Stephen King wrote a variety of characters in his horror novels and short stories, but only a few are considered among his personal favorites. Stephen King has rightfully earned the title of King of Horror thanks to his many horror stories, through which he has terrorized generations of readers while delivering stories that tackle deep and complex subjects. King’s career as a horror writer began in 1967 when he sold his first professional short story, “The Glass Floor,” to Surprising mysteriesand in 1973, his first novel was published: Carrie.
Although it initially sold modestly, Carrie became a best-seller after Brian de Palma’s adaptation was released in 1976, and its success opened many doors for King as an author. Since then, King has brought a variety of stories and characters allowing readers to explore new fears, new settings, and encounter all types of characters – be they humans, monsters, or creatures. humans who prove to be more terrifying than any fantastical creature. Many of King’s characters have become part of pop culture, largely through their adaptations to other media, as happened with Pennywise the Dancing Clown’s THISJack Torrance from the brilliantAnnie Wilkes from Miseryand much more.
Fans of Stephen King’s novels often debate who is the best character or characters in his stories as well as who is the scariest, and the answers will always vary as it depends on each reader’s experiences. What many seem to forget is that Stephen King himself also has his favorites among his own works, although like many other authors he can’t choose just one favorite. During panel at Lisner Audiotorium in 2014 (via Checklist), King was asked about his favorite character to write for, and he dropped a few fan-favorite names, starting with the unforgettable Annie Wilkes, with King saying she was “fun”.
Annie Wilkes is the antagonist of the 1987 novel Misery, and it’s a nurse who drives injured author Paul Sheldon home after he’s seriously injured in a car crash. Wilkes is Paul’s self-proclaimed “#1 fan”, and he soon realizes that he is Wilkes’ prisoner and is in grave danger. King called her a “kid” but “fun to write aboutbut if he had to choose a “good person”, he would have different answers. An audience member called out the name of Dolores Claiborne, the lead from the 1992 novel of the same name and King shared that she was based on her mother, but her choice would be Lisey Landon from Lisey’s story, which has “a bit” of his wife, Tabitha King, in it. King also shared Lisey’s story is one of his favorite novels he’s written, so it’s no surprise that Lisey is one of his favorite characters. King also mentioned the boys of The bodywhich was adapted into the 1986 film support merecalling the famous phrase “I never had friends later, like the ones I had when I was 12“, and of The dark tower series, his choice would be Eddie Dean, a member of Roland Deschain’s second ka-tet.
Last but not least, King mentions THISis Richie Tozier, the Losers Club prankster who gets into trouble most often because of his inappropriate jokes and constant swearing. The most of Stephen KingFavorite characters from his stories are also public favorites, such as Annie Wilkes and Richie Tozier, although it would be interesting to know exactly what earned each of them a special place in King’s heart. because the public’s perception of each character is different from that of their creator.
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