Since publishing his 1974 debut novel Carrie - a horror about a clairvoyant schoolgirl - in 1974 Stephen King has written over 65 novels and over 200 short stories.
His books have been turned into a multitude of Hollywood blockbuster, including The Shining, Stand by Me, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and It.
He’s wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in a bid to break away from horror and has now published books in a number of genres, including his fantasy epic The Dark Tower.
With so many books to choose from, it’s hard for a Stephen King beginner to know where to start.
To help out, we’ve had a look at how the millions of readers of book website Goodreads have rated his books.
Here are the top 13.
1. The Green Mile
With an average rating of 4.48 out of five from 323,185 reviews, The Green Mile is Stephen King's highest-rated novel on Goodreads. Published in 1996, it was later made into a hit film starring Tom Hanks. "The Green Mile: those who walk it do not return, because at the end of that walk is the room in which sits Cold Mountain penitentiary's electric chair. In 1932 the newest resident on death row is John Coffey, a giant black man convicted of the brutal murder of two little girls. But nothing is as it seems with John Coffey, and around him unfolds a bizarre and horrifying story. Evil murderer or holy innocent - whichever he is - Coffey has strange powers which may yet offer salvation to others, even if they can do nothing to save him." | Contributed
2. Different Seasons
Different Seasons comes second, with an average rating of 4.35 from 206,439 reviews. A collection of four novellas it's best known for the story Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - the story of two men convicted of murder dreaming up a scheme to escape from prison on which the critically-acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption was based. In Apt Pupil a golden schoolboy entices an old man with a past to join in a dreadful union. The Body sees four young boys venture into the woods and find life, death and the end of innocence. The Breathing Method is the tale of a doctor who goes to his club and discovers a woman determined to give birth - no matter what. | Contributed
3. The Stand
In third place is King's 1978 epic The Stand, with an average rating of 4.35 from 765,895 reviews. "Imagine America devastated by a vast killer plague that moves from coast to coast. Imagine the countryside destroyed and great cities decimated as the entire population desperately and futilely seeks safety. Imagine then an even greater evil rising to threaten the survivors...and a last embattled group of men and women coming together to make a last stand against it." | Contributed
4. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Kings memoir about the process of writing has an average rating of 4.34 from 289,881 reviews. First published in 2000 On Writing is a book that has inspired a generation of authors. "For the first time, here's an intimate autobiographical portrait of his home life, his family and his traumatic recent accident. Citing examples of his work and those of his contemporaries, King gives an excellent masterclass on writing - how to use the tools of the trade from building characters to pace and plotting as well as practical advice on presentation." | Contributed