Stephen King Books in Order: Complete List & Series Guide

Whether you’re picking up your first Stephen King novel or you’ve been reading him for years, this guide makes the Stephen King books in order easy to navigate.

King’s bibliography is huge—and it’s spread across standalones, loose connections, recurring locations, and a few “shared universe” threads. That’s great for re-reads, but it can be messy when you just want a clear answer.

So below you’ll find clean, scan-friendly lists (plus a Where to Start section) so you can jump to the order that fits what you’re trying to read next—without digging through fluff.

Jump to:

• Where to Start
• Stephen King Books in Order (Complete List)
• Stephen King as Richard Bachman
• Series & Connected Reading Orders
• Screen Adaptations
• Stephen King Books FAQ

Where to Start with Stephen King Books

The easiest way to start with Stephen King’s books is to pick a book that matches the vibe you’re in the mood for—then branch out once you know what “your” kind of King is.

If you want a classic Stephen King starter (most readers)

Carrie — the original “this is why people talk about King” book, and it’s a quick read.
The Shining — iconic, tense, and readable even if you already know the premise.
Different Seasons — four novellas, four different flavors of King (great sampler).
The Green Mile — emotional, character-driven, and not “scary” in the usual way.
Christine — classic 80s King with a simple hook and a strong “page-turner” feel.

If you want horror first

‘Salem’s Lot — traditional horror done ridiculously well (creepy, relentless).
Pet Sematary — one of King’s darkest books; go here if you want maximum dread.
IT — big, immersive, and terrifying (also a time commitment).
The Mist — fast, claustrophobic horror (novella length, easy weekend read).
Revival — slow-burn horror that gets nastier the longer you sit with it.

If you want thriller/crime first

Misery — tight, nasty suspense with zero wasted pages.
Mr. Mercedes — modern crime thriller energy; a strong “just one more chapter” book.
Dolores Claiborne — sharp, voice-driven crime drama (less “spooky,” more intensity).
Joyland — short, breezy mystery with heart (great if you want something lighter).
The Dead Zone — suspenseful, focused, and one of King’s best “straight” thrillers.

If you want fantasy/sci-fi first

11/22/63 — time travel + obsession + a huge story that still reads fast.
The Institute — sci-fi-leaning thriller with a strong “kids vs. system” hook.
Under the Dome — big, messy small-town pressure cooker with a sci-fi premise.
Fairy Tale — modern King doing full fantasy adventure mode.
The Eyes of the Dragon — classic fantasy (and a great pick if you want “King, but not horror”).

Stephen King Books in Order of Publication (Complete List)

Stephen King has an enormous bibliography, and seeing it all in one place can get overwhelming fast. This section keeps things straightforward by listing his work in publication order, the way readers originally encountered it.

The list below includes every novel and novella King has published since the start of his career in the 1970s.

You’ll notice I’m not listing every single short story as its own entry. King’s short fiction runs into the hundreds, and breaking those out one-by-one would turn this into a wall of titles. Instead, short stories are represented through the short story collections—those collections are included in the publication list and labeled as collections so you can still place the short fiction without cluttering the main order.

You’ll also see some titles marked as (Bachman). Those were published under King’s pen name, Richard Bachman, and I explain that in the section below.

