Summary

• The Great God Pan is deemed one of the best horror stories ever in the English language by Stephen King.
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains relevant with themes of fear and identity appreciated by King.
• The Plot is hailed as one of the best novels about writers and writing by King, with high suspense levels.

Stephen King is one of the most acclaimed and prolific horror and thriller authors of all time, and, like the best writers, he is also an insatiable reader who does not hold back on giving recommendations. King’s interests are vast and varied, and over the years, he’s lavished praise on classic novels from bygone eras and contemporary writers just getting started in the book industry. From referencing his favorite books in interviews, providing his thoughts for the blurbs of novels, and even giving shout-outs on his social media, there are many places where readers are likely to discover a recommendation for a great horror or thriller book from King.

Checking out some of the excellent book recommendations by King is a great way for readers to broaden their horizons and discover some works they wouldn’t otherwise have read. For those who love King’s books and are looking for something new, the obvious place to look for recommendations is from the man himself, as he’s been influenced by, thoroughly enjoyed, or even wished he wrote many of these novels. From classic authors who were writing long before King was born to modern writers who grew up reading his work, King recommends many great horror and thriller novels.

10 The Great God Pan (1894)

By Arthur Machen

“One of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language.”

The Great God Pan is a fantasy horror novella by the Welsh writer Arthur Machen that was first published in 1894 and went on to influence everybody from H.P. Lovecraft to Stephen King. A story of sinister woodland rituals, disappearances, and suicides, The Great God Pan was highly controversial when first published but has been recognized as a highly influential work in the horror genre. In an interview on King’s website, he described it as: “One of the best horror stories ever written. Maybe the best in the English language.”

The Great God Pan was a truly terrifying story written well over one hundred years ago. With a story that started as an experiment on a woman, it soon led to countless mysterious events and deaths that forced readers to confront the cosmic horror of the universe. King stated that his novella N. from his story collection Just After Sunset is "a riff on Arthur Machen's The Great God Pan.... Mine isn't anywhere near [as] good [as the original], but I loved the chance to put neurotic behavior—obsessive/compulsive disorder—together with the idea of a monster-filled macroverse."

9 Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1955)

By Jack Finney

Although it was first released almost 70 years ago, Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney has not lost any of its incredible relevance. Lauded by Stephen King as a story to be “read and savored for its own satisfactions” (via Simon and Schuster), Finney’s sci-fi horror novel had a lot to say about fear of the other, McCarthyism, and Cold War anxieties at the time of its release, but can be just as easily applied to contemporary fears. With a story about people being replaced with emotionless duplicates, Invasion of the Body Snatchers gets to the heart of humanity's psychological anxieties.

It’s no surprise that King has a soft spot for Finney’s novel, as Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ alien invasion story has much in common with King’s book Dreamcatchers. Originally published under the title The Body Snatchers, Finney’s book has been adapted for the screen four times, which showcases the eternal relevance of its story’s themes. A truly fascinating read, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a great classic recommendation from King.

8 The Shrinking Man (1956)

By Richard Matheson

Stephen King described American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author Richard Matheson as “the author who influenced me the most as a writer” (via New York Times.) With this in mind, it is no surprise that King is a fan of Matheson’s The Shrinking Man, which, much like King’s The Shining, steps right into the heart of the psychological horror genre. While Matheson is responsible for other acclaimed horror works, such as I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man foreshadows much of the work that King would later write.

The Shrinking Man tells a terrifying story about Scott Carey, who, after ingesting a cloud of radioactive spray, finds himself slowly shrinking every day until he starts to waste away. The slow, unnerving horror of The Shrinking Man powerfully deconstructs American masculinity and middle-class fears during the 1950s. King highlighted the importance of The Shrinking Man and Matheson's work in his non-fiction book, Danse Macabre, which is about the horror genre.

7 The Haunting of Hill House (1959)

By Shirley Jackson

While Stephen King is always quick to praise great contemporary works when he finds them, he’s also a writer with a great appreciation for the history of horror. For this reason, it is no surprise that King is fond of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, which he has called one of the finest horror novels of the late 20th century. As one of the best-haunted house stories ever told, Jackson’s novel has been adapted for film numerous times and serves as the basis for Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House.

In King’s nonfiction book Danse Macabre, he wrote a lengthy chapter on “Horror Fiction,” in which he praised Jackson’s novel and explained the influence that The Haunting of Hill House has had on the horror genre as a whole. King cited The Haunting of Hill House, along with Henry James’ The Turning of the Skrew, as “the only two great novels of the supernatural in the last hundred years” (via Guardian.) King was also a fan of Flanagan’s adaptation and said that although some aspects of the story were revised, he believed “Shirley Jackson would approve.”

6 Sharp Objects (2006)

By Gillian Flynn

Way before American author Gillian Flynn received widespread recognition after the release of her novel Gone Girl, Stephen King had already recommended her debut Sharp Objects in 2006, calling it an “irably nasty piece of work” (via EW). King took to the story of Camille Preaker, a newspaper journalist who must return to her hometown to report on a series of brutal murders. With plenty of intrigue, mystery, and suspense, Sharp Objects is exactly the kind of book that would connect with a King reader, as it encapsulated a lot of what was great about his writing.

