Stephen King has called many of his stories and books his favorite over the years, but why did this list recently expand to include IT and Lisey’s Story, and what other titles made the cut? For an author as prolific as King, it can’t be easy to pick a favorite story from his vast back catalog. Since his debut with 1974’s Carrie, the author has released dozens of novels and short story collections, some huge critical hits and others dismissed by reviewers.
During that time, King has claimed that he has a favorite among his fictional output, but the specific titles he favors have evolved over the decades. According to interviews with King throughout the ‘00s, Lisey’s Story, one of King’s most personal and autobiographical novels, is the closest to his heart. However, in 2015 that answer also included 11/22/63 and IT, while a 2021 interview with Stephen Colbert saw King add a few more to the shortlist.
What might be striking for some readers and fans of the writer is the titles not included in the author’s rundown. King has, at various points throughout his career, said the favorite of his own works is the novels Lisey's Story, IT, 11/22/63, Misery, The Stand, and Billy Summers in addition to short stories “The Body” and “Survivor Type.” Notably not present in this list are Carrie and The Shining or its spinoffs, arguably his most critically acclaimed work to date. So what made these stories stand out to the author?
Lisey's Story
Recently adapted for television by AppleTV, Lisey’s Story is the tale of a famous author’s wife who loses her husband to a mysterious illness and is sent on a quest to uncover his dark past while being stalked by a fan. If that all sounds a little close to home for King, that is likely because it features a lot of elements borrowed from King’s life and marriage to fellow author Tabitha King. As a result, it is no surprise this book, written after King’s near-death experience in 1999, is close to the writer’s heart, and it makes sense that King himself adapted Lisey’s Story.
IT
An infamously ambitious doorstopper, IT was one of two books that King dubbed his favorites in 2015. The name will be familiar to even the most casual horror fan as IT has received not one, but two iconic adaptations in the form of a Tim Curry-led ‘90s miniseries and a two-part blockbuster movie adaptation in the late 2010s. The novel tells the story of a group of friends growing up in small-town America during the ‘50s who are plagued by bullying, bigotry, and a monstrous shapeshifting entity called Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The second half picks up twenty-seven years later and sees the now-adult kids return to their hometown to defeat this ancient evil, and the sheer ambition of this effort makes its status as one of King’s favorites no surprise. Also, Pennywise is one of King’s most iconic monsters and many consider the creature a horror icon, further helping IT’s case.
11/22/63
A recent surprise entry, 11//22/63 is one of few non-horror works to make King’s list. The author dabbled in sci-fi throughout his career, but this massive (800+ page) novel about a time traveler attempting to foil the Kennedy assassination in 1963 is the only one ranked among his favorite efforts. Adapted for television in 2016, 11/22/63 was well-regarded upon publication, but the writer's love for this alternative history behemoth may have as much to do with the unprecedented amount of research it required from him as the actual result.
"Survivor Type"
Easily the grossest of King’s favorites, the short story “Survivor Type” was animated by Shudder’s Creepshow (and bizarrely, spoofed by The Simpsons), but has never received a movie adaptation. That is because this is the story even King himself famously felt went “too far.” The gruesome tale of a drug smuggling doctor who ends up stranded on a desert island with only himself for company - and sustenance - “Survivor Type” is a bleak, blackly comic story of self-cannibalization that is one of the author's goriest tales. Even without much in the way of a conventional antagonist, this story is a grim ordeal and might be among King’s favorites thanks to its visceral impact.
Misery
Misery was adapted as a critically-acclaimed movie in 1990, starring a career-best Kathy Bates as unhinged nurse Annie Wilkes. The story of a super-fan who kidnaps and tortures her favorite author, Misery connects with King because the novel allowed the author to explore addiction, like The Shining and Dr. Sleep did, in fiction form. Annie is a compelling antagonist who represents both the ego boosts and crushing pain of an addictive cycle, and the novel manages to be both moving and a propulsive, scary story at the same time.
"The Body" (Adapted As Stand By Me)
Also adapted to film by director Rob Reiner, “The Body” became Stand By Me in 1986. It is easy to see why both the original novella and the movie are so personal to King, as they illustrate a bygone era of Americana the author came of age in. “The Body” is far from a rose-tinted view of the past, but it nevertheless captures a time that is long gone and was formative for Stephen King, making it no surprise that it is listed among his personal favorites.
The Stand
Adapted for television in 2020 and 1994, The Stand is another massively ambitious effort. The sprawling tale of a post-apocalyptic struggle between two groups of survivors left behind by a killer pandemic, The Stand features dozens of characters and a pair of dense plotlines that only occasionally intersect for the first half. The Stand is tough to fault for ambition and the sheer immersive scale of the story makes its status as one of King’s favorites almost inevitable, although it is interesting to note that the even more ambitious Dark Tower series did not make it onto the author’s shortlist.
Billy Summers
According to King’s Stephen Colbert interview, his most recent novel ranks among his personal best too. Billy Summers tells the story of a former sniper turned hitman who recounts his life story before one last job and has enjoyed largely solid reviews since its publication. Stephen King, who recently wrote the finale of The Stand’s television miniseries, will likely be happy to get back into the good books of critics, but only time will tell whether he names Billy Summers as one of his favorite novels in years to come or if the noir thriller only temporarily joined the likes of IT and Misery as a concession to his publicist.