Stephen King's top five Stephen King stories

Survivor Type

Richard Pine, a disgraced surgeon, starts to eat his limbs to survive on an island in the pacific after his means of transport sinks. He uses heroin that he was smuggling on the ship to numb himself during these amputations. The story is written as a diary which Pine records his activities, hopes of returning home to get his revenge and establish himself as a respected surgeon. The last entry indicates that he is contemplating which part to consume next as he has eaten both his legs and ears already.

Survivor Type Pulse

Misery

King creates the character of Annie Wilkes as a metaphor for cocaine. "Misery is a book about cocaine. Annie Wilkes is cocaine. She was my number-one fan," he said.

Misery Pulse

A romance novelist is involved in an accident that leaves him terribly injured. His former nurse, Wilkes, brings him into her home to treat his injuries and administer pain medication. He soon realises that he is captive but has to feign ignorance to survive.

Lisey’s Story

Lisey Landon is murdered by one Zack McCool and as she dies, Lisey slips into the world of her dead husband's repressed memories. Here, she discovers her late husband's dark family history that she had turned a blind-eye to. However, she finds that the only way to heal from her grief is to accept that he was not what she thought he was.

Lisey's Story Pulse

The Body

The story shares a resemblance to IT by the same author, where a writer recalls his childhood in Castle Rock after the death of his brother. Gordon LaChance and his three friends Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp and Vern Tessio go on a misguided expedition to see a dead body of a young boy killed by a train. Gordon remains the sole survivor of the group after the rest die tragically over the years.

The Body Pulse

Billy Summers

Billy Summers is a love letter covered in blood of a war story to small town residents. A mercenary and decorated war veteran embarks on one last mission to rid the world an exceptionally evil man.

Billy Summers Pulse

Summers is quoted saying “It’s just that if there’s a God, he’s doing a piss poor job," Billy Summers, but he soon discovers just how hard it is to be God.