CARLTON FLETCHER: A tribute to the master of horror, Stephen King

No one can make me feel like you do.

— REO Speedwagon

I just finished reading Stephen King’s latest novel, “The Institute,” and I — as I almost always do — came away amazed at the man’s command of the English language.

Since I stumbled onto King’s debut novel, “Carrie,” in 1974 as a senior at Irwin County High School, I’ve become one of those “Constant Readers” King addresses in forewords, afterwords and author’s notes in most of his writings. I’ve argued, vehemently at times — like when a school librarian tried to exclude the author’s books from the library — that Stephen King does not just churn out pulp fiction dumbed down for the masses. He is an artist whose greatest gift is his ability to “make the impossible plausible,” as King noted in a touching tribute to his long-time — and beloved — assistant, Russ Dorr, at the end of “The Institute.”

With King’s two “It” movies raking in more than a billion dollars worldwide the last couple of years — which is, in his cinematic history, something of an anomaly, as King’s writing has never exactly been well-adapted to the big screen — this master of horror remains unmatched in the literary genre and has few peers among modern fiction writers.

In celebration of the excellent “The Institute,” which is destined to rank among his enduring classics, I’ve come up with my own Top 10 Stephen King books, including the list topper that is one of the best — and far and away the scariest — ever written in any genre.

10. Hearts in Atlantis, 1999. Even as he wrote a variety of best-sellers, King’s obsession with his “Dark Tower” epic, which he introduced to the public in 1982, remained a vital part of all of his works, including this one.

9. The Green Mile, 1996. King experimented, as he’s never been afraid to do, by releasing this book online as a series. The film made from the book became one of the best based on a King novel.

8. Mr. Mercedes, 2014. The first of a trilogy of novels — “Finders Keepers” followed in 2015 and “End of Watch” in ‘16 — the story arc leaned more toward the classic detective novel than the horror genre for which King is best known.

7. Under the Dome, 2009. You’ve heard of books that you “can’t put down?” This became one of those, literally, for me. I had read maybe a quarter way into the massive novel when it got to a point that I had to keep reading. I didn’t stop to watch TV, eat or do anything else. When I finally finished, I looked at the clock and saw that it was going on 4 a.m.

6. Carrie, 1974. As noted, this was the breakout novel for King, then a high school English teacher. He made telekinesis a household word, and Sissy Spacek did an admirable job of portraying the lead character in another film that did one of King’s works justice.

5. 11/22/63, 2011. Alternate look(s) at the Kennedy assassination through the eyes of the master of suspense, this work earned King perhaps more critical acclaim than any of his other works.

4. The Dark Tower: 1982, ‘87, ‘91, ‘97, ‘03, ‘04, ‘04, 2012. This winding tale of alternate universes became King’s white whale for two decades. Every book he wrote from the release of the first book in what became an epic series (“The Gunslinger,” 1982) carried references to the “Dark Tower” series (even his excellent “Black House,” co-written with fellow horror master Peter Straub). And many characters that had filled his earlier books (including a very familiar character named Stephen King) appeared in the “Dark Tower” series.

Also during the writing of the series, King was hit by a motorist while walking near his Maine home and was nearly killed, after which he developed an addiction to the pain pills he was prescribed. Both events influenced and even became fodder for the series that included, after “The Gunslinger,” “The Drawing of the Three” in 1987; “The Waste Land” in ‘91; “Wizards and Glass” in ‘97; “Wolves of the Calla” in 2003 (the same year that a second draft of “The Gunslinger” was released); “Song of Susannah” and “The Dark Tower,” both in 2004, and “Wind Through the Keyhole” in 2012.

3. It, 1986. A somewhat cheesy movie based on this horrifying novel had little impact, but the modern remake and its sequel (in theaters now) certainly made their mark. This book/movie is why a lot of people really hate clowns.

2. The Stand, 1978 (and a longer, uncut version in 1990). While reading the early part of this engrossing epic tale of pure good vs. pure evil — and the never-ending fear of science gone wrong — you get the willies every time someone around you sneezes.

1. ‘Salem’s Lot, 1975. The creepiest book ever written, and the only one I’ve ever read that I don’t mind admitting scared the bejeesus out of me. I remember reading it for the first time and getting spooked every time I heard a noise outside a window. The ultimate example of King not only making the impossible plausible, but making it down-right horrifying. And some truly amazing writing.