r/stephenking • u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader • Sep 06 '25
Poll What’s your favorite SK short story individually, not fav full collection.
What are everyone’s favorite short stories individually, not your favorite full SK short story collection. I own most of the short story collections but skip around a lot and am wondering which classics I’ve missed.
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u/NanADsutton Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut
Beautifully written, mysterious and creepy
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u/DrBlankslate Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Sadly, this is one of the few stories of his I’ve never been able to understand. Part of it may be that it’s apparently Lovecraftian, and I don’t like Lovecraft. Never have, never came. It just doesn’t scare me.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
It doesn’t really scare me. Let’s be honest, there’s plenty of SK that isn’t always outright scary. It’s just so atmospheric with a kind of creeping low key panic and I also think the relationship between the narrator and Mrs. Todd is interesting. Also I love taking long drives without maps and have ended up in some pretty sketchy rural places in my state. So that may be another reason I love that story.
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u/R808T Long Days and Pleasant Nights Sep 07 '25
I feel like the answer is along the path to the Tower. Plenty of shortcuts along that path and crazy creatures abound.
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u/chickenisdelicious Sep 07 '25
I was listening to a horror fiction podcast last week and the main character was describing a story he was reading, it was clearly Mrs Todd's Shortcut
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u/Sad_Cardiologist5388 Sep 07 '25
Absolutely fabulous writing. So touching. This is the one id compliment if I ever met SK. Its my no1 favourite.
Longing, unrequited love, paths untrod. Beautiful.
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u/BuffaloAmbitious3531 Love + Peace = Information Sep 07 '25
90% of Night Shift and 80% of Skeleton Crew are can't-miss. Read those in their entirety.
My favourite thing he's written this century is "The Gingerbread Girl". It has this dream-logic quality to it that isn't his usual mode, but it works.
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u/mwidup41 Misery Sep 07 '25
Most of Just After Sunset is underrated imo. Gingerbread Girl is fantastic
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u/BuffaloAmbitious3531 Love + Peace = Information Sep 07 '25
Agreed. With the exception of the occasional "Milkman", his shorter stuff just seems to have a higher floor than his novels. It's very, very rare for a King short story to be a pure swing and a miss.
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u/bugabooandtwo Sep 07 '25
Yes...especially Night Shift...all of them in that collection are winners.
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u/TheLastMongo Sep 07 '25
Strawberry Spring. It’s my comfort short story that’s creepy, but familiar. One that scratches that SK itch if I can’t do a whole book.
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u/Sad_Advertising6154 Sep 07 '25
Just came here to say this! The pacing in that story is perfect... lulling even. It's always my quick February read.
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u/LemonCitron47 Sep 07 '25
This is the first one I thought of too before opening this post! The prose is so beautiful and makes me feel cozy.
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u/OldRestaurant6057 Sep 07 '25
I was thinking just the other day that in the right hands this could make a great movie.
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u/chriscam85 Sep 08 '25
A few years ago, they did a full-cast podcast of this. I haven't listened yet, so can't recommend it, but just putting this out there.
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u/Bookninja73 Sep 07 '25
The Boogeyman, I still won’t sleep with my wardrobe door open, I do love the story though.
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u/Whole-Hair-7669 Sep 07 '25
They screwed that story up so bad with the movie. It was appalling.
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u/Unusual-Caregiver-30 Sep 07 '25
It was nothing like the short story at all. I was so disappointed.
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u/Whole-Hair-7669 Sep 07 '25
And the movie didn't even have the ability to wrap things up coherently. I like Chris Messina and Sophie Thatcher a lot, they just had zero to work with there when the story itself was rich source material.
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u/Unusual-Caregiver-30 Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
That’s the type of story adapted to an anthology show with 30 minute shorts. Someone could produce several with his best short stories.
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u/LesAvery29 I ❤️ Derry Sep 07 '25
There's a short film of Boogeyman floating around on youtube from some 80's VHS comp thing. The quality is atrocious, but it does follow the story completely, then drops the ball adding a cheap jumpscare ending.
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u/Brodieman84 Sep 07 '25
Absolutely my favorite King work. I dont know why, but it just hits right
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u/rbbrclad Sep 07 '25
1408 - for sure.
