Stephen King: A Master Craftsman of the Written Word

I recommend reading anything you can by Stephen King, as he is a master craftsman of the written word. His books are consistently satisfying reads that also provide the depths that merit further analysis. I am confident that his cannon will be studied by later generations. 

You feel for his characters. They are multidimensional and multifaceted.  Annie Wilkes of Misery is the embodiment of dangerous fanatic and yet she isn't just a tool. There is a life and a backstory to this character that makes her both frighteningly ordinary (which is a consistent theme in King) and extraordinarily frightening. Continuing the theme of ordinary, his protagonists are well-rounded Everymen. Many times they are even the underdog - so ordinary there are contrasting characters to emphasize how common these characters are. The young protagonists in particular seem to be overshadowed by a better figure (usually a sibling). It seems very important to King that the people who experience the extraordinary events in his tales must be as accessible as possible by being so thoroughly "normal."  

King's tales also transport the reader into the world he designed. He has tales to tell that provide an entertaining voyage typically with a very honest and insightful commentary on the state of the current world. Anti-establishment, of course, but less subversive in that his message requests thoughtful action not blind disobedience.

I have laughed and I have cried (often in same book) over his work. I have reread many. The Stand is among my all time favorite works because it not only terrified me, it spoke to me - a spiritual me that is all too content to remain dormant unless challenged.  Every reading gives me something new to think about - a requirement of relevant literature in my estimation.