Nowadays, Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining has arguably eclipsed the legacy of the original novel — a statement that would likely annoy King, who infamously despises Kubrick's version of his book. But whatever your feelings are on the differences between novel and film, it's impossible to deny the fact that The Shining is King's most iconic work. The Overlook Hotel is perhaps the most frightening, atmospheric setting in any of his books, and King plots the slow deterioration of Jack Torrance's sanity so as to induce maximum dread.