A famous author is held hostage by his biggest fan, due to her obsession with a fictional heroine that he decided to “kill.” Paul Sheldon once wrote to make a living. Now he writes to save his life. Paul Sheldon kills Misery Chastain—and he does it with unimaginable relief. The protagonist of his extremely successful romantic bestsellers has brought him money and fame, but has constrained his talent.

Now he can move on as a writer and write serious literature. However, after a car accident, he wakes up with unbearable pain in an unfamiliar bed, which, to his great surprise, is not a hospital bed. Annie Wilkes, who pulled him from the crumpled wreckage of his Camaro, has transported him to her isolated house in the mountains and has placed his broken legs in makeshift splints. The good news is that Annie, as a former nurse, has plenty of painkillers at her home. The bad news is that Annie, once his “Number One Fan,” has realized what Paul did to Misery—and she doesn't like it at all...

What they said about the book: “A classic Stephen King book... full of twists, with a gradual build-up of tension.” –Boston Globe “Truly gripping.” –Publishers Weekly “Impressively well-written.” –The Indianapolis Star “King at his best!” –The New York Times

Trivia: In 1988 the book won the World Fantasy Award–Novel. The novel was adapted into a film in 1990 starring Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for her role as Annie Wilkes. The author intended to use the pseudonym Richard Bachman to sign “Misery,” but it was revealed before the book's publication. In addition to its film adaptation, in 2015 the book was also adapted for the stage featuring Bruce Willis. Stephen King is one of the top writers of our time, with 50 novels, 200 short stories and essays, and sales exceeding 350 million copies.

His works, many of which have become films and series, include Salem's Lot, It, The Stand, the epic Dark Tower, The Shining, The Green Mile, Hearts in Atlantis, The Institute, The Outsider, Elevation, and Sleeping Beauties (co-written with his son, Owen King). He has been honored with the Bram Stoker and Locus awards from the British, American, and International Horror Writers Associations, the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and the National Medal of Arts from the U.S. government. In 2016, he was honored by the Library of Congress for his Body of Work, and in 2018 he received the prestigious PEN literary award. Additionally, The Outsider and The Institute both took first place in the Goodreads Choice Awards in the mystery and thriller category in 2018 and 2019, respectively. King lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.