1. Carrie (1974)
2. ‘Salem’s Lot (1975)
3. The Shining (1977)
4. Rage (1977) (as Richard Bachman)
5. The Stand (1978)
6. Night Shift (1978) (Short Story Collection)
7. The Long Walk (1979) (Bachman)
8. The Dead Zone (1979)
9. Firestarter (1980)
10. Roadwork (1981) (Bachman)
11. Cujo (1981)
12. Danse Macabre (1981) (Nonfiction)
13. The Running Man (1982) (Bachman)
14. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
15. Different Seasons (1982) (Short Story Collection)
16. Christine (1983)
17. Pet Sematary (1983)
18. Cycle of the Werewolf (1983)
19. The Talisman (1984)
20. Thinner (1984) (Bachman)
21. Skeleton Crew (1985) (Short Story Collection)
22. IT (1986)
23. The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
24. The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
25. Misery (1987)
26. The Tommyknockers (1987)
27. Nightmares in the Sky (1988) (Nonfiction / Photo Book)
28. My Pretty Pony (1988) (Limited / Special Publication)
29. The Dark Half (1989)
30. Four Past Midnight (1990) (Short Story Collection)
31. The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands (1991)
32. Needful Things (1991)
33. Gerald’s Game (1992)
34. Dolores Claiborne (1993)
35. Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993) (Short Story Collection)
36. Insomnia (1994)
37. Mid-Life Confidential (1994) (Nonfiction; Multi-author)
38. Rose Madder (1995)
39. The Green Mile (1996)
40. The Regulators (1996) (Bachman)
41. Desperation (1996)
42. The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass (1997)
43. Six Stories (1997) (Limited / Special Publication)
44. Bag of Bones (1998)
45. Storm of the Century (1999) (Original Screenplay)
46. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)
47. Hearts in Atlantis (1999) (Short Story Collection)
48. On Writing (2000) (Nonfiction)
49. Secret Windows (2000) (Nonfiction)
50. Dreamcatcher (2001)
51. Black House (2001)
52. From A Buick 8 (2002)
53. Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales (2002) (Short Story Collection)
54. The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
55. The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (2004)
56. The Dark Tower VII (2004)
57. Faithful (2004) (Nonfiction; with Stewart O’Nan)
58. The Colorado Kid (2005)
59. Cell (2006)
60. Lisey’s Story (2006)
61. Blaze (2006) (Bachman)
62. The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 1 (2006) (Short Story Collection)
63. Duma Key (2008)
64. Just After Sunset (2008) (Short Story Collection)
65. Under the Dome (2009)
66. Stephen King Goes to the Movies (2009) (Short Story Collection)
67. Blockade Billy (2010)
68. Full Dark, No Stars (2010) (Short Story Collection)
69. The Secretary of Dreams, Vol. 2 (2010)
70. 11/22/63 (2011)
71. The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
72. Guns (2013) (Nonfiction / Essay)
73. Joyland (2013)
74. Doctor Sleep (2013)
75. Mr. Mercedes (2014)
76. Revival (2014)
77. Finders Keepers (2015)
78. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015) (Short Story Collection)
79. End of Watch (2016)
80. Sleeping Beauties (2017)
81. Gwendy’s Button Box (2017) (Novella)
82. The Outsider (2018)
83. Flight or Fright (2018) (Anthology; with Bev Vincent)
84. Elevation (2018)
85. The Institute (2019)
86. If It Bleeds (2020) (Short Story Collection)
87. Later (2021)
88. Billy Summers (2021)
89. Gwendy’s Final Task (2022)
90. Fairy Tale (2022)
91. Holly (2023)
92. You Like It Darker (2024) (Short Story Collection)
93. Never Flinch (2025)
94. Hansel and Gretel (2025) (with Maurice Sendak)

Richard Bachman Books in Order

Stephen King used the pen name Richard Bachman mostly early in his career for two practical reasons: publishers didn’t love the idea of more than one book per author per year, and the extra byline let him keep publishing at his pace without flooding the shelves with “Stephen King” titles. He’s also said it was a way to see whether the work could find readers without his name doing the heavy lifting.

Once the secret was out in 1985, the Bachman name became more of a curiosity than an ongoing project—but King has revisited it occasionally (including The Regulators and Blaze).

For you as a reader, the key takeaway is simple: Bachman titles don’t require a special reading order. They’re designed as standalones you can pick up whenever. The only “nice to know” connection is that The Regulators is a deliberate mirror to Desperation—different version of similar ideas—so if you enjoy one, the other is an easy follow-up.

1. Rage (1976)
2. The Long Walk (1978)
3. Roadwork (1980)
4. The Running Man (1981)
5. Thinner (1984)
6. The Regulators (1995)
7. Blaze (2006)

Stephen King Series & Connected Reading Orders

Stephen King is famous for standalones, but he’s also built a handful of true series—plus a smaller set of books that clearly “talk” to each other through shared characters, settings, or continuing story threads.

Below, I’ve grouped those series and connected runs and given each one a clear reading order, so you can jump straight into whatever you want next without bouncing all over his bibliography.

These groups are listed based on when the first entry was originally published, but you don’t need to read them all (or in any overall order). Pick the series you’re in the mood for, then follow that series’ reading order for the cleanest experience.

The Shining Books

1. The Shining (1977)
2. Doctor Sleep (2013)

Castle Rock Books

1. The Dead Zone (1979)
2. Cujo (1981)
3. The Body (1982) (Novella — in Different Seasons)
4. The Dark Half (1989)
5. The Sun Dog (1990) (Novella — in Four Past Midnight)
6. Needful Things (1991)

Dark Tower Books

1. The Gunslinger (1982)
2. The Drawing of the Three (1987)
3. The Waste Lands (1991)
4. Wizard and Glass (1997)
5. Wolves of the Calla (2003)
6. Song of Susannah (2004)
7. The Dark Tower (2004)
8. The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)

For an alternative way to read, check out my list of The Dark Tower books in order.

