Stephen King
I'm sure you've heard of the "King" of horror. Stephen King is perhaps the most celebrated, prolific writer of horror ever...certainly in modern times. What makes him so good? in my opinion, it is the way he takes familiar things, like a clown, a car, or a high school dance and twists them into a menacing, not-so-funhouse versions of themselves. When I read his books, I feel like one of my own nightmares is spilling onto the page.
My own infatuation with King's works began at a young age. I watched the movie version of "It" at 6 years old. My father told us an abridged and PG version of "Thinner" over a campfire when I was 12. In high school I watched "The Shining" in my basement with a friend, and just when we decided it was too scary to watch without the lights on...the electricity went out. More recently I have been exploring King's short stories, and they are as good if not better than many of his novels.
The appeal elements of King's writing are a concise, yet darkly descriptive writing style. Very rarely is there a word that doesn't carry its weight. His pacing is generally engrossing but unhurried. It is the slow build of terror that makes it all the more hard-hitting. King's characters are always complex to the point where you begin to dislike even the "heroes". Tone is usually menacing, dark, and nightmarish.
Red Flags: you should think twice about reading king's works if you are easily disgusted by violence or sex...although I am and I still do haha.
Below you will find a table of my top selections for those jut beginning to read Stephen King. One of the best things about his writing is that there is so much of it, so you will not run out of options any time soon.
I won't bother giving you biographical information because he actually wrote his own biography and it is a GREAT book called "On Writing". Bonus for any aspiring author because it has great tips. King's voice is so strong and his work so extensive that you'll never really need a read-alike. Some people mention Dean Koontz, but in my opinion they are as far apart as possible in writing style and Koontz writes mostly thriller/suspense. King does have an author-son who goes by Joe Hill to downplay the association between them. Nice try :).
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I re-read the Shining in preparation for Doctor Sleep which i am totally excited for. I have read all of Kings work.
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