King's best short stories!

[Actually]

While I see many best story collections threads, I didn't see a particular list of the King's best loved short stories. Now let's list the ten best/ most loved stories by the King according to us. Think it something like a greatest hits album. I would like to confine the list to ten stories, but considering there are more than 100 stories maybe it can be expanded later:

My list:

1. The Mist- absolute best story from King bar none. It was my first read King ever and I was instantly hooked. This may be a factor but still I cannot imagine any other horror short that gave me this kind of creeps, including Lovecraft stories.

2. Jaunt- Another score from Skeleton Crew. So little pages so much punched terror and shivers.

3. Strawberry Spring- I know this may sound like an odd selection but the atmospheric terror almost suffocated me when I read it. I probably identified the campus with the college that I was having education then but still shivers go up and down my spine when I think about the foggy nights in the story.

4. Raft- Perfect small-cut horror. Again probably I identified that coast with our summer house resort. Now I live in a metropolitan port and whenever I see an oil slick from a ship's sludge I immediately ask myself what will happen if I touch it.

5. Ten O'clock People- Not pure horror but as effective as one. I remember my eyes grew like saucers when the door of the place wherever these hapless people met was opened with a bang.

6. Crouch End- A Lovecraft storys better than anything Lovecraft wrote. This story made me afraid to walk around suburbians after sunset for a long time and I am not joking.

7. Children of the Corn- An instant classic and hit for me. And how the movie butchered it.

8. Grey Matter- One of the most original stories I have ever read. I am still having nightmares about the boy's times spent with his disgusting father.

9. A Good Marriage- A recent time triumph. Maybe not horrific but it is pure compulsive read with an impleccable pace.

10. Library Policeman- I know this may sound again as an odd pick as it is not a favorite even among King fans but it was in the vein of IT and I had shivers when I read it.

Honorary Mention: Apt's Pupil (which I initially hated but grew to love it later), the Monkey, One for the Road, Suffer the Little Children and Rainy Season.

So it is not a bad list, is it? Note that I tend to love pure horror King and there is no entry from his latest two collections, EE and JAS (I simply hated EE and JAs was a huge improvement over it but there was material scary enough to shake me up and down),

[king family fan]

I enjoyed Little Green God of agony. Found in the book of horrors

[Manxkitti]

Tho I don't have just one favorite, I will give my top 10 favorites, but not neccisaraly in order.

1. The Mist. I always been afraid of being trapped in a natural disaster - or in this case unnatural. I eithe want to be stuck at home with enough food or in a grocery store.

2. The Road Virus Heads North. A painting that changes.Creepy to me.

3. 1408. I love a good haunting story.

4. Suffer the Little Children. I find kids can be really creepy if they want to be

5. Crouch End. What can I say about suburbia

6. The Reach. Love this one.

7. The Gingerbread Girl. I love it when victems of violent crimes turn the table on their attackers.

8. N. Reminds me of "thinnies" in the DT series.

9. Willa. I think this a great story

10. Uncle Otto's Truck. Thngs that move on their own. Love it.

[GNTLGNT]

Apparently you've missed a little tome called Full Dark, No Stars......

[Doc Wilson]

Survivor Type.
1922.

[Chuggs]

The Raft is probably the scariest for me. I loved it. I love pretty much all of his written works.

[champ1966]

Survivor type needs to be in there,even sai King says its his most gruesome

[Pucker]

Oh boy . . . this is always hard for me.

Just off the top of my head, and inn no particular order:

The Last Rung on the Ladder: Not the usual fare, but a very straightforward and compelling drama with a far more recognizable conflict (to most of us) than we might be accustomed to encountering in the King catalogue.

Here There Be Tygers: Not much to this story, but a personal favorite of mine nonetheless. I mean . . . who can't get behind the idea of the cratchety (is that a word?) old teacher/nemesis beging gobbled up by a tiger. This one reminds me of pleasant evenings at my grandmother's knee as she spun the tale of Little Black Sambo (that one had tigers in it, too).

