Stephen King has some of the most popular horror novels to his name, but he also has some lesser-known books that fans need to read. Everyone knows Stephen King stories like Carrie, The Stand, It, and Misery, even if those people are not normal horror novel readers. However, while he has several novels that have been bestsellers and remain listed on best-of horror lists, there are other underrated novels that not enough people talk about. What is amazing is that some of these lesser-known novels became movies, although the film releases remain mostly underrated and lesser-known Stephen King adaptations as well.
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Here is a look at five lesser-known Stephen King novels that fans need to read.
5) Lisey’s Story
Lisey’s Story was polarizing when it came out because the horror is less, and the story is about a relationship that not everyone could connect with. There are still people who hate the book, calling it boring and never getting into the story. However, the people who love it consider it among King’s best-written novels, and those who connect to the characters have a lot here to love. There are some quirks, such as the nicknames and secret language between husband and wife. While some readers can’t connect with that, those who do completely fall in love with the tale.
This is one of the underrated Stephen King novels that got a television adaptation, but remains lesser known. That is likely because it was an early Apple TV series Stephen King adaptation (starring Julianne Moore and Clive Owen). Lisey is a woman whose husband, a novelist named Scott, died two years earlier. When she finds a mysterious treasure hunt Scott set up for her before his death, she sets out to revisit her past and learn more about her husband’s dark secrets, all while avoiding a stalker. King has called Lisey’s Story one of his favorite books.
4) Duma Key
Duma Key is another lesser-known Stephen King book, thanks to it not being as much of an outward horror novel as King’s fans preferred. After an accident caused Edgar to lose his arm, and he developed suicidal thoughts and violent mood swings, his wife filed for divorce, and his psychologist convinced him to rent a quiet beach house on the island of Duma Key. While there, he befriended other broken people staying on the island.
The story opens with trauma and depression issues, but the novel kicks into high gear when an evil demonic character known as Perse (short for Persephone) threatens everyone on the island, and Edgar has to work with the islanders to stop her. The story is a slow burn, but fans who read King’s novels for the characters over the plot will find a lot to love about the story. This was part of the second half of King’s writing career, and it is one of his best books from this period.
3) Hearts in Atlantis
Stephen King has some great anthologies, with short story masterpieces like Night Shift and brilliant novella anthologies like Different Seasons. However, few people talk about Hearts in Atlantis. This was even turned into a movie of the same name with Anthony Hopkins in the lead role, but even that didn’t help raise its status among King readers.
That said, Hearts in Atlantis was a great read, with three novellas and two short stories all connected by recurring characters, and all taking place in chronological order of events. Taking place in the 1960s, there are lots of connections to other King stories, including the town of Derry, events from the Dark Tower series, and possibly Randall Flagg in a different identity. “Low Men in Yellow Coats” might be one of King’s best stories.
2) Revival
When Stephen King released Revival, it didn’t seem as popular as other King stories, which made no sense. This was as close to old-school King as his horror novels get. This has the same feel as King’s 70s and 80s-era releases, as it is mean-spirited but has a powerful message at its core. The story follows Charles Jacobs, a former Methodist minister who denounces God when his wife and child die in an accident.
However, the main character is Jamie, a musician with a drug problem, who met Charles as a child and reconnects with the former minister as an adult, who is now a drug-addicted musician. The story is clearly based on Mary Shelley’s Franknenstine, and Charles is attempting experiments that open the door to a dark and violent world. Revival is dark and morbid, with one of the most unsettling endings of any King novel. It is one of the best King horror novels that was never made into a movie.
1) Joyland
Joyland was a fun experiment for Stephen King in 2013, where he signed on to write hard-boiled detective novels for Hard Case Crime. He had done one before with The Colorado Kid (which was adapted into the Syfy series Haven), but this book was much more entertaining. The story follows a teenager named Devin who takes a job at the summer carnival known as Joyland.
This is a lot more fun than The Colorado Kid, as it is a coming-of-age story that is much less about horror and more about Devin freeing the ghosts of murdered children and offering a more optimistic ending than most of King’s stories. This was the book where Stephen King proved he could write mystery thrillers as well as he could any horror story.
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
