If You Love These 9 Stephen King Books, Here Are The Next Books You Should Read

Jerome Domine/Abaca/startraksphoto.com Published Sep 7, 2026, 7:43 PM EDT Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Many of Stephen King's most beloved books have perfect follow-ups that capture the spirit of the original story while bringing original story elements and themes to the table. 52 years after King released his first book, the legendary horror author continues to put out top-notch novels and short stories. Older works, like IT and Carrie, continue to carry on their immense legacies in literature and Hollywood. Newer works, like the short story collection You Like It Darker, are finding an audience. It’s clear that King has a masterful ability to craft chilling stories that linger with readers long after the last page, earning him the title of the modern king of horror. That being said, Stephen King isn’t the only brilliant author out there. Plenty of other writers have written brilliant books that fans of King will enjoy. Many take inspiration from the beloved author, creating homages that can also stand on their own. Others have crafted stories that share tone or narrative elements. Here are some iconic Stephen King books and the perfect next read. 9 IT → Summer of Night by Dan Simmons IT is absolutely treasured and has served as the source material for a TV miniseries, two movies, and an ongoing HBO Max show. The idea of a group of kids going up against a shapeshifting alien has been borrowed many times. One of the best instances of this is Summer of Nights. The book follows a group of five underdog boys living in a small town in Illinois who band together to fight an omnipresent shapeshifting entity. While that may sound like a direct ripoff, Summer of Night is more of an homage than a copycat, with most of the similarities being surface level. What's more, King actually praised the book. In his book blurb, he called it a “rare must-read,” and ended by saying, “I am in awe of Dan Simmons.” 8 Salem's Lot → Lost Souls by William Joseph Martin (Published As Poppy Z. Brite) Stephen King has written about vampires a number of times, and Salem’s Lot is perhaps the most popular of the novels and short stories. The book centers on a Maine town that gets overrun by vampires and the citizens who decide to fight back. After reading Salem’s Lot, readers can move on to Lost Souls, a book that feels extremely similar but also remarkably different. The book follows Ghost, Ann, and Nothing, three vampires living in Missing Mile, North Carolina. Everything changes when three hedonistic, out-of-town children of the night named Molochai, Twig, and Zillah stop in the town on their way to New Orleans. Salem’s Lot and Lost Souls both depict vampires as deadly predators, and they dive into the despair of small-town life. However, author William Joseph Martin’s story leans into splatterpunk, while King creates psychological dread. What’s more, Lost Souls differs because it embraces 90s goth punk culture and explicit sex scenes. 7 Misery → The Collector by John Fowles When Stephen King released Misery in 1987, it quickly jumped to the top of The New York Times’ Bestseller list and became the fourth best-selling novel. Annie Wilkes is such a memorable villain, and the story subverts typical gender dynamics. After Misery, readers can dive into The Collector, the perfect next read. This is a rare instance where the ideal follow-up book actually came out before the original. Misery was published in 1987, and The Collector in 1963. Still, The Collector share similar framework and themes. The Collector follows Frederick Clegg, a lonely clerk who collects beautiful butterflies. He becomes obsessed with Miranda Grey, an art student. When Frederick moves into his house, he kidnaps Miranda, adding her to his collection in hopes she will eventually love him. Both series look at the dangers of toxic obsession and the objectification of artists. 6 The Long Walk → Battle Royale by Koushun Takami The Long Walk is one of the many books Stephen King published under the pen name Richard Bachman, and he had a lot of creative freedom without worrying about his brand, since nobody knew he was Bachman yet. This led to a terrifying dystopian story about an annual competition in which 100 teenage boys must compete in a long walk, which continues until 99 have died. The Long Walk can be seen as one of the earliest entries in the “children killing each other in competition” dystopian subgenre. While The Long Walk might be one of the earliest books, the book Battle Royale is the most influential, making it a great follow-up read. The Japanese book takes place in a fascist, totalitarian version of Japan, where junior high children are put on a deserted island and forced to fight to the death. The winner gets a lifetime pension, similar to The Long Walk’s lifetime reward. In both stories, the totalitarian, fascist governments use competition to incite fear in the population, keeping them from rebelling. 5 The Stand → Swan Song by Robert McCammon Whether you pick up the originally published version of The Stand or the complete & uncut edition, Stephen King’s longest book, the story will suck you in. The post-apocalyptic story blends elements of horror and fantasy into an epic tale of good and evil. Another book that falls into that same category is Swan Song by Robert McCammon, which is just as good if not better than King’s book. Like The Stand, Swan Song is absolutely massive, clocking in at just under 1000 pages. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world caused by a nuclear winter, rather than a pandemic. A group of survivors team up to fight an ancient, malevolent entity that is hell-bent on destroying the future. Like The Stand, it requires characters to journey across the destroyed landscape of the United States for a good-versus-evil fight. However, Swan Song is faster-paced and grittier, giving folks a different reading experience after devouring The Stand. 4 Carrie → The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson Carrie is Stephen King’s first published book and still one of his most popular, following a bullied teenage girl from a religiously abusive home who develops telekinesis with deadly consequences. If you love Carrie, the next book to read is The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson, a modern retelling of Stephen King's book that starts a new conversation about cyberbullying, racism, and modern segregation. In The Weight of Blood, Maddy Washington is a biracial teenager who’s white-presenting except for her type 4 hair. Her racist father forces her to straighten her hair with a hot comb every day and pretend to be white. When a rainstorm causes her hair to take on its natural form, she starts experiencing racist cyberbullying. The popular girl Wendy Quinn convinces her Black football player boyfriend, Kenny Scott, to go to prom with Maddy, and you can guess where it goes. 3 The Running Man → Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Like the previous Richard Bachman book, The Running Man is a deadly competition. This time, it features a deadly 30-day competition for a $1 billion grand prize. The book has led to two feature-film adaptations, and each time, the book has seen a spike in popularity. After finishing The Running Man, the next book to read is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. The book follows a Coast Guard veteran named Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s prize-winning cat, Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, who become competitors in a subterranean game show run by the aliens that destroyed Earth. At first glance, The Running Man and Dungeon Crawler Carl seem extremely dissimilar. The Running Man is set in a realistic dystopian world, while Dungeon Crawler Carl features an alien invasion and dungeon monsters. However, they’re actually quite alike. Both feature an ordinary protagonist who is forced to compete in a leadership-sanctioned death match broadcast as entertainment. They must survive threats that try to kill them to win. Plus, both book series integrate dark comedy and social satire. 2 Firestarter → The Fireman by Joe Hill Stephen King has written a fair few books centered on children with supernatural abilities they don’t know how to control. One of the most interesting is Firestarter, which follows an eight-year-old with pyrokinesis as she tries to escape a government agency that wants to use her as a weapon. There’s a very clear spiritual successor to Firestarter, released almost four decades later, and it comes from a familiar face. Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, became a horror writer just like his father. The Fireman is the ideal next read after Firestarter, given their shared tone and narrative elements. The Fireman takes place in a world where a fungus infects humans, causing them to eventually burst into flames. A group of underdog heroes join a mysterious man called the Fireman, who can control the fire ability, to save the world. The plot of the stories may differ, but both Firestarter and The Fireman feature a character with pyrokinesis. The individuals affected by fire powers are persecuted by society. Plus, the books both dive into family bonds. 1 The Shining → The Good House by Tananarive Due The Shining is one of Stephen King’s most popular books, and it uses horror as a tool to dissect alcohol use disorder, domestic abuse, and the difficulty of recovery. Despite what Stanley Kubrick’s movie would imply, Jack Torrance is not the villain of the story. He has a history of abuse, but he is trying to get better before the Outlook Hotel. The Good House by Tananarive Due feels like the perfect spiritual successor to The Shining, making it a perfect next read. In the book, Angela Toussaint’s grandmother once healed townspeople in her home, which they named the Good House, but everything changed with a tragedy. Seven decades later, Angela left the Good House after the death of her son, but she returns two years later to discover the truth about her son’s death. Both The Shining and The Good House feature malevolent locations with a deep history. The stories blur the lines between mental health and the supernatural. However, King leans into Gothic tropes, while Due embraces voduo and West African folklore. Birthdate September 21, 1947 Birthplace Portland, Maine, USA Notable Projects The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, It, The Stand, Misery, The Dark Tower, Mr. Mercedes, Carrie Height 6 feet 4 inches Professions Author, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Actor