Talisman Books

1. The Talisman (1984)
2. Black House (2001)

Bill Hodges / Holly Gibney Reading Order

1. Mr. Mercedes (2014)
2. Finders Keepers (2015)
3. End of Watch (2016)
4. The Outsider (2018)
5. If It Bleeds (2020) (Novella)
6. Holly (2023)
7. Never Flinch (2025)

Gwendy’s Button Box

1. Gwendy’s Button Box with Richard Chizmar (2017) (Novella)
2. Gwendy’s Magic Feather (2019) (Richard Chizmar — Foreword by Stephen King)
3. Gwendy’s Final Task with Richard Chizmar (2022)

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Stephen King’s Screen Adaptions

Even if you’ve never read a Stephen King book, you’ve almost certainly encountered Stephen King. His stories have been adapted for the screen for decades, across movies, miniseries, and TV—sometimes as faithful translations, sometimes as “inspired by” reimaginings that take the core idea and run in a new direction.

A lot of the biggest pop-culture King titles live here. The Shining (1980) is a landmark horror film (even though King has been very open about not loving that particular adaptation), and The Running Man (1987) brought his Richard Bachman work to the big screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead. Misery (1990) is another standout—Kathy Bates’ performance is iconic for a reason, and it’s one of those adaptations that feels just as tense as the book.

What makes King’s adaptation history so prolific is that it isn’t only horror. Some of the most celebrated screen versions of his writing lean hard into drama and character: Stand by Me (from “The Body”), The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile are all reminders that his best stories aren’t just about monsters—they’re about people under pressure.

In more recent years, adaptations have come in waves: big event movies like IT and IT: Chapter Two (2019) (yes, King pops up in a quick cameo), plus streaming-era originals and limited series that can take their time with the setup and the slow burn. And then there are projects that aren’t direct adaptations so much as they are “King-adjacent,” pulling from his locations, themes, and shared universe vibes.

Bottom line: King’s screen adaptations are so widespread that they’ve become their own gateway. Some readers discover the books first. Plenty of others start with a movie or series—and then circle back to the novels once they realize how deep the King rabbit hole actually goes.

Who is Stephen King?

Stephen King is an American novelist and short story writer born in Portland, Maine, who’s spent most of his life in Maine and still splits his time between Maine and Florida with his wife, Tabitha.

Before the books took over, King was doing the normal-grind version of writing: teaching English, working odd jobs, and squeezing stories in wherever he could. His career changed course in the 1970s when he broke through with Carrie, and from there he became one of the most prolific mainstream writers of the last half-century.

What keeps people coming back isn’t just the volume—it’s the voice. King’s stories tend to start with ordinary places and ordinary people, then slowly tilt into something worse: dread, obsession, grief, violence, the supernatural, or all of the above. Even when the premise is wild, the characters usually feel like someone you’ve met (or someone you’re glad you haven’t).

Stephen King Books FAQ

How many books has Stephen King written?

It depends on how you count (novels only vs. adding novellas, story collections, nonfiction, and collaborations). The simple version: he’s published 60+ novels, plus a long list of short story/novella collections and nonfiction—enough that most readers are better off choosing a lane (horror, crime, fantasy) instead of trying to “catch up” all at once.

What was Stephen King’s first book?

His first published novel was Carrie (1974). If you’re reading in publication order, that’s the clean starting point because it’s where his career—and a lot of his recurring themes—really begins.

Do Stephen King’s books have to be read in order?

No—there’s no single “read everything in order” rule for King. Most books are standalones, and you can jump around by genre or premise without breaking anything. The only time order really matters is when you’re inside a specific series/sequence (like The Shining → Doctor Sleep), where following the reading order gives you the cleanest character arcs and avoids spoilers.

Is The Dark Tower connected to other Stephen King books?

Yes—The Dark Tower is the closest thing King has to a “spine” that other stories occasionally brush up against. You don’t need to read every connected book to enjoy the core Dark Tower series, but you’ll spot extra layers (shared characters, places, and references) if you’ve read more of his catalog. If you want the straightforward experience, stick to the main Dark Tower books first, then come back for the tie-ins later.

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Looking for more books in order?

Check these other great similar authors and series below.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• V.C. Andrews Books in Order
• Dean Koontz Books in Order
• Five Nights at Freddy’s Books in Order