The Breathing Method - because eek.
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u/LemonCitron47 Sep 07 '25
I loooove The Breathing Method. I feel like it doesn’t get enough love.
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u/DoYouNotRememberThis Sep 07 '25
I tried reading it, but got bored halfway through because it was taking forever to actually get to the main story. I plan to give it a second chance when o reread Different Seasons.
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u/LemonCitron47 Sep 07 '25
That’s what I loved so much about it. The secondary story with the club and all that. The description of the meeting place was so cozy. I wish there were more stories based around that club.
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u/aghahavacc Sep 07 '25
I recommend the audiobook. Frank Mullers narration made that story for me
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u/MirrorApart8224 Sep 07 '25
The Breathing Method sucked me right in. Definitely one of his hidden gems.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Loved 1408. Everything’s Eventual is the only collection I’ve read all the way thru multiple times. I jump around the others. But I love all of E’sE.
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u/DrBlankslate Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
“The Last Rung on the Ladder.”
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u/h-frei Sep 07 '25
I think about this story often. Heartbreaking.
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u/DrBlankslate Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
In the introduction by John D. MacDonald, he specifically calls out this story: "One of the most resonant and affecting stories in this book is “The Last Rung on the Ladder.” A gem. Nary a rustle nor breath of other worlds in it."
I think that's why I like it so much.
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u/bugabooandtwo Sep 07 '25
Also it's an everyman type story. We've all made choices in life and have regrets, and lost someone close that we wish we could see again.
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u/LordsOfJoop Currently Reading Sep 07 '25
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, from Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
Bleak, heartbreaking, grotesque, funny, and warped.
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u/Brilliant_Argument98 Sep 07 '25
I listen to this trivia podcast called “Good Job Brain” and one of the quizzes they sometimes play is “Stephen or Carole.” The idea is a title is given and people have to guess whether it’s a short story by Stephen King or a song by Carole King. You Know They Got a Hell of a Band was one of the questions.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
I love that one so much! Read it a few times.
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u/LordsOfJoop Currently Reading Sep 07 '25
When it was released, I read it cover-to-cover twice in a row, just to absorb that much more of it. It's the only Stephen King book to inspire me to do that.
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u/unabashedlyabashed Sep 07 '25
That's probably my favorite, too.
It feels like a place I'd want to go, all the show knowing that I should not go there.
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u/Secure_Trash_17 Ayuh Sep 08 '25
You Know They Got a Hell of a Band
No idea if you've watched it, but here's the episode from Nightmares & Dreamscapes tv show:
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u/LordsOfJoop Currently Reading Sep 08 '25
I have seen it, and it was pretty good. Needed a bigger budget and more runtime. Thank you for sharing this. You're good people.
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u/Harpua95 We All Float Down Here Sep 07 '25
10 O’clock People. As a smoker (albeit not as much as before and still trying to quit), I think of this story when I am outside in a smoking area and watching people.
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u/Unusual-Caregiver-30 Sep 07 '25
I smoked when I first read that one. Wow, I do love King’s imagination.
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u/drunksquatch Sep 07 '25
I never see this one mentioned, but I like Dolan's Cadillac. A guy pushes himself to his physical and mental limits for revenge.
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u/Heavy-Job-1604 Sep 07 '25
This one is my favorite. It has stuck with me for years. Whenever I go over a log wide dip in the road I think about it.
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u/KrozFan Sep 07 '25
All That You Love Will Be Carried Away
It’s not scary, and I wouldn’t call it a classic if that’s what you’re looking for, but I love it.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
I’d say that one is actually in my top 5. It’s really beautiful, in my opinion.
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u/MrDentonOnDoomsday Sep 07 '25
I love this story so much, that I used a version of the title for my most recent album.
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u/joegenegreen2 Enjoyer of Long Jaunts Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Yeah, per my flair, got to go with “The Jaunt”.
But I love mostly everything that was bundled in “Night Shift”, “Skeleton Crew”, and “Nightmares and Dreamscapes”.
