Stephen King has published 81 novels, 33 novellas, 14 short story collections, 1 non-fiction book and 6 other books, beginning with Carrie (1974). The 2 series include The Dark Tower (9 books, starting with The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger) and Gwendy (3 books, starting with Gwendy's Button Box). The best-known is It (1986). The latest is Never Flinch (2025), and Other Worlds Than These: A Talisman Novel is due October 6, 2026.
Updated September 2026
Upcoming Stephen King books
Other Worlds Than These: A Talisman Novel (Oct 2026, upcoming)
The Dark Tower books in order (9)Series page
Reading order: 0.5 The Little Sisters of Eluria (2002) · 1 The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982) · 2 The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987) · 3 The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991) · 4 Wizard and Glass (1997) · 5 Wolves of the Calla (2003) · 6 The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004) · 7 The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004) · 8 The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
- 0.5.
The Little Sisters of Eluria (2002)
- 1.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (Jun 1982)
- 2.
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (May 1987)
- 3.
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (Aug 1991)
- 4.
Wizard and Glass (Nov 1997)
- 5.
Wolves of the Calla (Nov 2003)
- 6.
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (Jun 2004)
- 7.
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (Sep 2004)
- 8.
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (Feb 2012)
Gwendy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Gwendy's Button Box (2017) · 2 Gwendy's Magic Feather (2020) · 3 Gwendy's Final Task (2022)
- 1.
Gwendy's Button Box (May 2017), with Richard Chizmar
- 2.
Gwendy's Magic Feather (2020)
- 3.
Gwendy's Final Task (Feb 2022), with Richard Chizmar
Where to start with Stephen King
Start here
It
Stephen King's most-read book, rated by 493 Open Library readers.
Highest rated
Night Shift
Rated 4.4 out of 5 by 27 readers.
Shortest way in
Carrie
One of the most-read, at about 254 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Slade (1970)
Carrie (Apr 1974)
'Salem's Lot (Oct 1975)
The Shining (Jan 1977)
Rage (Sep 1977)
The Stand (Sep 1978)
The Long Walk (Jul 1979)
The Dead Zone (Aug 1979)
Firestarter (Sep 1980)
Roadwork (1981)
Danse Macabre (Apr 1981)
Cujo (Sep 1981)
The Plant (1982)
The Running Man (May 1982)
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Aug 1982)
Christine (Apr 1983)
Pet Sematary (Nov 1983)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984)
Thinner (1984)
The Talisman (Nov 1984), with Peter Straub
Paranoid: A Chant (1985)
The Bachman Books (Oct 1985)
It (Sep 1986)
Misery (Jun 1987)
The Tommyknockers (Nov 1987)
Bare Bones (1988)
The Dark Half (Oct 1989)
Sale of the Century (1991)
Needful Things (Oct 1991)
Gerald's Game (May 1992)
Dolores Claiborne (Oct 1992)
Insomnia (Sep 1994)
Rose Madder (Jun 1995)
The Green Mile (Aug 1996)
Desperation (Sep 1996)
The Regulators (Sep 1996)
Bag of Bones (1998)
Storm of the Century (1999)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (Apr 1999)
Blood and Smoke (Nov 1999)
On Writing (2000)
Secret Windows (2000)
Black House (2001), with Peter Straub
Dreamcatcher (Mar 2001)
From a Buick 8 (Sep 2002)
The Colorado Kid (Oct 2005)
The Secretary of Dreams (2006)
Cell (Jan 2006)
Lisey's Story (Oct 2006)
Blaze (2007)
Long Road Home (2008)
Duma Key (Jan 2008)
Under the Dome (Nov 2009)
11/22/63 (Nov 2011)
Fair Extension (Mar 2012)
Joyland (Jun 2013)
Doctor Sleep (Sep 2013)
Mr. Mercedes (Jun 2014)
Revival (Nov 2014)
Finders Keepers (Jun 2015)
End of Watch (2016)
The Sun Dog (2016)
Sleeping Beauties (Sep 2017)
The Outsider (May 2018)
The Institute (Sep 2019)
Later (Mar 2021)
Billy Summers (Aug 2021)
Fairy Tale (Sep 2022)
Holly (Sep 2023)
Never Flinch (May 2025)
Novellas in order
The Mist (Aug 1980)
The Body (1982)
Apt Pupil (Aug 1982)
Different Seasons (Aug 1982)
The Breathing Method (Aug 1982)
Cycle of the Werewolf (Nov 1983)
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet (Jun 1984)
Nightmares in the Sky (1988)
The Langoliers (1990)
Secret Window, Secret Garden (1991)
The Library Policeman (1991)
Umney's Last Case (Sep 1994)
Coffey on the Mile (1996)
Night Journey (1996)
Everything's Eventual (Oct 1997)
Riding the Bullet (2000)
The Gingerbread Girl (2007)
A Very Tight Place (2008)
N (2008)
Road Rage (2009), with Richard Matheson
Throttle (Feb 2009)
Ur (Feb 2009)
Morality (Jul 2009)
Big Driver (2010)
Blockade Billy (2010)
Full Dark, No Stars (2010)
1922 (Nov 2010)
Mile 81 (Sep 2011)
A Good Marriage (Mar 2012)
In the Tall Grass (Aug 2012), with Joe Hill
Elevation (Oct 2018)
If It Bleeds (Apr 2020)
Short story collections in order
People, Places and Things (1960)
Night Shift (1978)
Skeleton Crew (Jun 1985)
