Every Stephen King Book, Ranked
The article ranks 81 Stephen King books, from his least successful works to his strongest, arguing that his large body of writing contains far more good books than bad. It matters as a guide for readers navigating a career that spans novels, collections, pseudonymous works and non-fiction.
The ranking includes books written as Richard Bachman and co-written titles, as well as King’s short-story and novella collections. The excerpt criticises *Lisey’s Story* as overly sentimental and repetitive, *The Regulators* as incoherent, and *Bag of Bones* as relying on familiar elements; it contrasts *The Regulators* with the related novel *Desperation*.
- The ranking covers 81 Stephen King books.
- It includes works published under Richard Bachman.
- The excerpt places *Lisey’s Story* last.
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Stephen King is an American author known for horror and suspense, though his books also include crime, fantasy and stories about everyday life. Since his first novel, Carrie, was published in 1974, he has written dozens of novels, short-story collections and other books.
Some titles appeared under the name Richard Bachman, a pseudonym King used early in his career, and some were written with other authors. A ranking of his books offers one way into a large and varied body of work, while reflecting the article’s own judgements about which books work best.