Stephen King’s 32 Best Audiobooks: The Definitive List

Are you a fan of Stephen King? We’ve compiled a list of the iconic author’s best audiobooks, available here on Audible. Get stuck into King’s chilling classics and stunning short stories.

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of all time. He has published 61 novels, more than 200 short stories, and six nonfiction books—and he shows no sign of stopping. With such an extensive portfolio, choosing one audiobook can be daunting. We’ve compiled a list of the 32 best Stephen King audiobooks to make the choice easier. Whether you’re looking to get stuck into one of his creepy, classic stories or a sci-fi novella, you’ll find a title on this list that will get your heart racing.

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Stories

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Dylan Baker, Brooke Bloom, Hope Davis, Kathleen Chalfant, Santino Fontana, Peter Friedman

Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins

Release date: 2015-11-03

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 119 ratings

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams presents a stunning collection of short stories and poems by the master of horror and O. Henry Prize winner, Stephen King. The chilling tales are brought to life by a group of talented performers, including Mare Winningham, Will Patton, Edward Herrmann. and King. There are thrilling connections between stories, including themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, and what we would do if we could see into the future or correct past mistakes. King introduces each piece with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it. In The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, his sixth short story collection, King continues to dazzle listeners with his genius as a short fiction writer. Be prepared to stay up all night listening.
Doctor Sleep

A Novel

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Series: The Shining, Book 2

Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins

Release date: 2013-09-24

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 942 ratings

King returns to the characters and territory of his popular novel The Shining in Doctor Sleep. In this sinister thriller, the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) must save a very special 12-year-old girl from a tribe of murderous paranormals. What follows is an epic war between good and evil and a gory story that will thrill the hyper-devoted fans of The Shining. It will also wildly satisfy anyone new to the iconic story that started with The Shining. Will Patton does the story justice with his powerful narration as he injects life into each character, earning this title an Audie Award for Fiction in 2014.
Hearts in Atlantis

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, William Hurt

Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins

Release date: 2001-10-10

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

Popular actor William Hurt joins Stephen King in the captivating audio performance of Hearts In Atlantis. This audiobook follows five interconnected narratives—“Low Men in Yellow Coats,” “Blind Willy,” “Why We’re in Vietnam,” “Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling,” and the title story, “Hearts in Atlantis”—set in years spanning 1960 to 1999. Each story is deeply rooted in 1960s culture and the aftermath of the Vietnam War, which haunted many American men. The characters are faced with small-town problems and the reality of war. This poignant listen stands out from King’s other works. It’s a deep and moving set of stories that you won’t want to miss.
Just After Sunset

Stories

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Jill Eikenberry, Holter Graham, George Guidall, Ron McLarty, Denis O'Hare, Ben Shenkman, Mare Winningham

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Release date: 2008-11-11

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

Stephen King has written more than 50 books, dozens of number-one New York Times bestsellers, and many films. Here, he delivers another astonishing collection of short stories. The stories in this collection have appeared in The New Yorker and many more publications. Who but King would turn a portable toilet into a slimy birth canal or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? Or let us eavesdrop on a book salesman with a grievance who picks up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens too well? Or reveal that an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a terrifying journey? The chilling and captivating stories are brought to life by a cast of narrators, including King himself and Ron McLarty.
Bag of Bones

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King

Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins

Release date: 2000-05-23

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 134 ratings

Stephen King performs this eerie title that was first published in 1998. In this riveting audio adaptation of Bag of Bones, bestselling novelist Mike Noonan can’t stop grieving four years after the sudden death of his wife. He is disturbed by vivid nightmares of his summer house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, he decides to return to Sara Laughs, the isolated summer home. In his beloved Yankee town, he falls in love with a widowed young mother who struggles to keep custody of her three-year-old daughter. He is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here—and what do they want from Mike?
End of Watch

A Novel

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Series: Bill Hodges Trilogy, Book 3

Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Release date: 2016-06-07

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 492 ratings

End of Watch is the spectacular finale to Stephen King’s New York Times bestselling Bill Hodges trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers. In End of Watch, the hellish “Mercedes Killer” drives his enemies to suicide. If retired police officer Bill Hodges and his partner, Holly Gibney, can’t find a way to stop him, they’ll be the next victims. Brady Hartsfield, the perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, claiming the lives of eight people, has been in a vegetative state for years. According to his doctors, any kind of recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without leaving his hospital room. Will Bill and Holly be able to tackle this dangerous case and bring down the villain once and for all? In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion.
Cujo

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Release date: 2016-01-01

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 138 ratings

Another psychological thriller features on our list of the best Stephen King audiobooks. Cujo was first published in 1981 and brought to life by American actress Lorna Raver. This suspenseful title follows the story of Brett Camber and his friendly Saint Bernard dog. In this case, Cujo is truly a man’s best friend. That is until, one day, Cujo chases a rabbit into a cave and gets bitten by a sick bat. What happens to Cujo, how he becomes a horrifying creature drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heart-stopping listens Stephen King has ever written.
Elevation

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King

Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins

Release date: 2018-10-30

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 164 ratings

Stephen King performs one of his more recent works, Elevation. This novella, published in 2018, is a New York Times number-one bestseller. This eerie and moving audiobook is set in the small town of Castle Rock. It’s centred around Scott Carey, whose mysterious affliction brings the town’s people together, despite deep-rooted differences. Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s steadily lost weight. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. When Scott finally understands the prejudices his lesbian neighbour face, he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s condition bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.
Everything's Eventual

14 Dark Tales

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Becky Ann Baker, John Cullum, Boyd Gaines, Peter Gerety, Josh Hamilton, Arliss Howard, Judith Ivey, Stephen King, Justin Long

Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins

Release date: 2014-03-04

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

u Everything’s Eventual is a collection of 14 dark tales. Along with one O. Henry Prize winner, two other award winners and four stories published in The New Yorker. It includes “Riding the Bullet,” King’s original e-book, which attracted more than half a million online readers. Whether writing about encounters with the dead, the near dead or the mundane dreads of life, from quitting smoking to yard sales, Stephen King’s incredible storytelling skills shine through in this listen. Intense, eerie and instantly compelling, they announce the limitless imagination of one of the greatest storytellers of our time. The complete list of narrators includes King himself, Becky Ann Baker, John Collum, Boyd Gaines, Peter Gerety, Josh Hamilton, Arliss Howard, Judith Ivey, Justin Long, Oliver Platt, and Jay O. Sanders.
The Wind Through the Keyhole

The Dark Tower

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King

Series: The Dark Tower, Book 8

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Release date: 2012-04-24

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 166 ratings

In The Wind Through the Keyhole, King returns to the rich landscape of Mid-World. This story finds Roland Deschain, Mid-World’s last gunslinger, in his early days after his mother’s death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the only surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Although only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime. Sure to captivate the avid fans of The Dark Tower fantasy series, this audiobook narrated by King is an enchanting introduction to Roland’s world.
Needful Things

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King

Length: 25 hrs and 11 mins

Release date: 2016-01-01

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 453 ratings

Stephen King’s bestselling horror novel Needful Things is about a shop where Leland Gaunt can sell you anything your heart desires. It could be sexual pleasure, wealth, power or something even more precious. But there’s always a price to pay. In addition to a token monetary fee, Gaunt requests that each person perform a little “deed,” usually a seemingly innocent prank played on someone else from town. These practical jokes cascade out of control—eventually, the whole town battles with itself. Only Sheriff Alan Pangborn suspects Gaunt is behind the population’s increasingly violent behaviour. King grips listeners with his stunning narration of this shocking and suspenseful title.
Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I

Written by: Stephen King

Narrated by: Stephen King, Tim Curry, Rob Lowe, Whoopi Goldberg

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Release date: 2009-02-17

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Volume I concludes our list of the best Stephen King audiobooks. Nightmares & Dreamscapes was first published on September 29, 1993. This bestselling collection of short stories, poems and essays is transformed into an unforgettable audio performance by a star-studded lineup consisting of Stephen King, Tim Curry, Rob Lowe, and Whoopi Goldberg. This unabridged tale of horror and science fiction includes stories of vampires, spirits, and regular people who find themselves in surreal situations. King stunningly demonstrates his famous dark humour with all the suspense needed to grip listeners from the start to finish of each short story.

No results