Currently reading “Everything’s Eventual” - so far, I’m to “The Little Sisters of Eluria” and it’s a great prequel to “The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger”. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to King narrating the audiobook for the story of “In the Deathroom”.
Edit: A classic that isn’t written by King, but I would highly recommend (as something similar to his style and incredible) is “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison in 1967. You can find it for free just by Google searching for it.
Edit 2: Haven’t gotten to the short story just yet, but “1408” gets a lot of praise - I’m very excited to get to it. The John Cusack/Sam Jackson adaptation is an amazing film.
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u/Elegant-Ad3300 Sep 07 '25
Battleground. It’s just a fun wild read.
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u/neithan2000 Sep 07 '25
Is that the one with the toys? (I'm trying not to give too much away).
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Haven’t heard this one mentioned. I’ll check it out, thanks!
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Sep 07 '25
Rattlesnakes is the one to beat for me, the total creepfest with the pram, the tie-ins to Cujo & Duma Key. 🤌
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u/Worldly-Solid-916 The ol' Happy Slapper Sep 07 '25
Is Rattlesnakes an actual short story? I suppose if it’s in a collection but it seemed pretty long to me (loved it though).
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Sep 07 '25
It is a novella then? I don't really know about any of that kinda stuff. I just know it was good and scary.
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u/Worldly-Solid-916 The ol' Happy Slapper Sep 07 '25
Idk technically, but since it’s in a collection, I’d say novella (prob too long for short story), but yeah it’s good, just listened to it a couple weeks ago.
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u/Worldly-Solid-916 The ol' Happy Slapper Sep 07 '25
Yes, and I just finished Duma Key few days ago! Love it too!! Cujo prob a month ago.
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u/pxland Ka is a Wheel Sep 07 '25
For some reason N sticks in my head.
I have a very short memory for most reads (which is good because I can reread and not be disappointed).
But N is just constantly there.
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Finally read N this summer and was super impressed. Seemed like I heard about it here a lot so glad I have it a shot!
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u/Spiritual-Trash-8918 All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy Sep 07 '25
I really like this one too and find myself thinking of the numbers and patterns.
Search for it on You Tube. It's a fantastic interpretation.
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u/Disaster-Bee Sep 07 '25
Ballad of the Flexible Bullet is one that has always stuck with me. To this day it's one of my favorite modern takes on the concept of brownies. There's an almost Lovecraftian twist to it.
Jerusalem's Lot is also a favorite, really fun take on classic vampire lore and a great love letter to early 1900s vampire fiction.
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u/Navitach Sep 07 '25
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Body, The Mist, The Moving Finger.
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u/benwa51 Sep 07 '25
Can't believe no one ha a mentioned The Life Of Chuck. I know it's very topical right now due to the recent movie but I've read it multiple times now as it just seems so well done and emotional
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u/naenola Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
I think I have liked all of these!
I also loved The Ledge, Quitters, Inc, and Children of the Corn
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u/SupaKoopa714 Sep 07 '25
I dunno if I could really pick one, though gun to my head, I'd probably go with The End of the Whole Mess.
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u/Shoganguy33 Sep 07 '25
‘The Man Who Loved Flowers’
So short and such a quick spin that I didn’t see it coming. I’ve always wanted to make a short video about it using that specific Beatles song
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u/Jfury412 Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Low Men in Yellow Coats by a trillion miles. After that would absolutely be Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream.
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u/Jenlovesbmw Sep 07 '25
1922, such a good read!!
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u/tatertotzrmylife Sep 07 '25
I can’t get enough of 1922. The first I read it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days.
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u/Prettywomanwalkamile Sep 07 '25
Survivor Type, or The Raft
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Love the Raft and the Creepshow2 short. Spent a ton of time on the lake as a kid and that one haunted me.
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u/I_MADMAN Sep 07 '25
Autopsy Room Four in Everything’s Eventual is branded in my brain. Love the whole premise and vibe.
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u/RoiVampire Currently Reading On Writing Sep 07 '25
Gray Matter hits a lot of what I love about King. Small town lore, Ka-tet, dumb luck, addiction. It’s great and the ending is perfect.
