For Halloween, here are the best Stephen King novels — chosen by you

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Stephen King's first novel, Carrie — the story of a bullied telekinetic teenager who gets viciously pranked at prom — turned 50 on April 5. In honor of Carrie's 50th birthday (we sure hope menopause is going better for her than puberty did!), we asked you to tell us about your favorite Stephen King story.

We heard from more than 1,200 of you in just a few days. Many of you told us that Stephen King helped you become readers. Stephanie Larson of Cleveland, Ohio, wrote "no matter where I am — from an academic conference to a busy bus — I'm likely to find a fellow 'Constant Reader' whose reading life, like mine, has been transformed for the better by King."

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Many of you balked at the idea of choosing just one favorite Stephen King story — after all, he's written nearly 100 novels and novellas since Carrie was published. "This is an unfair and impossible question," Michelle Smith of Mantua, Ohio, told us. "SO HARD!!!" said Bill Cobabe of Ogden, Utah.

But ultimately you each settled on a favorite (though some of you just couldn't stop at one), and this is what you told us. (Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.):

The Stand

Anchor Books

Hundreds of readers wrote in to say this 1978 novel — about a super-flu that has the capacity to wipe out nearly everyone on Earth — was the best King they'd ever read. At 1,000+ pages you said it was very long, but very worth it, and you appreciated how the book balanced horror and hope. Also, you'll never see the Lincoln Tunnel the same way again.

Many of you read or re-read The Stand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meghan Balough, an epidemiologist in Salt Lake City, said this novel "has never been more relevant than it is today." Marc Wright, of Monona, Wis., said The Stand (which he re-read every summer for 20 years) helped him decide to become an epidemiologist.

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"There were many parallels between how the world reacted in The Stand and