Misery: A Novel

The #1 New York Times bestseller about a famous novelist held hostage in a remote location by his “number one fan.” One of “Stephen King’s best…genuinely scary” (USA TODAY). Adapted into the classic film Misery (1990).

Paul Sheldon is a bestselling novelist who has finally met his number one fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes, and she is more than a rabid reader—she is Paul’s nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.

Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life—just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on. One is a needle. Another is an axe. And if they don’t work, she can get really nasty.

“Terrifying” (San Francisco Chronicle), “dazzlingly well-written” (The Indianapolis Star), and “truly gripping” (Publishers Weekly), Misery is “classic Stephen King...full of twists and turns and mounting suspense” (The Boston Globe).

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Published Jan 5, 2016

368 pages

Average rating: 7.77

332 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

RayaofWakefield
Feb 02, 2026
10/10 stars
The horror in this book is not supernatural, but the dark side of humans. The protagonist isn't a "good" guy by definition and that's what I love about Stephen King. The characters are deep and facetted and the story is captivating from the beginning to the end. A really great read!
siemelle900
Nov 28, 2025
10/10 stars
I’m not going to go into the details of the book because so much is know of it already.

I loved this story. It is the kind of horror that gets me because there are so many people in this world who are not right. That is terrifying to me. This book made me so tense because I was never certain about what Annie was going to do next!

Out of all the King books I have read thus far, this one is easily in my top three!
Summer Zachary
Nov 19, 2025
10/10 stars
This book scared the crap out of me.
harith95
Nov 16, 2025
7/10 stars
Twas exciting rollercoaster journey tho i have been a slow paced reader trying to get the story linked together Not a fan of a written story in a novel However this cat and mouse story between a writer and fanaticly obsessed woman enough made me to be on edge when he trying to make it out alive from that hellhouse Insufferable Vicious Brutally detailed
michellespec
Jul 22, 2025
9/10 stars
4.5 stars

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