15 Greatest Stephen King Short Stories Of All Time
1. The Body
As amazing, stunning, thoughtful and powerful as the stories that made this list are, none are as brilliantly realised as another novella from the Different Seasons collection - The Body.
The Body is about as bittersweet and moving as anything King has ever written. A simple tale, it follows four friends as they venture into woods to look for a dead body. Along the way, they talk about life, confront their biggest fears and mull over their broken homes.
The titular body is not what drives the plot of this coming-of-age masterpiece, though. What really sets the story in motion is the power of the boys' friendship, and how a little bit of hope and companionship can work wonders to help people through tough times. Outside of these big themes, it also yet again proves King to be master of capturing the narrative voice of the children he often writes about.
It's hard to read The Body without thinking about your own childhood or upbringing, and is bound to bring you tears of both sadness and joy.
The Body isn't just his best short work, but one of the best stories Stephen King has ever written.