Stephen King on His 10 Longest Novels

Landing on nightstands everywhere this fall with a monstrous thwack, the 1,000-plus page Under the Dome is Stephen King's third longest novel. In an interview with TIME, the prolific author reflects on his new book and nine of its fellow doorstops.

King on King

By GILBERT CRUZ Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

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Author Stephen King has a reputation for the big book. Not big as in Tom Wolfe-esque, "the way we live now" big, but big as in "this book is literally, physically huge." It's a reputation that doesn't seem to bother him. King's latest, Under the Dome, is his third longest novel ever.

King talked to TIME about his top 10 biggest books, reflecting on the circumstances under which they were written and the critical reception that they received. The list of books and their page counts was supplied by King's office and refers to the American hardcover editions. It does not include books co-written with other authors or any of the seven parts of King's Dark Tower series, which he typically considers one long book, à la The Lord of the Rings.

The Stand: 1,153 pages
It: 1,138 pages
Under the Dome: 1,072 pages
Insomnia: 787 pages
Desperation: 690 pages
Needful Things: 690 pages
Dreamcatcher: 620 pages
Duma Key: 607 pages
The Tommyknockers: 558 pages
Bag of Bones: 529 pages