how would you suggest someone who has NEVER read a stephen king book and isn't necessarily interested by summaries of the stories themselves, but is interested in a semi-academic "where are other authors drawing from this cultural touchstone" way, start with reading him? Most popular, chronological, ones that have adaptations, roulette wheel...?
You have to read The Shining.
It is the only Stephen King novel where I will GO TO THE MAT AND NOT STOP THERE for the fact that it is a good novel. Not only do I think it is good, the effect it had on horror and even American culture broadly cannot be overstated. There are so many books I have read after the shining that are clearly drawing from The Shining. That whole old lighthouse Michiru fic I wrote draws from The Shining. The Shining manages to be both horror that is "doing something" and be a good horror story. Not as easy as you'd think.
Add that to the fact that I fucking hate the movie Kubrick made which strips everything interesting and human out of the story, and you have an absolute recommendation from me. If you end up liking that, or at the very least if you end up being interested in reading more of his work, I have a list that I would basically put together of like....top 5 Stephen King novels to read for sheer cultural push. Some of which are favorites, some of which aren't.
But read The Shining! I held a book club on it for a reason! It's very good! It also has serious cultural weight.
