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Few writers are as prolific as Stephen King, whose sprawling body of work means he has plenty of underrated books. With dozens of novels, as well as short stories, novellas, and non-fiction writings, many readers may be unsure of which books to seek out after they’ve already tackled his best-known works, such as Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, or Misery. While King’s most popular works have endured in popular culture for a reason, they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this extraordinary writer.
Many of King’s best books were in the horror genre for which he is best known, yet many of his most underrated works explored other topics as he’s addressed with coming-of-age tales, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and more. While many people discover King through movie adaptations of his work, some of his best writings have yet to receive the big-screen treatment. King is truly one of the greatest writers of the modern era, and as an author who’s written more books than most people even read, there are a lot of underrated releases, hidden gems, or forgotten classics to seek out.
10
The Long Walk (1979)
Stephen King’s second novel under the pen name Richard Bachman
Stephen King was so prolific during the late 1970s that he had to create a second secret identity to publish even more books. The second of the run of publications known as The Bachman Books was The Long Walk, a highly underrated dystopian novel set in a version of America run by a totalitarian regime where contestants participate in a grueling annual walking competition. While King was already well established by the time this book was published, it was the first novel he ever started writing, having first conceived it in the mid-1960s while studying at the University of Maine.
As a novel published under a different name and coming out around the same time as King’s most well-known works, such as The Shining and The Stand, it’s unsurprising that this excellent book is often overshadowed. Yet The Long Walk was pure, unadulterated existential horror filled with fascinating characters and impressive worldbuilding. With an upcoming film adaptation on the way from director Francis Lawrence, King enthusiasts can only hope this slept-on fan favorite finally gets the due it deserves from the mainstream.
9
Joyland (2013)
Stephen King’s second novel for Hard Case Crime
One of the best things about being a Stephen King reader is that there is so much variety to his work that things are always exciting. A great example of this was the underrated hard-boiled crime novel Joyland, which was King’s second book for the Hard Case Crime imprint. This coming-of-age story was packed with nostalgia as a college student named Devin Jones takes on a summer job at the North Carolina amusement park Joyland in 1973, only to find himself embroiled in a vicious murder mystery that changes his life forever.
While hardcore horror lovers may be put off by Joyland’s quieter, more crime-driven tone, those who took a chance on it discovered a story of incredible emotional depth. King’s protagonist starts off with a broken heart and comes to Joyland trying to get over a girl, only to find himself at the heart of a chilling mystery that upends everything he thought he knew about life. Joyland was an underrated gem that took readers on a wild ride while remaining totally relatable.
8
Revival (2014)
Stephen King’s decades-spanning novel of fear and fright
As a novel published between the first two books in Stephen King’s Bill Hodges Trilogy, it’s understandable that Revival is sometimes lost among the writer’s impressive body of work in the 2010s. However, to dismiss this devastating exploration of faith, addiction, and obsession would be a mistake, as Revival was truly one of King’s scariest 21st-century books that included plenty of nightmare fuel for unsuspecting readers. Taking place over five decades, Revival is a fast-paced mystery that tells how two people move from being friends to each other’s nemeses.
Like so many King books before it, Revival was set in a New England town and explored a Methodist minister’s descent into darkness, a nomadic, heroin-addicted musician’s desperate need for redemption, and the dark bond the two share. While the initial setup of this novel was filled with vivid descriptions of ordinary life, readers should not be fooled as this book builds toward one of King’s most chilling conclusions in his entire bibliography.
7
Fairy Tale (2022)
Stephen King’s dark homage to classic fairytales
Stephen King traded his horror stylings for a dark fantasy tale exploring an epic battle between good and evil in Fairy Tale. This underrated late-career novel from King told the story of Charlie Reade, a 17-year-old who inherits keys to a secret, otherworldly realm. Taking readers on a spellbinding journey to a parallel world, Charlie discovers two warring factions whose stakes could not be higher as they fight over the fate of not just their world but also ours.
This beautifully imagined novel not only features incredible worldbuilding as King powerfully realizes an extraordinary alternate existence, but he also pays tribute to classic fantasy tales of grief, courage, and perseverance in the process. Fairy Tale lived up to its title as the blurred realities, themes of heroism, and sense of adventure made this an engrossing page-turner. While not all King fans have kept up with the writer’s most recent work, they’d be doing themselves a disservice not to check out Fairy Tale.
6
Different Seasons (1982)
Stephen King’s collection of four novellas
While a major component of Stephen King’s legacy was his sprawling epic stories, such as lengthy novels like The Stand and It, another underappreciated aspect of his talent was his more condensed writings, such as short stories and novellas. A prime example of this was Different Seasons, a collection of four short novels whose several film adaptations have arguably become more famous than the book itself. Featuring the stories that would become the hit movies The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Apt Pupil, this collection showcased a more introspective side to King’s writing.
