NO solution yet?! C'mon, you've had to have found something that suited you from this thread by now, no?

Some of Dean Koontz's earlier stuff was pretty scary. I liked Intensity.

Well aware that I'm quoting a two month old post, I still have to say:

If you like this book (and I'm a huge fan of King), do yourself a favor and read Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon. A very similar story, but a better book, IMO. Very much worth tracking down.

Another author I like very much, and Ghost Story is quote simply a 'must read' if you like horror fiction. Some of his other titles that I really liked are: Shadowland, Floating Dragon, Koko, and The Hellfire Club.

Another author that may be worth looking at is Kathe Koja. I rad one of hers a long time ago - and I'm sorry but I don't recall the title (it may have been The Cipher - but I do recall quite enjoying it.

Since it's a two-month-old thread, I'll allow myself to hijack it.

So, I have never read any Stephen King novel and I thought I might try one (and most probably only one). So am I correct in assuming your recommendation would be The Stand as that one book?

Other people are welcome to voice their agreement or disagreement.

Would love to hear your recommendation.

The Stand or The Shining are my recommendations. They're quite different.

I tend to like his earlier stuff better, so I'd say The Shining, 'Salem's Lot, or Pet Sematary, off the top of my head. The latter, when I read it, I found both suspenseful and disturbing. I also have a real soft spot for Firestarter, but that's probably not one that many people would recommend.

I almost thought about recommending Firestarter too but then refrained from it though - not sure why.

I recommend Locke and Key (February 2008 to December 2013). This is a graphic novel / comic series. Worth reading. Written by Stephen King's son.

Taken from Comixology:

"Acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box) creates an all-new story of dark fantasy and wonder: Locke & Key. Written by Hill and featuring astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them... and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all..."

I will suggest a few gothic horror stories:
The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis
Melmoth the wanderer, by Charles Maturin
Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

I would also suggest:
The willows, by Algernon Blackwood
Anything by A.E.Poe, H.P.Lovecraft

And for the modern authors:
Stephen King, John Saul, Clive Barker,

I would recommend The Shining, Christine, or Carrie if you're into horror books. The Stand is excellent but it is pretty big and could be a little overwhelming for a first time King reader. If you're into post-apocalyptic stuff, definitely worth the read. If you want a really small dose of King you could try his short story collections (many of which are also excellent), such as Skeleton Crew, Night Shift, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Everything's Eventual.

Hey! :D
Well, I seem to say this a lot when recommending things, but I think that you should probably pick a title that first and foremost appeals to you, and then look at what others think second. Ultimately everyone's tastes are different and it's better to find something that you personally will enjoy as opposed to something that is 'supposed to be good'.

With that being said, of course, there certainly are some things which are worth keeping in mind.
The Stand (and IT, for that matter) is, as vp9156 said, a very long book and might not be the best King book to start with for that reason alone. It depends on how much time you have and how much you're willing to commit to one novel. The Stand is definitely worth it, but keep that in mind if you're looking for a shorter outing and not a 1000+ page epic.
If you are into the zombie/infected novel though, and you have the time, I highly recommend it!

The Stand aside, what other King titles should you consider?
It's generally worth sticking with his earlier stuff, or largely his work before the 2000s. King was in a car accident in '99 and after that period his work really suffered (how much the accident actually had to do with this is open to conjecture). You may well still enjoy some of his work from that period, like Cell (which I personally didn't much care for), but it's generally considered much worse in comparison to his earlier work. (With that being said, I think King has greatly improved again with his most recent titles like Joyland, Doctor Sleep and Mr. Mercedes)

So, anyway, looking at some of his shorter, more reasonably sized novels, what do we have? I'd probably recommend one of the following:
, [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11590.Salem_s_Lot]Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Dead Zone, , [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10583.Pet_Sematary]Pet Sematary, Misery and The Green Mile.
All of those are really good and worth your time (I have linked each title to their corresponding page on good reads, so that you can, perhaps read a bit more about each and see some other opinions, if you're so inclined). I don't want to be one to specifically tell you to read one, only for you not to enjoy it though, so I do recommend looking into which you think sounds good for you.

Personally, the first Stephen King book I read was Misery. I think that's a pretty good introduction novel, but it may not be my choice if I had to pick only one single title. Out of the above, The Shining is probably my personal overall favourite. Carrie is also a good one if you're a little unsure about the horror genre, or if you'd prefer more of a teenage story. I know some people that don't enjoy horror, who still enjoyed that.
Keep in mind, however, that being his first published novel, it lacks a lot of his style that he gained in time, so I wouldn't necessarily consider it a 'quintessential' King novel.

This of course, doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. There's also the books that he wrote under the pseudonym 'Richard Bachman', such as The Running Man (to name probably the most famous Bachman novel, thanks to the Arnie movie), as well as his short stories and non-horror work.

I'm guessing you probably want to read one of his horror novels, considering you're asking in this thread and he's most well known for horror, but it's also worth noting 'Different Seasons' which is a collection of 4 non-horror novellas, including what became 'The Shawshank Redemption' (Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption) and 'Stand By Me' (The Body).

There's also what King considers his magnum opus, The Dark Tower series, which is fantastic, but again, probably not the best if you only want one book, as you really need to read the whole series here. :p

SO, to sum up... or the tldr version, considering I ended up writing too much...
I'd recommend you look at one of his pre 2000s novels and find one that sounds interesting to you.
If you have the time, The Stand is highly recommended.
Out of his shorter novels, The Shining would probably be my personal pick.

Hopefully that helps! I'd love to hear what you end up reading, and what you think of it! :)
Regards!

Thanks!

From reading your and other people's posts, as well as a bit around the net, it seems that The Shining and The Stand tend to lead (more or less followed by It, Misery, Salem's Lot). Since I enjoy long novels and since I prefer a book whose movie I have not seen (striking off The Shining, Misery) and since I like post-apocalyptic settings, I believe I may well try The Stand.

A good choice, but I'll just add a note about The Shining: if you've seen the movie, there are a lot of differences from the book. If you decide you like King's writing, then it would be well worthwhile reading The Shining at some point. It really is far superior to the movie (make no mistake, I like the movie a lot, but the book is hands-down a far better story).

Another vote for Edgar Allen Poe. In most bookstores here (and I imagine it's the same for you) you can pick up a book that contains all of his work for a pretty cheap price (I paid $7.98 plus taxes).

If you want horror that doesn't contain the supernatural or anything like that, pick up The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.

Testament - David Morrell
Not pure Horror but to some people it is.