Stephen King fan looking for comparable writer????

[Dragonsend]

I love a good horror book written by a highly intelligent writer but not too techie technical, good character development, and a twisty story. Any recommendations??

[kelly60]

Sorry I don't have any recommendations for you but am glad you asked because I would love to know too.

[Gravy]

Have you tried Joe Hill?

[mmm17]

In my opinion, Edgar Allan Poe is one of the top authors of horror and suspense stories.

[Dragonsend]

Have you tried Joe Hill?

No but I will and thank you!

[Dragonsend]

In my opinion, Edgar Allan Poe is one of the top authors of horror and suspense stories.

Yes, I have read a lot of Edgar Allan Poe and love him. Thank you.

[Gravy]

Have you tried Joe Hill?

No but I will and thank you!

[eagermagic]

For all practical purpose, Robert McCammon might as well be Stephen King. A King fan can step into one of his books and feel perfectly at home. I strongly suggest Swan Song, McCammon's take on an end-of-the-world dystopia, quite similar to, and possibly superior to, The Stand.

[Dragonsend]

Thank you ! I will definitely try it and let you know what I think!

[annalisa88]

Shirley Jackson! She is well-known for her short story The Lottery and her novel The Haunting of Hill House. She has also written a few autobiographical books and essays. Great writer. Highly intelligent.

[JennyorAlice]

I have also read Joe Hill. I actually started reading Joe Hill before I started reading Stephen King. Did you know Joe Hill is just a pen name....? He is actually Stephen King's son.

The first thing I read was his comic book series "Locke and Key". Then I read "NOS4A2", which there is a tv show on the AMC right now that is based on that book. Then I read "Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland" which is a comic book mini series and is a prequel to "NOS4A2". Then I read "Heart-Shaped Box" and I'm currently in the process of reading "Horns". I have some of his other works but haven't gotten to read it yet. But you should definitely try Joe Hill.

[LinaMueller]

Have you ever tried to read H.P Lovecraft? IMHO he is marginally better than Stephen King.

[TopaAzul062]

It's Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft for me. If you're not familiar with the name Barker then you may have heard of Pinhead from Hellraiser (movie) and Midnight Meat Train (recent-ish movie with Vinnie Jones of Gone in 60 Seconds - he played the silent guy called Sphinx). I remember reading a review by Stephen King about Clive Barker and it was very positive if not complimentary.

With Lovecraft, he practically invented a mythos of which has been a major source of inspiration for a variety of authors (this can be seen in Cantero's Meddling Kids) and game designers.

[mbenji2003]

When i run out of stephen king books i turn to dean koontz, excellent substitute!

[Andy_C]

I came here to recommend Joe Hill too... NOS4A2 in particular is very impressively done. He is Stephen King's son, by the way, and in my opinion his style is almost identical to his father's.