The Man Who Loved Flowers: Anyone who has ever loved someone who didn't love them back (and isn't that just about everyone?) has probably played some version of this story out in their heads, at least in passing. Or is that just me?

Nona: Simply chilling and with a similar draw as the above story, although in this one the hero gets the girl . . . or does he?

I Know What You Need: Sticking with the theme of unrequited lover, with a little juju thrown in for good measure.

Strawberry Spring: Okay . . . okay . . . I'm fixating on the women . . . I know.

Sneakers: Just the image itself -- the sneakers visibile under the stall door -- is enough to sell this one.

Survivor Type: The very idea!

Mrs. Todd's Shortcut: After all, it's what we all secretly want, isn't it?

and, of course . . .

Trucks: Not because it's particularly good (or bad) but because this is the story that points out in embarrassing detail how difficult it actually is even for the best of writers to keep track of what they're doing.

You know, looking at this list, it occurs to me that I probably need to re-read some of the newer shorts.

[Jojo87]

Mist
The road virus heads north
Mangler
1408

[Reason4Happenings]

Here's my top faves in no particular order:

Everything's Eventual: Dinky Earnshaw and I have a similar sense of humor. I just loved his special ability - I thought it was just so original.

The End of the Whole Mess: It doesn't get much better than this. Writing about something that could (almost) happen makes it all the creepier.

N -'Nuff said

Ten 'O-Clock People

The Jaunt

1922

Also, would anyone judge me too harshly if I said that I didn't "get" the Man in the Black Suit and why it's so popular? If anyone wants to share some insight on this story that I may have missed, I'm listening. :)

[Kurtman518]

I haven't read all of his short stories, especially the more recent ones; but here are my favorites that I have read (not including novellas)

Jerusalem's Lot

Children of the Corn

The Road Virus Heads North

Riding the Bullet

The House on Maple Street

Strawberry Spring

Dolan's Cadillac

All that You Love Will Be Carried Away

Sometimes They Come Back

[Unregistered]

Basically all of his stories I like (the only truly bad story I think I read was The Milkman 2, it was just horrible. Interesting dialogue, though).

Night Shift:
- Jerusalems Lot (Goshdarn this one's scary...VERY scary.)
-Boogeyman (Goshdarn this one's scary, too.)
-Strawberry Spring (Goshdarn...this is scary...I'm starting to see a pattern with my review...but Jesus! The last line of the story os chillworthy.)
-One For The Road (Again, diddo ^)
*Honorable Mention: Children of the Corn.*

Different Seasons:
I love it all, even Breathing Method which some people cry nay at. This is my favorite King book, and it certainly is amongst the best of his writing.

Skeleton Crew:
-Cain Rose Up (wonderfully written, this one stays with me for some reason.)
-The Wedding Gig (an oddball that I oddly loved.)
-The Raft
-Beachworld (didn't like it my first reading, but my second reading I liked it.)
-Reapers Image (same mystifying writing as Cain Rose Up)
-Suvivor Type
-The Reach.
-Uncle Otto's Truck

Four Past Midnight:
I haven't read much of this one. Only Secret Window, Secret Garden, which I absolutely hated. I'm sorry but I didn't like it.

N&D
-Dolans Cadillac (awesome revenge story)
-Suffer the Children (disturbing as all hell)
-Chattery Teeth (suprisingly good)
-Crouch End (horrifyingly creepy)

Hearts in Atlantis:
Haven't read it yet, sue me.

Everything's Eventual:
I love everything about it. Every story is a piece of art, perhaps his best story collection, or at least his most practiced.

Just After Sunset:
Unfortunately I think this is his worst collection...I love N. and The Cat From Hell, though.

