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The Shining / Carrie / Misery
For the first time ever in one volume three nightmarish tales of horror from the best selling author Stephen King.
686 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
24 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,395 books888k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 14, 2012
The Shining - 4 stars. Extremely well written, such a psychological thriller/horror. Ending felt a bit ... off though, but no clue as to how it "should" have ended.
Carrie - 3 stars. Not as gripping and MC is not very likeable or relatable. Still a good read though.
Misery - 4.5 stars. Amazing. Couldn't put it down, so scary/gross at times it was just plain amazing... but not quite 5 stars though, something about the ending, it left me confused even after a reread of last pages.
Conclusion? Definitely read more Stephen King!
Carrie - 3 stars. Not as gripping and MC is not very likeable or relatable. Still a good read though.
Misery - 4.5 stars. Amazing. Couldn't put it down, so scary/gross at times it was just plain amazing... but not quite 5 stars though, something about the ending, it left me confused even after a reread of last pages.
Conclusion? Definitely read more Stephen King!
October 20, 2015
For me, King is a bit of a mix bag as an author. You will either receive something truly wonderful or you will hate the entire experience – somehow, he even manages those between stages.
With this collection, however, we’re given some of his best work. Misery. Carrie. The Shining. Three books King is well known for. Three books I thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re going to buy a King collection you cannot go wrong with this one.
With this collection, however, we’re given some of his best work. Misery. Carrie. The Shining. Three books King is well known for. Three books I thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re going to buy a King collection you cannot go wrong with this one.
May 13, 2020
Book Name : The Shining
Author : Stephen King
My Review : This is the 2nd book I have read from this author. I was watching FRIENDS TV series and in season 3 episode 13 this book was mentioned with ‘Little Women’ so I ended up reading both books. ‘ The Shining’ is so creepy and spooky.I believe that this book has something to scare almost everyone. I would never look at a bathtub the same way again!! Mrs. Massey has ruined it for me. I was actually psychologically terrified after reading this book and it took me several days to come back to normal and even to write a review. Every character in this novel is sounds creepy. The story is crafted perfectly; it’s creepier when you get this feeling that the ‘Overlook Hotel’ sound like a true story. Specially the mysterious room 217
Stephen King is an awesome author but not my favourite as his novels haunts me.
My advice – avoid reading before bed.
Author : Stephen King
My Review : This is the 2nd book I have read from this author. I was watching FRIENDS TV series and in season 3 episode 13 this book was mentioned with ‘Little Women’ so I ended up reading both books. ‘ The Shining’ is so creepy and spooky.I believe that this book has something to scare almost everyone. I would never look at a bathtub the same way again!! Mrs. Massey has ruined it for me. I was actually psychologically terrified after reading this book and it took me several days to come back to normal and even to write a review. Every character in this novel is sounds creepy. The story is crafted perfectly; it’s creepier when you get this feeling that the ‘Overlook Hotel’ sound like a true story. Specially the mysterious room 217
Stephen King is an awesome author but not my favourite as his novels haunts me.
My advice – avoid reading before bed.
January 6, 2021
Where do I even start? I've been reading this for a while now but it was worth taking my time with. I cannot properly express how much I loved this book, every bit of it, and each of the three novels that it contained. I was very excited to read it, and have actually had it in my possession for a while now, after acquiring for an almost criminally low price (£1) from a local second-hand bookshop. I only just got around to reading it, after checking off a few other books from my ever-growing list/collection.
The Shining, I can now safely say, is a masterpiece. The only downside was that it made me dislike the Stanley Kubrick "adaptation" even more than I already did (which was a lot). This book was full of tension, atmosphere, and heart, something which the movie was lacking completely. The character of Jack Torrance was fascinating and heartbreaking in equal measure, and watching his steady, devastating spiral into madness was genuinely emotional. I recently acquired Doctor Sleep, and am very much looking forward to diving in to that story as a continuation of this one.
Carrie was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, but no less wonderful a read as a result. It was interesting to see the story told from several perspectives, and as usual King did a fantastic job of establishing well-rounded and interesting characters in next to no time at all. King also always does a great job of weaving genuine emotion into his stories, and Carrie was no exception on that front.
