Stephen King is one of the best selling authors in the world. He writes horror and suspense novels, in an easy-to-read style. He puts likable, ordinary characters into unlikeable, extraordinary situations.
I started reading King in the mid-'80s, and particularly like the novels around that time (The Talisman, IT, The Eyes of the Dragon, Misery). But I find all his work to be very accessible and enjoyable to read. I haven't liked his most recent novels as much, as I find them too wordy, and feel that the plots meader too much before reaching the conclusion.
Stephen King also writes as Richard Bachman.
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One of King's few forays in the fantasy genre, and his best work. This long-running series tells the story of Roland, the last gunslinger, and his quest to find the Dark Tower, in order to save the world. Roland's world is a mixture of the American west, a post-apocalyptic future society littered with the detritus of a highly advanced civilisation, and a fantasy setting full of magic, wizards and demons. Roland is forced to draw three companions from our world, to accompany him on his journey. Their quest becomes not just about reaching the Tower itself and defeating whatever evil resides there, but about overcoming their own demons, to stand, and be true.
Although this series is self-contained, King has recently started making occasional references to it from his other novels and short stories. King has also said that future Dark Tower books will make references back to his early works, as he ties it more closely to them.
To date, the published series contains six full-length novels and one short story set before the first novel. King has completed the final volume, The Dark Tower, and it will be released by Scribner and Donald M. Grant in September 2004.
The publishing history of the series is as convoluted as the quest for the Tower itself. The first four books in the series were initially published in limited edition runs by Donald M. Grant, followed by general-release softcover releases by Plume. Viking has recently re-released them in hardcover. Volumes V-VII will be released in hardcover by Scribner, with softcover releases by Pocket Books.
More information (and SPOILERS) can be found on Donald M. Grant's new pages for Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower.
See this interview for a lot more information about the forthcoming Tower books.