Full Dark:
-1922
-A Good Marrige

[kash33]

Hey! Just did some googling on King's scariest short stories and found this thread...I know I'm way late to the party but I think I'll add my top 10 here. Not including novellas (of which Low Men In Yellow Coats is the best I think)

The End of the Whole Mess-probably will always be my #1.
(The Rest aren't in any order)
Survivor Type
The Death of Jack Hamilton
Nona
Gramma
One For the Road
The House on Maple Street
Little Sisters of Euluria
Dolan's Cadillac
Riding the Bullet

[HPMcClendon]

There are SO many that I love, but to save time I will pick the one that stuck with me the most from the earliest age.

The Monkey

[Chris1974100]

hmm nice list of Stephen King friend

[Brandy Searles]

The Man in the Black suit was awesome... I just finished it and had to come here to say how much i loved it... I work in a nursing home and work with the elderly very closely and they tend to get pretty superstitious the older they get... they see things that aren't there, they talk to people that we can't see, I would've loved for him to go into a bit more detail about thy guys day to day life... I see a story there,

[doowopgirl]

I just finished reading Night Shift after a very long absence. There were a lot of stories I had completely forgotten, like Strawberry Spring, The Man who Liked Flowers, so they were like new to me. Some of the stories were a bit cheesy and you can SK has well honed his talents, by some forgotten gems.

[Tiny]

I dont know if there short stories or short novels but.

The Girl Who loved Tom Gordon

Blaze.

Everythings Eventual

--my 3 favs

[fljoe0]

No particular order:

The Mist
Jerusalem's Lot
Quitters Inc
The Monkey
The Raft
Apt Pupil
The End Of The Whole Mess
1408
Low Men In Yellow Coats
1922

[Todash]

Also, would anyone judge me too harshly if I said that I didn't "get" the Man in the Black Suit and why it's so popular? If anyone wants to share some insight on this story that I may have missed, I'm listening. :)
Maybe fright is personal, like humor. If you have to explain it ...

All I know is that it scared the crap out of me. The teeth and the fish and the bees and the running. Another story that has stayed with me similarly for years--decades--is Ray Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven." The last few pages, especially, took up permanent, persistent residence in my memory, and if I ever get up from the bed and head out of the bedroom to get a drink of water and my husband says "Where are you going?," I might just scream.

[mustangclaire]

I'm having a bit of a short story "splurge" and have just read Night Shift again cover to cover. I'm a sucker for his collection of short stories. I think That Feeling What You Can Only Say What It Is In French is the scariest for me... TOTALLY get that feeling of repetativeness being his version of hell...Living the same dire thing time and time again, each time realising what's going to happen.... God that freaks me out!!

[AchtungBaby]

I love it when King's short stories shock me, terrify me, and/or make me feel claustrophobic. Among the best for that includes (but is not limited to) 1408, Riding the Bullet, Autopsy Room Four, Strawberry Spring, The Mist, The Raft, The Monkey, N...

[The Nameless]

I am really struggling to get into his short stories. I remember reading a synopsis for Crouch End and thinking"ooh, that sounds interesting, so read it and thought "it was ok, nothing special". I read Here There Be Tigers - that was pointless. I read 4 past midnight, and I must admit, the Langoliers is one of my favourite stories - full or short. Library Policeman was decent, again - not great. Sundog was another one I was excited to read after reading the synopsis, but again it just weren't as good as I had expected. I didn't even get halfway through hidden window, secret garden. I wouldn't mind trying the shorts again, before starting Dark Tower VII or The Stand.

[Chris1974100]

I am really struggling to get into his short stories. I remember reading a synopsis for Crouch End and thinking"ooh, that sounds interesting, so read it and thought "it was ok, nothing special". I read Here There Be Tigers - that was pointless. I read 4 past midnight, and I must admit, the Langoliers is one of my favourite stories - full or short. Library Policeman was decent, again - not great. Sundog was another one I was excited to read after reading the synopsis, but again it just weren't as good as I had expected. I didn't even get halfway through hidden window, secret garden. I wouldn't mind trying the shorts again, before starting Dark Tower VII or The Stand.


Just read all the stories in the collection for fun hahaha