Different Seasons was one of King’s first publications to showcase his dramatic side, where he was more interested in emotional resonance than telling horror-based stories. With each story bound together through nature’s four seasons, each novella gave a different glimpse into King’s unique appeal. While King will always be known as one of the all-time great horror writers, this collection was an early indication that his talent for horror was just the tip of the iceberg.
5
Duma Key (2008)
Stephen King’s first novel set in Florida
With incredible imagery, characters, and thematic depth, Duma Key is truly one of Stephen King’s most underrated novels. Telling the story of Edgar Freemantle, a man who not only lost his divorce but also his right arm in a construction accident, who moves from Minnesota to Florida to take part in what his therapist called a “geographical cure,” this special story contained everything great about King’s work. As Edgar rediscovers his love for painting in his new surroundings, there’s something about his art that becomes a conduit for supernatural forces in this spooky story about a man falling apart.
While the power of Duma Key is appreciated by many of King’s constant readers, its slower, less action-oriented nature means it is often left behind in general discussion of his work. This is disappointing, as it includes some of the most thoughtful writing in King’s oeuvre. Although Duma Key may not be as well known as other King novels, it was certainly no less captivating.
4
Gerald’s Game (1992)
Stephen King’s shocking exploration of trauma
While supernatural forces often haunt Stephen King’s work, Gerald’s Game was so frightening because there was no boogeyman or otherworldly figures at the heart of its story. Gerald’s Game told the terrifying tale of a woman whose husband died of a heart attack while she was handcuffed to their bed and the subsequent realization that she was trapped with little hope of ever being rescued. This nightmarish scenario had such incredible power because it was totally believable.
Gerald’s Game was a profound exploration of trauma that became all the more terrifying as the “game” her husband had planned turned into a shocking attempt at sexual assault before turning into a nail-biting story of survival and hopelessness. While Mike Flanagan’s 2017 film adaptation of Gerald’s Game helped bring more attention to this underappreciated novel, it still remains one of King’s most slept-on releases.
3
Thinner (1984)
Stephen King’s fifth novel under the pen name Richard Bachman
Across Stephen King’s vast body of work, there’s practically no fear, anxiety, or insecurity that he hasn’t addressed in some way. Thinner was a novel by King that he published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, which explored body horror through the morbidly obese lawyer Billy Halleck, who, after carelessly killing an elderly Romani woman, is stricken with a flesh-wasting curse that takes him on a nightmarish journey toward his own horrific demise.
Thinner was a thrilling story of guilt, revenge, and supernatural justice that showcased that while Billy may have been able to use his status as a lawyer to escape his crimes, this was far from the end of his troubles. The terrifying descriptions of growths on Billy’s skin as his body wasted away made this one of King’s most unnerving stories. As the last novel published before it became public knowledge that Bachman was King in disguise, Thinner represented the end of an era.
2
Bag of Bones (1998)
Stephen King’s most underrated book of the 1990s
In global hits like The Shining and non-fiction works like On Writing, Stephen King has consistently addressed a topic that would frighten even the bravest author: writer’s block. This terrible affliction acted as the set-up for Bag of Bones, an underrated novel about a widowed writer suffering from severe delusions and creative impotence in an isolated lake house. As a book that owed a lot to the influence of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, this haunting ghost story addressed issues of grief, love, and past secrets.
As a beautiful, scary, and heartbreaking story, Bag of Bones is one of King’s most underspoken works that deserves far more recognition. Featuring some of the most impressive writing across all of King’s work, Bag of Bones addressed important topics such as child custody, herd mentality, racism, and the lingering presence of past sins. While readers will be eternally divided about what King’s scariest book is, Bag of Bones is a real contender for his most beautiful.
1
11/22/63 (2011)
Stephen King’s late-career masterpiece
While many Stephen King readers will point to The Stand, It, or even The Dark Tower series when it comes to answering what King’s epic masterpiece is, it’s important not to forget 11/22/63 in this discussion. As a sprawling time travel story centered on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, this impressive late-career release from King stands up against his very best work. Exploring themes of love, legacy, and the consequences of messing with the past, King captured something essential about the myth of America in this grand and epic story.
While 11/22/63 was all built around the fateful date when President Kennedy was sadly killed in Dallas, Texas, this story about a man trying to stop this tragic event from happening merely served to highlight why it’s pointless to obsess over changing the past. While King rightfully received widespread praise for this extraordinary novel, it’s still not nearly as well-known as his earlier hits, and any Stephen King reader who hasn’t sought it out already should do themselves a favor and enjoy this underrated masterpiece.
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