Stephen King became famous for writing horror and thriller books that are not limited to traditional details approached in these literary genres, but also brings reality to ghosts and monsters stories, and develops the humanization of characters not restricting themselves to categories like figures of good and evil.
Now that it is time for Halloween, you should check these six books of the author that are perfect to read during this season.
The Shining
Stephen King’s third book was a success since the day it was released. The Shining is the story of a man – Jack – haunted by his addictions and hallucinations, who goes to work in an isolated hotel during the winter with his son Dan and his wife Wendy. The construction of a psychological horror based on events that could happen in real life brings an even more terrifying aura to this book.
The Stand
A classic is always a classic. In this book, the readers are introduced to a post-apocalyptic world affected by a contagious disease in which the only survivors seek to establish a new social order. With more than 1200 pages, horror becomes just a beginning point to approach to different subjects.
Pet Sematary
A Cemetery in Maine, a small American town, where children bury their pets, is the stage for supernatural events. At first, doctor Louis Creed, who has just moved to the city, doesn’t believe that the ghostly stories they tell are true, but when his daughter’s cat comes back to life after being run over by a car, questions about life and death loom large. The history of that cemetery.
Joyland
Released in 2013, this is one of Stephen King’s shortest books with around 300 pages. This is a good option if you want to start reading more from this author.
The story follows Linda Grey’s murder controversies. She was murdered by a serial killer at Joyland – just an ordinary amusement park – years ago. Rumors say her spirit still roams the ghost train. After years, university student Devin Jones, recently hired by the park, begins to investigate the case and discovers scary things, that can impact his life.
Full dark, no Stars
Stephen King is known for his romances, but he is also a specialist in writing tales. Four of these stories are in Full dark, No Starts: “1922”, “Big Driver”, “Fair Extension”, and “A Good Marriage”. Each one of them, tell narratives about characters living in the dark margin of the world, not finding any light to deal with the hauntings – dramas, chaotic situations, real ghosts – that circle their lives.
Misery
This book can be the most terrifying of this list and its main antagonist is not even a monster or a serial killer, it is just a fan obsessed with her idol. Annie Wilkes, a retired nurse, kidnaps her favorite author, Paul Sheldon, under the pretext of taking care of him after he suffered an accident. Addicted to Paul’s famous book collection, in which the main protagonist is Misery, Annie tortures and forces an injured Paul to write a new book about the same characters in the way she would like it to be written.
Following our protagonist’s pain and sadness, we can just feel misery for him.
The article above was edited by Isadora Quaglia.
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