is the last gunslinger, who—for many years—has been pursuing an adversary named “the man in black.” The story follows Roland as he treks through a vast desert and beyond in search of his man.
King serves Western fiction fused science fiction, fantasy, and—of course—horror.
9. Under the Dome (2009)
Again set in Maine, this is a story about a town that finds itself trapped under an invisible dome, separating it from the rest of the world.
The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, as the town’s residents come together and try to fight their new enemy: a force field dome.
10. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
This is the third book in the “The Dark Tower” series. The entire series takes place in a parallel universe, where the Dark Tower connects all the universes and follows Roland as he tries to reach the Dark Tower.
The success of this third installment of the Dark Tower Series culminated in a nomination for the 1991 Bram Stoker Award for Novel.
Stephen King Fun Facts (Did You Know?)
1. Stephen King uses two pen names: Richard Bachman and John Swithen.
2. Initially, Carrie was plotted as a short story but the first draft was tossed away by King. Tabitha, his wife, found the trashed draft and liked the story. Afterward, King went at it again and the rest is history (Yes, a history that goes like, he sold the rights to Doubleday and pocketed an advance of around $2,500).
3. The Lurker of the Threshold, which is a short story collection by HP Lovecraft is said to be the inspiration behind King’s writing career.
4. Stephen King’s house is a tourist attraction. His home in Bangor, Maine, in which he wrote “It.” draws die-hard fans of the horror king.
5. King prefers to write on paper with a fountain pen. He says that he tries to write a minimum of 2,000 words per day.
6. King loves baseball and is a hardcore Boston Red Sox fan. His love for the MLB baseball team is said to have influenced his story “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.”
7. In 2014, King published his first ‘hard-boiled detective book’ which featured retired detective Bill Hodges. That book earned him an Edgar Award.
8. Stephen and Tabitha King own a classic rock station called WKIT which proudly calls itself “Stephen King’s Rock Station.” In fact, the Kings own Zone Radio, a company that runs Stephen and Tabitha’s three radio stations in Maine including WKIT.
9. In 1999, King was hit by a van, an accident that left him in a hospital with a big cut in the head, a collapsed lung, and multiple fractures to his hip and leg. Later, King bought the van for $1500.
10. King played rhythm guitar for a band called The Rock Bottom Remainders. The band was made up of successful writers and it toured about once a year from 1992 to 2012.
Stephen King FAQs
Does he have a haunted house?
No. He certainly thinks Halloween is fun and has seen about a thousand people show up for candy and treats at his home but is not looking forward to another frenzied Halloween.
What is Stephen King’s Religion?
Stephen was a Methodist and regularly attended church early in life. However, King no longer goes to church, but still believes in God and reads the Bible.
When is Stephen King’s birthday?
September 21st, 1947.
Why did Stephen King become a writer?
King says that “there was nothing else he was made to do.” He loves writing stories “can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Is Stephen King alive or dead?
Stephen King is alive.
Has Stephen King retired?
Not yet. Obviously, he has slowed down in terms of publishing, maybe because of age or family commitments, but he still writes.
Is there a Stephen King fan club?
There is no official Stephen King fan club. The closest things to that are Stephen King’s newsletter and Twitter Feeds.
Where does King get his ideas?
His answer is a simple, “everywhere.”
He obviously draws his inspiration from real life, but it is his ingenuity when mixing such real-life events with other interesting nonexistent scenarios that shines. He says he always adds the question ‘What if?’ to his story ideas and comes up with the stories.
Final Words
Having published over 90 books, I can boldly say that Stephen King has written at least one story for every avid reader.
He is known as the “King of Horror,” but—on many occasions—he has transcended that title to write stories in unrelated genres.
He is, simply, a genius!
