It’s easy to summarize Stephen King’s body of work as being one very much tied to the horror genre, but that’s also not unreasonable, considering he’s been behind the likes of IT, Carrie, The Shining, and The Stand, among many, many others. Further, he’s particularly fond of supernatural horror, with some kind of otherworldly phenomenon often being a factor in the plot, but not always the main thing, or not necessarily the driver of all the conflict.
There are some non-horror books Stephen King’s written that contain references to the supernatural, too, and so you’re not going to find them below. Like, for example, The Eyes of the Dragon has magic used for evil, but it’s not too scary, while 11/22/63 is mostly sci-fi, but there are references to the supernatural horror of IT and some hard-to-explain forces out there that fight back against the future being changed. What follows are the best books Stephen King’s written that lack supernatural elements, with some of them being more thriller or sci-fi heavy than horror, and others belonging to the horror genre, but not being supernatural horror books specifically.
10
‘Billy Summers’ (2021)
Image via Charles Scribner’s Sons
The titular character of Billy Summers is an aspiring writer, the same way plenty of Stephen King’s protagonists are, but he differs from them because he’s also an assassin, rather than someone who finds themselves having to battle some kind of demon, monster, or ghost. He takes on a job and then starts to feel worried about his safety, which prompts him to go on the run after pulling off the job in question.
That might sound a little familiar, as far as stories about hitmen go, but it’s Stephen King doing that kind of story, and also making it a book about writing, so it’s got quite a bit to offer that feels exciting and unexpected. It’s a crime/thriller book through and through, with the closest it gets to horror being a point in the story when the Overlook Hotel from The Shining is mentioned… so, if a location with ghosts in it makes Billy Summers have some ties to the supernatural, uh, then ignore the fact it’s been mentioned here. Treat this ranking like a top 9 instead of a top 10 or something.
9
‘Danse Macabre’ (1981)
Image via Hodder & Stoughton
Danse Macabre has Stephen King commenting on the horror genre, with different parts of the book looking at the different sorts of horror (movies, books, television, etc.), but there’s no horror to speak of within the writing here. If anything, Danse Macabre might make some of the stories King talks about less scary since he doesn’t seem to mind the idea of exploring how so many of the relevant books, movies, and TV shows end.
If you’re well-versed in horror, though, there probably won’t be too many spoilers, or you might just be so in sync with the horror genre that you’ll be like, “Yeah, okay, I never watched/read that one, but I kind of figured it’d end that way.” It’s not King’s best non-fiction book, but it is an engaging read if you like his style and also if you’re generally fond of the horror genre (and people talking about the horror genre and its appeal and strengths).
8
‘Under the Dome’ (2009)
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