Misery has quickly established itself as another firm favourite in my mind, a story that was both gritty and captivating. The character of Paul was wonderfully complex without being blown out of proportion and his perspectives and reactions were fascinating to follow as the story progressed. The character of Annie was just as fascinating to watch, if not horrifying for just how unhinged and intense she was (also very believable as a real person, terrifying as the prospect is). I read the last thirty or so pages in one go and I'm not sorry that I did, because it kept the pace nice and brisk, something which the climax definitely benefits from. King did (as always) a fantastic job of keeping things exciting and suspenseful while also making the stakes feel very real.
Highly, highly recommended for all readers, existing King fans or not.
The Shining, I can now safely say, is a masterpiece. The only downside was that it made me dislike the Stanley Kubrick "adaptation" even more than I already did (which was a lot). This book was full of tension, atmosphere, and heart, something which the movie was lacking completely. The character of Jack Torrance was fascinating and heartbreaking in equal measure, and watching his steady, devastating spiral into madness was genuinely emotional. I recently acquired Doctor Sleep, and am very much looking forward to diving in to that story as a continuation of this one.
Carrie was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, but no less wonderful a read as a result. It was interesting to see the story told from several perspectives, and as usual King did a fantastic job of establishing well-rounded and interesting characters in next to no time at all. King also always does a great job of weaving genuine emotion into his stories, and Carrie was no exception on that front.
Misery has quickly established itself as another firm favourite in my mind, a story that was both gritty and captivating. The character of Paul was wonderfully complex without being blown out of proportion and his perspectives and reactions were fascinating to follow as the story progressed. The character of Annie was just as fascinating to watch, if not horrifying for just how unhinged and intense she was (also very believable as a real person, terrifying as the prospect is). I read the last thirty or so pages in one go and I'm not sorry that I did, because it kept the pace nice and brisk, something which the climax definitely benefits from. King did (as always) a fantastic job of keeping things exciting and suspenseful while also making the stakes feel very real.
Highly, highly recommended for all readers, existing King fans or not.
September 18, 2022
I’ve read the shining once nearly every year, and I’ve seen the film too manny times, I don’t enjoy it anymore as I know the ending, it’s still a great book for me as my dad use to work in big hotels and when I was younger at school I would occasionally go with my dad to work, I can understand why a hotel would be creepy. I just love it.
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With Carrie I found it boring until near the end, I felt sorry for Carrie and her life and wasn’t surprised how she had just snapped and wanted revenge in the end.
It just shows what can happen when you take bullying too far and no one does anything about it.
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I loved misery, I’ve seen the film this year on dvd, and really glad I’ve now finished the book.
The only part of misery I didn’t understand was the ending and I’m not the only one it seems.
••••••••••••••
With Carrie I found it boring until near the end, I felt sorry for Carrie and her life and wasn’t surprised how she had just snapped and wanted revenge in the end.
It just shows what can happen when you take bullying too far and no one does anything about it.
•••••••••••••••
I loved misery, I’ve seen the film this year on dvd, and really glad I’ve now finished the book.
The only part of misery I didn’t understand was the ending and I’m not the only one it seems.
December 23, 2021
Three book about abuse: alcohol abuse, bullying and child abuse, and domestic abuse.
King, I find straddles a fine. He's a great storyteller and his characters are incredible.
But his books lack any depth. Except Misery, a great account of the state of being a writer. You can see his addiction to cocain, rabid fan base, and publisher woes, and King acknowledging the writer he is. Misery is about King coming to terms with being the Stephen King we know.
King, I find straddles a fine. He's a great storyteller and his characters are incredible.
But his books lack any depth. Except Misery, a great account of the state of being a writer. You can see his addiction to cocain, rabid fan base, and publisher woes, and King acknowledging the writer he is. Misery is about King coming to terms with being the Stephen King we know.
March 22, 2022
not that into his writing i would say.
February 1, 2014
Still my favorite Stephen King book of all time. The characters are rich and well rounded; the imagery is unforgettable, and the suspense is, well, Stephen King. Definitely worth a read and a re read!
October 22, 2013
Picked the book up second hand. Never been a big Stephen king fan, but it was a very good read on the train. Passes the time more than keeping me from missing my station.
February 5, 2015
The Shining is the best of the three but only by the slightest margin. All are thrilling reads.
June 23, 2016
The book was one of the best scary books I've read. Then the movie came out and it was perfection!
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September 4, 2017 I like all of them also saw the movies
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews