Book · 1977
The Shining
by Stephen King
A recovering alcoholic takes his family to caretake an empty hotel for the winter, and the hotel starts caretaking him back.
What does Reddit think of The Shining?
The Kubrick question comes up eventually in every Shining thread, and r/horrorlit's answer (↑171) is to just refuse the comparison: the book and the film are one of my favorite movies and one of my favorite books, viewed as completely separate entities, Kubrick having taken the skeleton and built his own thing. That's the closest these excerpts get to an actual argument. Everywhere else, agreement is closer to total. r/suggestmeabook keeps it in rotation as the default first King (↑357: not massive but is classic King), and one ↑159 comment specifically steers a horror-averse reader toward 11/22/63 instead, implying The Shining is the harder recommendation, not the safer one. The topiary scene gets its own callout (↑209) as the moment that made someone physically squirm, which is more visceral than most books earn in a single sentence. horrorlit's sentiment runs warmer than suggestmeabook's here, +0.47 against +0.14, which tracks: the horror crowd is rating it as horror.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The book and Kubrick's film treated as separate, non-competing works
- · Positioned as the default entry point into Stephen King
- · The topiary animals scene singled out as uniquely upsetting
- · A gateway recommendation into Doctor Sleep
Common praise
- + A ↑171 r/horrorlit comment insists the book and the Kubrick film work as two separate favorites rather than a ranked comparison.
- + The topiary scene gets called out by name (↑209) as the moment that made a reader physically squirm.
- + It's repeatedly the first title suggested (↑357, ↑246) to someone asking where to start with King.
Common criticism
- − A ↑159 comment explicitly recommends 11/22/63 over The Shining for a reader who isn't into horror or mystery, implying it's not the gentlest entry point despite being the most common one.
- − Several top comments (↑692, ↑179) use it mainly as a genre-list filler item rather than making a specific case for it.
- − suggestmeabook's scored sentiment (+0.14) sits well below horrorlit's (+0.47), so the warmth isn't uniform across the subs that recommend it most.
Who it's for
Come in expecting the book to work on its own terms, not as a companion piece to the movie; r/horrorlit is firm that the two are separate experiences, and the topiary scene alone is cited as proof the source material earns its reputation independently. It's the default answer when someone asks where to start with King, though a ↑159 commenter flags that if you're horror-shy, 11/22/63 might be the gentler on-ramp instead. If you finish it, Doctor Sleep is the next stop by consensus, and it's described as not too scary, in case that's a deciding factor.
Mentions over time
Which Reddit comments matter for The Shining?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“*The Shining* (Stephen King) *The Yellow Wallpaper* (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) *The Haunting of Hill House* (Shirley Jackson) *We Need to Talk About Kevin* (Lionel Shriver)
“Yeah, 11/22/63 put you right into the blast seat, it’s good old Stephen King doing the magic. What to read next? - Doctor Sleep: if you liked the Shining it’s a decent sequel, not too scary. - Salem’s Lot: if you missed it, it’s probably one of the best King’s book ever, this is a bit scary. - The …
“I like The Shining to start. Not massive but is classic King.
“Salem’s lot by Stephen King The Shining by Stephen King
“The Shining by Stephen King. And I know this is obvious, but the scene with the topiary animals made my physically squirm.
“The amount of books kind of depend on how long a course is, but: *Frankenstein* or *The Monk*, for the more horrific of the gothic novels. Easy to discuss the characteristics in gothic fiction. *Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde* and *The Great God Pan*, both short gothic novellas with loads o…
“The Shining by Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite movies of all time, and The Shining by Stephen King is one of my favorite books of all time. I just view them as completely separate entities. Kubrick took the basic skeleton of King's story, an alcoholic father bringing his family to a haunted ho…
“I am going to go a different direction here since you are not a big fan of horror or mystery and say 11/22/63. It is not ordinarily what I would recommend for a first-time King read (for that, I would concur with the others who have recommended The Shining). But I think that 11/22/63 is probably one…
“I'm surprised nobody has said this yet: The Shining by Stephen King. Is the movie great? A classic, even? Yes. But was it a true reflection of the book? No.
“The Shining by Stephen King Dear God. It was only his third novel.
“You might have already read it but I absolutely loved King's The Shining.
“The Shining by Stephen King. Sure, the movie is fantastic, but the book is so, so much better. Also, saving post to come back to and see what everyone else puts. I love a good scary book.
“Probably an obvious choice, but The Shining. The Overlook is as much a character as any of the people
“The Shining. I do love Kubrick's movie. But the ending climax of the book where Danny has to watch Jack smash his own face to pulp with the mallet was incredible. Really drove it home that Jack didn't exist anymore, he had been taken over (which is what inspired King to write it; it is a very perso…
“I finished King's **The Shining** at about 2 in the morning...
Convinced? Pick up The Shining
What else does r/suggestmeabook read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Guides featuring The Shining
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
The Shining — frequently asked
Is The Shining book different enough from the Kubrick movie to be worth reading?+
Yes, per r/horrorlit. A ↑171 comment describes the two as favorites in their own separate categories, noting Kubrick took the basic skeleton of King's story and built something distinct from it. The implication is you're not rereading the plot you already know from the film, you're getting a different treatment of the same premise.
Is The Shining a good first Stephen King book?+
Mostly, but not unanimously. It's the most-repeated starting recommendation in the top excerpts (↑357, ↑246), described as classic King without being the most extreme entry. That said, a ↑159 comment steers a horror-averse reader toward 11/22/63 instead, so if horror specifically isn't your thing, Reddit's own top comments suggest an alternative on-ramp.
What's the most disturbing scene in The Shining?+
The topiary animals, according to a ↑209 r/horrorlit comment that singles it out by name as the moment that made the reader physically squirm. It's the only scene in the top excerpts called out with that level of specificity rather than general praise for atmosphere.