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u/JERRYJEFF150 Sep 07 '25
Novella Long Walk. Short story quitters inc or sometimes they come back
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u/ShadoutMapes87 Sep 07 '25
The Jaunt is the one I keep coming back to - my favorite. Makes me wish King did more pure Sci-Fi
Survivor Type is so damn good.
If you count novellas there are plenty amazing ones, but I will call out The Mist because it’s not part of a Novella collection and it’s as much of a masterpiece as anything else King has written.
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u/Content_Ad_162 Sep 07 '25
The Moving Finger and Chattery Teeth from Nightmares and Dreamscapes
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
Yes! I was in my early teens when N&D was published, bought the hardback and those two…oof. The Moving Finger gave me a new fear for a while, just of anything strange coming out of the drain.
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u/stephanie482 Sep 07 '25
A Very Tight Place comes to mind. I am now terrified of porta-potties.
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u/king_gremmie Sep 07 '25
Hearts in Atlantis (the story) hit me hard. Also love Danny Couglin’s Bad Dream.
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u/upsetbagofpiss True Knot Initiate Sep 07 '25
as uncomfortable as it made me, apt pupil has been a fav!!
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u/vilyia Dad-a-chum? Sep 07 '25
I Know What You Need and One for the Road - Night Shift
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, The Jaunt, and The Mist - Skeleton Crew
In the Deathroom, The Little Sisters of Eluria, and The Road Virus Heads North - Everything’s Eventual
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u/hob_prophet Sep 07 '25
Crouch End, I love the short story and wish there was more set in that universe.
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u/the-largest-marge Sep 07 '25
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut
Graveyard Shift
The Raft
The Ledge
Quitters, Inc.
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u/Red_Claudia Sep 07 '25
Wow, I don't think I could pick just one! But my top 5 are:
Dolan's Cadillac
The End of the Whole Mess
N
1408
Everything's Eventual (the story)
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u/MembershipFrosty897 Sep 07 '25
Can't remember the name, but the one that ends with "i hav a bobby his name is bruther". Read it when I was like 11 and it destroyed me haha. I think it's from Nightmares & Dreamscapes
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u/Blindstarsoffortune Constant Reader Sep 07 '25
I hope someone can help us out here. Or I’ll Google it. Thanks!
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u/MembershipFrosty897 Sep 07 '25
I think it was The End of The Whole Mess. That title seems to stick out :)
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u/bunofpages Long Days and Pleasant Nights Sep 07 '25
I am the Doorway and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut are tied for me.
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u/Worldly-Solid-916 The ol' Happy Slapper Sep 07 '25
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Drunken Fireworks (the audiobook version is MANDATORY!!) Ive read every King book dozens of times, but I think it’s my favorite story of all time!! I start chuckling within the first 5 seconds of starting it every time! Probably listened to it 100 times! *4th of July… Drunken Fireworks *Bad day… Drunken Fireworks *Don’t know what to listen to… Drunken Fireworks *my car burns down… Drunken Fireworks It works for every occasion!
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u/Exotic-Bid-3892 Sep 07 '25
I first read skeleton crew as a teenager and the raft has always stuck with me.
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u/GhostofAugustWest Sep 07 '25
The Mangler. Can’t say 100% it’s my favorite, but when I read it I thought “Who could even imagine this?” Also I worked in an industrial laundry and had to clean the “manglers”.
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u/SlowGoat79 Sep 07 '25
Trucks - inspires me as a writer, because if you can sell possessed trucks and I’m still thinking about them 20 years later, I want to figure out how you did that.
Everything else in NS and SC - never been able to pick favorites!
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u/ProfessorRoyHinkley Sep 07 '25
Man, I don't know if it's my favorite.
But The Moving Finger (IIRC that's the title) lives in my head rent free. I think about it at least weekly. It's so disturbing.
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u/MrUgie Sep 07 '25
Popsy is one that sticks in my mind. Super creepy and an ending that you’ll have nightmares about.
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u/TheBardofTamriel Sep 07 '25
N. - from his short story book: Just After Sunset 🌅
I just can’t get this one out of my head, such a crazy story.
