Friday, October 2, 2009

CHALLENGE: The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge

The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge
Perpetual Challenge

Meaghan at Book Geek 2.0 is hosting this challenge. A new lover of Stephen King, she is trying to read every book of his and has challenged everyone else to do the same. I've been a fan of King since I was 12 and read The Stand, so it wasn't hard to convince me to hop on the challenge wagon!

This is a perpetual challenge, with no deadlines and few restrictions. Simply read EVERY SINGLE book by Stephen King/Richard Bachman. It's okay if you skip the hard-to-find limited editions.
  • You aren't required to re-read books you've already read
  • You are welcome to watch his movies AS WELL, not in place of, his books
  • You are also welcome to review all of his books, if you wish
A complete list of his books may be found here. Here is my list as it stands. Bold and italicized titles I am considering completed.
  • 1960 - People, Places, And Things - Volume 1 (limited edition with Chris Chelsey) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 1964 - The Star Invaders (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 1974 - Carrie
  • 1975 - Salem's Lot
  • 1977 - The Shining
  • 1978 - Night Shift (DONE)
  • 1978 - The Stand (DONE many times now)
  • 1979 - The Dead Zone (DONE)
  • 1980 - Firestarter (DONE)
  • 1981 - Cujo (DONE)
  • 1981 - Danse Macabre (nonfiction about horror)
  • 1981 - Roadwork
  • 1982 - Creepshow (comic book, illustrated by Bernie Wrightson)
  • 1982 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
  • 1982 - Different Seasons (DONE)
  • 1983 - Christine (DONE)
  • 1983 - Pet Sematary (DONE)
  • 1983 - Cycle of the Werewolf
  • 1984 - The Talisman (written with Peter Straub)
  • 1985 - Skeleton Crew (DONE a long time ago, and may want to reread!)
  • 1985 - The Bachman Books (DONE)
  • 1986 - It (DONE)
  • 1987 - The Eyes of the Dragon
  • 1987 - Misery (DONE)
  • 1987 - The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
  • 1988 - The Tommyknockers (DONE)
  • 1988 - Nightmares in the Sky (Photo book with text by King)
  • 1988 - Dark Visions
  • 1989 - The Dark Half (DONE)
  • 1989 - Dolan's Cadillac (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 1989 - My Pretty Pony (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 1990 - The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (DONE- I've read both versions multiple times)
  • 1990 - Four Past Midnight (DONE)
  • 1991 - Needful Things (DONE)
  • 1991 - The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
  • 1992 - Gerald's Game (partially read)
  • 1993 - Dolores Claiborne
  • 1993 - Nightmares and Dreamscapes (stories)
  • 1994 - Insomnia
  • 1995 - Rose Madder
  • 1995 - Umney's Last Case
  • 1996 - The Green Mile (originally published as a monthly serial consisting of six parts: The Two Dead Girls, The Mouse on the Mile, Coffey's Hands, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, Night Journey, and Coffey on the Mile)
  • 1996 - Desperation (DONE)
  • 1997 - Six Stories (stories)
  • 1997 - The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
  • 1998 - Bag of Bones
  • 1999 - Storm of the Century
  • 1999 - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
  • 1999 - The New Lieutenant's Rap (limited edition) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 1999 - Hearts in Atlantis
  • 1999 - Blood and Smoke (audio book)
  • 2000 - Riding the Bullet (electronically published novella)
  • 2000 - The Plant (electronically published)
  • 2000 - Secret Windows
  • 2000 - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (nonfiction autobiography)
  • 2000 - Dreamcatcher
  • 2001 - Black House (written with Peter Straub)
  • 2002 - From a Buick 8
  • 2002 - Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales
  • 2003 - The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (revised edition)
  • 2003 - The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
  • 2004 - The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
  • 2004 - The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
  • 2004 - Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season
  • 2005 - The Colorado Kid
  • 2006 - Cell (DONE)
  • 2006 - Lisey's Story
  • 2008 - Duma Key
  • 2008 - Just After Sunset
  • UR (e-novella available only on Amazon.com's Kindle) I DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO READ THIS
  • 2009 - Under the Dome (DONE)
  • 2010 - Full Dark, No Stars
  • 2011 - 11/22/63
Richard Bachman's Published Books
"Richard Bachman" is a pseudonym that King used until Bachman's true identity was discovered by fans, after which he only published one more Bachman novel.
  • 1977 - Rage (DONE)
  • 1979 - The Long Walk (DONE)
  • 1981 - Road Work
  • 1982 - The Running Man (DONE)
  • 1984 - Thinner (DONE)
  • 1996 - The Regulators (DONE)
  • 2007 - Blaze

This may be a lifetime commitment! He is a very prolific author! Let the challenge begin!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a lofty goal! Good luck. I look forward to reading what you think. I've read a few books by King, but not many.

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I've read over two dozen of Stephen King's books, and this one is his best. King's short story writing is what allows him to be mentioned in the same sentence with the likes of Poe as one of the best horror writers ever. There are so many King classics in "Night Shift" it is scary. "Graveyard Shift," "The Mangler," "Children of the Corn," "Trucks," "Gray Matter," "Quitters Inc.," the list goes on and on. Many of these were made into inferior movies, but the stories themselves are are among the scariest things he's written because they reduce fear to its most basic elements. This is one King book that qualifies as a "must" read.