The Essential Stephen King: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels, Short Stories, Movies, and Other Creations of the World's Most Popular Writer

by Spignesi, Stephen J.

• ISBN13: 9781564144850
• ISBN10: 1564144852
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Career Pr Inc

Summary

Ranks the horror writer's written works and films, discussing reasons for the ranking, quotes, information on revisions and film adaptations, and a summary of the work's plot and main characters.

Author Biography

Stephen J. Spignesi is a New York Times best-selling author who writes about pop culture, trivia, and history

Table of Contents

Prelude: How Stephen King's Fans Feel About His Work	8	(5)
What You'll Find in Each Chapter	13	(340)
It (1986) (novel)	15	(4)
The Stand (1978, 1990) (novel)	19	(3)
The Shining (1977) (novel)	22	(4)
The Dead Zone (1979) (novel)	26	(3)
The Green Mile (1996) (novel)	29	(4)
Bag of Bones (1998) (novel)	33	(4)
Misery (1987) (novel)	37	(4)
'Salem's Lot (1975) (novel)	41	(3)
Pet Sematary (1983) (novel)	44	(3)
The Dark Tower Epic (1982, 1987, 1991, 1997, 2002[?]) (novel)	47	(7)
Insomnia (1994) (novel)	54	(3)
The Talisman (1984) (novel)	57	(3)
Desperation (1996) (novel)	60	(3)
Hearts in Atlantis (1999) (novel)	63	(4)
Dolores Claiborne (1993) (novel)	67	(3)
Cujo (1981) (novel)	70	(3)
Rose Madder (1995) (novel)	73	(3)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984, 1987) (novel)	76	(3)
Firestarter (1980) (novel)	79	(3)
Carrie (1974) (novel)	82	(3)
Danse Macabre (1981) (nonfiction book)	85	(3)
The Dark Half (1989) (novel)	88	(3)
On Writing (2000) (nonfiction book)	91	(3)
Needful Things (1991) (novel)	94	(3)
Gerald's Game (1992) (novel)	97	(3)
Dreamcatcher (2001) (novel)	100	(6)
The Body (1982) (novella)	106	(3)
The Long Walk (1979) (novel)	109	(3)
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982) (novella)	112	(3)
Apt Pupil (1982) (novella)	115	(3)
Rage (1977) (novel)	118	(3)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999) (novel)	121	(3)
The Mist (1980, 1985) (novella)	124	(3)
The Library Policeman (1990) (novella)	127	(3)
``The Reach'' (1981, 1985) (short story)	130	(3)
``The Man in the Black Suit'' (1994) (short story)	133	(3)
The Sun Dog (1990) (novella)	136	(3)
Secret Window, Secret Garden (1990) (novella)	139	(2)
Christine (1983) (novel)	141	(3)
``My Pretty Pony'' (1988, 1993) (short story)	144	(3)
The Running Man (1982) (novel)	147	(3)
``Dolan's Cadillac'' (1985, 1989) (short story)	150	(2)
The Little Sisters of Eluria (1998) (novella)	152	(3)
``Survivor Type'' (1982) (short story)	155	(3)
Thinner (1984) (novel)	158	(3)
``The Woman in the Room'' (1978) (short story)	161	(3)
``Strawberry Spring'' (1968, 1975) (short story)	164	(3)
``Nona'' (1978) (short story)	167	(3)
``All That You Love Will Be Carried Away'' (2001) (short story)	170	(3)
``Autopsy Room Four'' (1997) (short story)	173	(3)
The Plant (1982, 1983, 1985, 2000, 200?) (novel)	176	(4)
The Regulators (1996) (novel)	180	(3)
``The Neighborhood of the Beast'' (1994) (nonfiction essay)	183	(3)
``In the Deathroom'' (2000) (short story)	186	(3)
``Leaf-Peepers'' (1998) (nonfiction essay)	189	(2)
``Gray Matter'' (1973) (short story)	191	(3)
Stephen King's Golden Years (1991) (screenplay)	194	(4)
``The Jaunt'' (1981) (short story)	198	(3)
Stephen King's Storm of the Century (1999) (screenplay)	201	(4)
``The Man Who Loved Flowers'' (1977) (short story)	205	(2)
Cycle of the Werewolf (1983, 1985) (novella)	207	(3)
``The End of the Whole Mess'' (1986) (short story)	210	(3)
``One For the Road'' (1977) (short story)	213	(2)
``The Road Virus Heads North'' (1999) (short story)	215	(3)
``The Last Rung on the Ladder'' (1978) (short story)	218	(3)
``Mrs. Todd's Shortcut'' (1984) (short story)	221	(3)
``Umney's Last Case'' (1993) (short story)	224	(3)
``The Doctor's Case'' (1987) (short story)	227	(3)
``Gramma'' (1984) (short story)	230	(4)
``The Raft'' (1982) (short story)	234	(2)
``The Boogeyman'' (1973) (short story)	236	(3)
The Tommyknockers (1987) (novel)	239	(3)
The Langoliers (1990) (novella)	242	(3)
Everything's Eventual (1997) (novella)	245	(3)
The Breathing Method (1982) (novella)	248	(3)
``That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French'' (1998) (short story)	251	(3)
Riding the Bullet (2000) (novella)	254	(3)
``Graveyard Shift'' (1970) (short story)	257	(3)
``The Mangler'' (1972) (short story)	260	(3)
``Uncle Otto's Truck'' (1983) (short story)	263	(3)
``Head Down'' (1990) (nonfiction essay)	266	(3)
``My Little Serrated Security Blanket'' (1995) (nonfiction essay)	269	(2)
``You Know They Got a Hell of a Band'' (1992) (short story)	271	(3)
``The Bogeyboys'' (1999) (nonfiction essay)	274	(3)
``I Am the Doorway'' (1971) (short story)	277	(3)
``Cain Rose Up'' (1968, 1985) (short story)	280	(3)
``I Know What You Need'' (1976) (short story)	283	(3)
``The Monkey'' (1980) (short story)	286	(3)
``Rainy Season'' (1989) (short story)	289	(3)
``Sneakers'' (1988, 1993) (short story)	292	(3)
``Myth, Belief, Faith and Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' (1993) (nonfiction essay)	295	(3)
``Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques'' (1988) (nonfiction essay)	298	(3)
``The Ten O'Clock People'' (1993) (short story)	301	(3)
``1984: A Bad Year If You Fear Friday the 13th (1984) (nonfiction essay)	304	(3)
``What Stephen King Does for Love'' (1990) (nonfiction essay)	307	(4)
``Introduction for The Shapes of Midnight'' (1980) (nonfiction essay)	311	(3)
Foreword to Night Shift (1978) (nonfiction essay)	314	(3)
Foreword to Stalking the Nightmare (1982) (nonfiction essay)	317	(3)
``Paranoid: A Chant'' (1985) (poem)	320	(3)
``The Subject This Week Is Cops.'' (nonfiction essay)	323	(3)
``The Thing at the Bottom of the Well'' (1960) (short story)	326	(27)
In a Class By Itself: ``Remembering John'' (1980) (eulogy)	328	(4)
Mick Garris on Stephen King: ``Stephen King is...''	332	(2)
James Cole on Stephen King: ``Stephen King is...''	334	(3)
Jay Holben on Stephen King: ``Stephen King is...''	337	(2)
Questions with Stephen King Supercollector Charlie Fried	339	(6)
The Final Word: ``Stephen King: Survivor Type''	345	(8)
George Beahm
Index	353	(7)
About the Author	360