5 Stephen King novels for Readers who don't like Horror.

I love talking to people about my favourite books (don't we all) but when I mention that my favourite author is Stephen King I quite often get a reply like ... "oh, I don't like horror books". 

Stephen King has written a lot of books that aren't necessarily horror, in fact in a lot of cases he starts his story with a "what if" scenario and sees where it goes. Rather than specifically writing a horror story he delves into the deepest recesses of the human condition. So, for example, after a real-life incident when his child gets nearly runover on the road by a huge truck he expands on that idea and explores what length a parent would go to save or bring back their child and we got Pet Semetary.   

 

 

The brutal murder of a gay character in IT (book published 15th September 1986) was based on a real live event in Bangor, Maine (King's hometown) when a 23-year-old asthmatic gay man - Charlie Howard - was beaten by three teenage boys in the summer of 1984, before he was thrown off a bridge into a stream 15 feet below and drowned. In 1986 it was a huge deal that an author of King's noteriety would bring attention to the violence beng experienced by gay people in small town America. Since the publication of the book and the murder of countless LGBT people in America (Matthew Shepard being the most well known - Read more here ) the US has enacted Hate Crime Legislation. The remake of IT revists this act of violence and hate in a visceral way which the previous adaptation didn't explore at all ( Read more ). 

 

So, rather than setting out to write a horror book he just develops an idea to it's natural (well for him anyway) conclusion but he has several titles that you might be interested in that don't even touch on his go-to genre. Some of these you may be surprised are actually Stephen King's work and you may have seen and loved the movies based on his work. Without further ado ...

 

 

This is the perfect example of what I was talking about before ... how Stephen King unravels the "what if" thread. In this short novel (240 pages) King explores what a mother will do when she finds out that her husband is making sexual advances towards their teenage daughter.

 

The protaganist of the story Dolores Claiborne decides she is going to stop her husband by any means necessary and what ensues is a nailbiting thriller but instead of being a "who-dunit" this is a story of "will she get away with it". The movie adaptation is also awesome and the casting of Kathy Bates as the mother protecting her child is a stroke of genius. A must read and viewing.

Another non-horror novel this time and it's quite a long read of over 700 pages, it's one of those delightful books you don't want to end. There is a tiny bit of fantasy involved ... the "what if" in this case is what if you could go back in time, what would you change? ... but if you are not a fan of fantasy per-se don't let this put you off, just accept the premise and move on. It's a tool to make the story work.

This is a tour-de-force from Stephen King, our protaganist decides he will go back in time and stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The historical research is great and this book feels so real you are transported to the grassy knoll and the book depository. Our time travelling hero has to attempt his mission several times as unforeseen elements and future repercussion force him to reevaluate the mission and try a few ways to reach his goal. This is one of my favourite Stephen King novels but I cannot speak of the spin-off TV series as I haven't seen it yet.  

 

 

This is one of my go to novels when someone says they don't like Stephen King. I ask them have the seen the Green Mile (and also Stand by Me, The Running Man and Apt Pupil) and they are normally shocked. Originally released in 6 short novellas in 1996 and then subsequently published as a compilation this is probably the second best novel and movie based on life in prison.

 

With numerous characters, some good, some pure evil (both inmates and guards) we experience the lives of these individuals and this is another great example of King exploring the nature of man and his depravity. It's a story of morality, vengence, justice, life, good and evil. All the tropes that are thrown at us everyday in books and movies but with King's unique twist and visceral reality. I cannot speak highly enough of this book and movie. 

 

 
Another epic novel by Stephen King with nearly 900 pages to read ... this is another perfect example of "what -if". Released in 2009 we follow the story of a town cut off from the rest of the World and we see how human nature decends into anarchy without all the trappings of modernity. At the time there was great debate whether King copied the idea from the Simpson's Movie (released in 2007) but he claims he tried to write the story for the first time in the 1970's ... is he telling the truth? For me it doesn't really matter, 

 

I just love the story. Trapping everyone in the dome gives King the opportunity to explore what happens when the wrong people are in charge and explore what we are doing to the environment. He explores the best and the worst of human nature. The book is fantastic but I'd give the TV series a miss ... it strayed too far from the book and when it finally finished after 3 seasons it had decended into a mess.

So ... if you are any kind of movie buff (and knowledgable about Stephen King) you can probably guess what my number one will be. Yep, you've got it ...

 

Come on ... there could only be one book left ... or in this case a novella that was published in 1982 contained in Different Seasons ...

 

The Shawshank Redemption

 

or to give it it's full title "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" (but who really cares). As I kind of eluded to when writing about The Green Mile (and it being the 2nd best movie based on prison life) this piece of work was catapulted into the realm of all time favourite movies (by numerous pundits and fandoms) with it's adaptation in 1994. It received 7 Academy award nominations (although didn't win any) and too many other nominations and awards to list. Anytime I reread the book I can hear Morgan Freeman's voice ... wouldn't it be awesome if he did an audio book of Shawshank! 

 

(come on now ... admit it ... you read that quote in a Morgan Freeman accent).

 

This is, again, a story of good and evil and the base nature of humanity. Of what happens when bad men are in power (the Warden) and the eventual triumph of good over evil ... but I don't really have to tell you the story. I think it would be hard to find someone who hasn't either read this book or watched the movie. Whilst most Stephen King movie adaptations are poor at best and a complete train wreck at worst this one is so different. 

 

King himself believes the most successful movie adaptations are the ones that stay close to his original work (I suppose all writers WOULD say that) but it's certainly true for this piece of work. Both the book and movie will, I think, continue to be a staple in our culture and that silky smooth deep voice of Morgan Freeman's will never leave us.

 

Anyway that's me done for now. I hope the next time you are in your local bookshop you might pick up a Stephen King book for the first time and experience his ability to write such a captivation story that you simply will not want to put the book down.

 

John Ryan