The sheer number of novels Stephen King has written is mind-boggling, but the number of short stories he’s written dwarfs even that number, meaning that even some of his regular readers may not have read all of them. At over 200 short stories, readers can be forgiven for missing a few. Still, there are a few short stories by Stephen King that simply must be read if one wants to call themselves a true fan of his work.
This is by no means a definitive list, and Stephen King’s most beloved and/or well-known short stories won’t be on here – you won’t see King’s “The Jaunt,” for example, or most of the short stories that have been made into notable Stephen King movie adaptations. This list is also just focusing on actual short stories, so his novellas, like The Breathing Method, also won’t be on here. Instead, I tried to focus on a mix of his great short stories that I feel don’t get enough love from anyone but the most hardcore Constant Readers and ones that don’t get much love at all, but should.
5
Strawberry Spring
Night Shift (1978)
Stephen King’s novels aren’t generally known for their plot twists, but he often throws them at readers in his short stories, hitting them with jaw-dropping reveals that can genuinely be described as haunting. “Strawberry Spring” is one such short story, with the narrator having a breathtakingly horrifying realization that completely changes the context of the story and reframes everything you’ve just read. As with some of Stephen King’s best short stories, part of it is told in flashback, with the backstory lulling the reader into a false sense of security even as it’s quietly building up to the reveal that devastates the protagonist’s world.
4
One for the Road
Night Shift (1978)
For even more casual Stephen King readers, the novel ‘Salem’s Lot and the short story “Jerusalem’s Lot” are inextricable, so much so that some mistakenly think the titles refer to the same story. And if one has read ‘Salem’s Lot, then they’ve almost certainly read the prequel “Jerusalem’s Lot” to satisfy their curiosity about how the vampires came to target the quiet Maine town.
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Fewer readers, however, have read the sequel story “One for the Road,” which does an incredible job of explaining the eerie reality of how the town of Jerusalem’s Lot is viewed by outsiders after the events of ‘Salem’s Lot. Wisely, King keeps the same mystery as the prequel story; everything is viewed from the perspective of people in the next town over so it’s all hearsay and conjecture. All they know is that something evil lurks in the now-abandoned Jerusalem’s Lot and you should never go there after sundown.
3
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut
Skeleton Crew (1985)
“Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” is a speedy read even by short story standards. Even so, what it manages to pack in its scant pages is remarkable. Adventure, quantum physics, Lovecraftian horror, mystery, a suggested happy ending, and a bit of romance, “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” has it all. It even manages to squeeze in a nod to Cujo when one of the characters makes a quick reference to Joe Camber being killed by his dog.
Stephen King’s full-length novels can sometimes be meandering, but his short stories (usually) get right to the point with no time wasted. Standing above even those, “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” is one of the few perfect short stories, not a single word wasted or a moment that could be framed better.
2
The Last Rung on the Ladder
Night Shift (1978)
Stephen King is known as the King of Horror for a reason. By now, though, most people do know that he’s capable of writing some excellent dramatic novels, as well, most notably Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Yet, he’s also flashed that brilliance with poignant and deep human drama in his short stories, including “The Last Rung on the Ladder.”
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With so many short stories in Night Shift being instant classics, “The Last Rung on the Ladder” gets overlooked among the pantheon of his great shorts. But “Last Rung” is one of King’s genuine heartbreakers, a story of the regret of a man who couldn’t save his sister from her own mental demons. Like King’s best tales, the tragedy is that it’s such a common story – someone who slips between the cracks of society only for their loved ones to realize, too late, that they might have saved them. In so many ways, it’s one of Stephen King’s most human short stories, and that makes it a necessary read.
1
The Ledge
Night Shift (1978)
Writing a genuinely scary story is hard. Writing it in a few pages is harder. And writing it so that the terror is contained to a single setting is hardest of all. And yet, that’s what King manages to do with “The Ledge.” It’s less a horror and more a survival thriller – and, in this case, the thing to survive is skirting a high-rise building with nothing but a 5-inch ledge to stand on.
As with so many of the author’s stories, it drives home the message that sometimes, the greatest monsters aren’t the supernatural kind, but human.
Even though the protagonist is in a wide-open space, the narrowness of the ledge and the awareness for him and the reader that one half-inch move can be the difference between him living or plummeting to his death makes it the most claustrophobic and arguably tense story Stephen King has ever written. As with so many of the author’s stories, it drives home the message that sometimes, the greatest monsters aren’t the supernatural kind, but human.
- Birthdate
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September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
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Portland, Maine, USA
- Professions
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Author, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Actor