Four Past Midnight (Sep 1990)
Gray Matter and Nightshift (1991)
Nightmares & Dreamscapes (Sep 1993)
Six Stories (1997)
Hearts in Atlantis (Sep 1999)
L.T.'s Theory of Pets (2001)
Everything's Eventual (2002)
Just After Sunset (Nov 2008)
Stephen King Goes to the Movies (2009)
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015)
You Like It Darker (May 2024)
Non-fiction in order
Faithful (Dec 2004)
Other books in order
Mrs. Todd's Shortcut (1986)
The Monkey (1989)
The Man in the Black Suit (2002)
Stationary Bike (2006)
The Life of Chuck (Jun 2025)
Hansel and Gretel (Sep 2025)
Film and TV adaptations
- Carrie (1976)Film · from Carrie
- The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)Film · from Carrie
- Carrie (2002)TV · from Carrie
- Carrie (2013)Film · from Carrie
- Salem's Lot (1979)TV · from 'Salem's Lot
- Salem's Lot (2024)Film · from 'Salem's Lot
- Salem's LotTV · from 'Salem's Lot
- The Shining (1980)Film · from The Shining
- The ShiningTV · from The Shining
- The Stand (1994)TV · from The Stand
- The Stand (2020)TV · from The Stand
- The Dead Zone (1983)Film · from The Dead Zone
- The Dead ZoneTV · from The Dead Zone
- The Long Walk (2025)Film · from The Long Walk
- Firestarter (1984)Film · from Firestarter
- Firestarter (2022)Film · from Firestarter
- The Mist (2007)Film · from The Mist
- The MistTV · from The Mist
- Cujo (1983)Film · from Cujo
- Apt Pupil (1998)Film · from Apt Pupil
- The Shawshank Redemption (1994)Film · from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
- Stand by Me (1986)Film · from The Body
- The Running Man (1987)Film · from The Running Man
- The Running Man (2025)Film · from The Running Man
- Christine (1983)Film · from Christine
- Silver Bullet (1985)Film · from Cycle of the Werewolf
- Pet Sematary (1989)Film · from Pet Sematary
- Pet Sematary (2019)Film · from Pet Sematary
- Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023)Film · from Pet Sematary
- Thinner (1996)Film · from Thinner
- It (1990)TV · from It
- It (2017)Film · from It
- It: Chapter Two (2019)Film · from It
- It: Welcome to DerryTV · from It
- Misery (1990)Film · from Misery
- Julie Ganapathi (2003)Film · from Misery
- The Tommyknockers (1993)TV · from The Tommyknockers
- The Dark Half (1993)Film · from The Dark Half
- The Langoliers (1995)TV · from The Langoliers
- Needful Things (1993)Film · from Needful Things
- Secret Window (2004)Film · from Secret Window, Secret Garden
- Dolores Claiborne (1995)Film · from Dolores Claiborne
- Gerald's Game (2017)Film · from Gerald's Game
- Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen KingTV · from Nightmares & Dreamscapes
- Stephen King's Desperation (2006)TV · from Desperation
- The Green Mile (1999)Film · from The Green Mile
- Bag of Bones (2011)TV · from Bag of Bones
- Riding the Bullet (2004)Film · from Riding the Bullet
- Dreamcatcher (2003)Film · from Dreamcatcher
- Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen KingTV · from Everything's Eventual
- HavenTV · from The Colorado Kid
- Cell (2015)Film · from Cell
- Lisey's StoryTV · from Lisey's Story
- Under the DomeTV · from Under the Dome
- 1922 (2017)Film · from 1922
- Big Driver (2014)TV · from Big Driver
- 11.22.63TV · from 11/22/63
- A Good Marriage (2014)Film · from A Good Marriage
- In the Tall Grass (2019)Film · from In the Tall Grass
- Doctor Sleep (2019)Film · from Doctor Sleep
- Mr. MercedesTV · from Mr. Mercedes
- The OutsiderTV · from The Outsider
- The InstituteTV · from The Institute
About Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror fiction and has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy, and mystery. He has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Stephen King FAQ
- How many books has Stephen King written?
- Stephen King has published 81 novels, 33 novellas, 14 short story collections, 1 non-fiction book and 6 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Stephen King's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start The Dark Tower with The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger and Gwendy with Gwendy's Button Box. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Stephen King's latest book?
- Never Flinch (2025). The next one, Other Worlds Than These: A Talisman Novel, is due October 6, 2026.
- What is Stephen King's most famous book?
- It (1986) is Stephen King's most widely read book.
- Are Stephen King's books connected?
- 12 books belong to 2 series (The Dark Tower and Gwendy); the other 123 books stand alone.
- Does Stephen King write under a pen name?
- Yes: Stephen King has also published as Richard Bachman.
- Which Stephen King books have been adapted?
- 46 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Carrie (film, 1976), 'Salem's Lot (as Salem's Lot, TV, 1979), The Shining (film, 1980) and The Stand (TV, 1994).
Authors like Stephen King
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.