Flynn’s debut novel gained even more exposure after HBO adapted Sharp Objects into an eight-part miniseries starring Amy Adams in 2018. It appeared that King had not forgotten the novel even 12 years later, as he tweeted about the show and said, “Adora's husband Alan gives me the creepy-crawlies.” For a man who came up with some of the scariest stories of all time, stating that something gives King the “creepy-crawlies” sure is a big compliment.

5 The Strangler (2007)

By William Landay

American crime novelist William Landay impressed Stephen King with his second novel, The Stranger, which King recommended to his followers on X. King called Landay “so good he makes my teeth hurt." The Strangler was a mystery thriller set in Boston in 1963, in which a serial killer casts a dark shadow over the Irish-American Daley family. What starts with the suspicious death of a police officer in the line of duty soon reveals itself as a story of betrayal, corruption, and family.

King also had kind words for Landay’s other work and referred to him as the writer best known for Defending Jacob but also praised his debut work, Mission Flats. King’s recommendation came from a reader looking for a different kind of crime novel than what’s normally popular, so King obviously thinks Landay is doing something unique. This signature writing style led King to state that Landay’s writing made him feel “pure envy.”

4 Life Or Death (2014)

By Michael Robotham

The crime thriller Life or Death by Michael Robotham tells the story of Audie Palmer, who spent a decade in prison for armed robbery and has endured beatings, stabbings, and threats at the hands of prison guards and inmates. However, Audie escapes the day before he is supposed to be released, and everybody from the police, FBI, and even high-profile gangsters try to hunt him down. But Audie’s not running away; he’s trying to save a life.

Stephen King gave his recommendation to Life or Death (via Robotham) as described it as a “nerve-shredding thriller” that has “the heart and soul so often missing from lesser crime and suspense novels.” King said it was a fantastic pageturner that he “couldn’t stop reading,” although at the same time, he “didn't want Audie's story to end.” In a compliment of incredibly high praise from an author of King’s caliber, he described Robotham as “an absolute master.”

3 You (2014)

By Caroline Kepnes

While most people might think of Penn Badgley’s portrayal of Joe Goldberg when they think of You, the popular Netflix thriller was adapted from a novel by Caroline Kepnes. Kepnes's original novel was full of suspense, leading to Stephen King describing it as “hypnotic and scary,” as he recommended (via Better Reading.) As a story of obsession and romance, You was an exciting tale that brought to mind other obsessive literary characters, such as Annie Wilkes, the antagonist of King’s novel Misery, which similarly featured a character who took their infatuation with another person a little bit too far.

Kepnes was ecstatic at hearing that King enjoyed her novel and stated that she was “jumping up and down” and trying to tell the people working in the Beverly Center Mall what happened when she first heard the news. ”They’re looking at me like I’m crazy because it’s one of those places where people don’t get excited and everyone is trying to be cool, and I’m like ecstatic,” Kepnes said. Kepenes added that King’s work has had a big impact on her, and she highlighted the character of Brady Hartsfield from King’s Bill Hodges trilogy in particular.

2 Fever (2016)

By Deon Meyer

To have a book compared by Stephen King himself to one of King's greatest works is an extreme honor, and this was exactly what happened to South African writer Deon Meyer. In 2017, King took to social media to tell his followers that they have “a nice surprise coming” and jokingly added, “no, not Brexit.” as the South African novelist Deon Myer’s latest book Fever was about to be released. King said Fever was reminiscent of his book, The Stand, and compared it to the equally thrilling novel The age by Justin Cronin.

Fever is set in South Africa after a deadly virus has swept the country and killed most of the population. A shockingly relevant story released just a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fever explored similar themes to King’s The Stand, which also centered on a deadly pandemic. Told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy and his father, Fever truly added humanity to its post-apocalyptic story.

1 The Plot (2021)

By Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot is a mystery thriller by the American novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz that Stephen King called “one of the best novels I’ve ever read about writers and writing” (via Korelitz.) As a highly psychological and suspenseful book, it made sense that King connected with its story about a once-promising novelist, although the protagonist Jacob Finch Bonner’s life went on a different trajectory and was teaching without having published anything new in years. After one of Bonner’s students dies without completing his masterpiece novel, he can’t help but steal the work for himself.

King finally added that “the suspense quotient is through the roof."

What follows is a story of deceit, plagiarism, and struggles to hide the truth, which Stephen King called “insanely readable and terrifying.” King finally added that “the suspense quotient is through the roof,” lavishing his influential praise on The Plot. HBO plans to adapt Korelitz's novel into a miniseries, as they had previously done for her book You Should Have Known, which was renamed The Undoing for television.

Sources: Stephen King, Simon and Schuster, New York Times, Guardian, EW, Michael Robotham, Better Reading, Jean Hanff Korelitz