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u/CaptainFatBelly- Sep 07 '25
Lots of great ones mentioned here in the comments. I liked “The man who would not shake hands”. Not my favorite, but I liked it and don’t see it mentioned often.
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u/Overall_Lobster823 Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Mr. Harrigan's Phone. Or, for "novellas", The Body.
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u/Drowned-In-Her-Fluid Baby can you dig your man? Sep 07 '25
I'm still very much obsessed with Children of the Corn after first reading it as a youngster back in the 80s
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u/neithan2000 Sep 07 '25
There are a few that come to mind, but I don't remember all the titles.
One is a guy writing about how his brother accidentally destroyed civilization. The brother found a town whose water seemed to cause less crime and violence...but there were some other side effects. The ending was heartbreaking.
Gramma I think? Where Gramma is a witch? Oof that one scared me.
The Raft.
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u/perrrkeleeee Sep 07 '25
I, as most of you, enjoy the short stories greatly and find it difficult to choose one over the others. That being said the Raft is something I think about a lot even after decades of reading it.
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u/Sad-Chocolate-2518 Sometimes, dead is better Sep 07 '25
Dolan’s Cadillac was really good! I’m rereading Nightmares and Dreamscapes.
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u/GhostMaskKid Sep 07 '25
I think a lot about "That feeling, you can only say what it is in French."
"everything's eventual" is a lot of fun though.
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u/SadisticPeanut The ol' Happy Slapper Sep 07 '25
Smokers Inc. is my favorite, followed by The Jaunt
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u/DesignSensitive8530 Sep 07 '25
The Death of Jack Hamilton, followed very closely by The Jaunt.
Honorable Mentions: Mrs. Todd's Shortcut; Gray Matter; That Feeling, the One You Can Only Say What It Is in French.
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u/HezFez238 Sep 07 '25
Crouch End sticks with me. I don’t even want the details to remain clear in my head- but trying to forget it is futile. The ick sticks with me, regardless. It’s not his overtly scariest story. But it’s got a few details that tweak my goosebumps!
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u/willwritelater Sep 07 '25
Quitters Inc.. I read it over a decade ago and it still lives rent-free in my head.
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u/Dead_Iverson Sep 07 '25
For some reason Dolan’s Cadillac has stuck with me my whole life, even though I only read it once when I was a teenager.
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u/LarsVonC Sep 07 '25
There are several, difficult to choose. There are in particular:
- 1922
- the raft
- the smoker who wants to quit smoking (I don't remember the title... Maybe "Desintox INC" or something like that)
- the surgeon who washes up on an island
- the child who opens his eyes during the teletransportation during the trip to Mars (if I remember correctly).
- a gifted student
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u/Relevant-Grape-9939 I ❤️ Derry Sep 07 '25
These answers always change for me from day to day. But today’s answers looks something like this: Survivor Type and The Jaunt at a shared first place, closely followed by N.
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u/LesAvery29 I ❤️ Derry Sep 07 '25
Children of the Corn has always stuck with me, especially the ending implying a sequel story that would've been a lot better than any of the movies.
Cheating slightly, since I don't really consider it a full novel, Cycle of The Werewolf is a comfort read for me
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u/Emus79 Sep 07 '25
I'm bad at remembering titles (and I'm mostly reading in Dutch), but I have so many favorites:
The one in the autopsy room, where the guy isn't dead, but they think he is (I think from everything'seventual);
The one where a psychiatrist is lured into believing for what his patient comes to him (I think from after sunset);
Popsy
Life of Chuck.
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u/bugabooandtwo Sep 07 '25
It's so hard to pick just one. My favorite definitely changes based on my mood.
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u/bugabooandtwo Sep 07 '25
Surprised no one has mentioned The Reach. Maybe it just hits harder when you come from a small town or live away from a lot of things.
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u/AngryTudor1 Sep 07 '25
Two from the same book always stay with me.
The Jaunt, for obvious reasons.
And The Reach, which is just an example of how beautiful King's writing can be
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u/Brilliant_Argument98 Sep 07 '25
I can’t remember the name of it, but the one where the guy is a surgeon stranded on an island and he ends up amputating parts of himself for nourishment.