While Stephen King is best known for his chilling horror novels and short stories, the author has actually ventured into several other genres across the years, and his non-horror books are surprisingly great. He may have made his name with supernatural scares like Carrie and The Shining, but his talents aren’t restricted to frightening the reader; many of his less terrifying reads are among Stephen King’s best books ever, largely because of their emotional weight, rich fantasy, or complex worldbuilding.

King has written plenty of non-horror novellas and short stories throughout his career, but it’s the full-length books that are the most interesting. For an author so deeply entrenched in a single genre, releasing an entire book that tackles completely different issues and new structures is extremely impressive. In fact, some of the best Stephen King movie adaptations come from his non-horror works, proving just how versatile he is as a storyteller.

10 The Eyes Of The Dragon

Genre: High Fantasy

The Eyes of the Dragon is a fascinating entry in King’s bibliography, as it’s among the author’s very few attempts at all-out fantasy. For somebody whose works are all so creative, inventive, and often far-fetched, it was inevitable that he’d enter the world of fantasy at some point or another, and The Eyes of the Dragon is his best example of it. The story follows a young prince named Peter, who is forced to clear his name in his father’s murder and fight his brother for his rightful throne.

The Eyes of the Dragon isn’t as subversive as most of King’s works, following a structure that most fantasy readers will be familiar with, but the execution is brilliant. It’s filled with twists, likable characters, creative locations, and in-depth worldbuilding that really allows this fantasy universe to come to life in rich ways.

9 The Long Walk

Genre: Dystopian

The Long Walk was originally published under King’s popular pseudonym Richard Backman, which immediately suggests that it’s going to be somewhat of a departure from his usual style. In this dystopian novel, a group of teenage boys are forced to compete in the titular tournament, which involves consistently walking along Route 1 without rest, or else they’ll be shot.

King’s works are almost always doused in some kind of social commentary, and The Long Walk takes that to the extreme. It’s one of his most incendiary books, raising important questions about government, entertainment, and the dangerous relationship between the two. The Long Walk is being adapted for the screen with Cooper Hoffman and Mark Hamill in two undisclosed roles.

8 On Writing

Genre: Non-Fiction

On Writing is one of King’s very few non-fiction books, telling his life story and sharing tips and tricks on how to break into the writing industry. It’s a refreshingly different type of book from the author, ditching his typical dramatic style and opting for a much more open, transparent look into his early life and revealing where the ideas for many of his most popular works came from.

On Writing is a must-read for anybody who considers themselves a writer, and there’s plenty to keep Stephen King fans invested too.

The book was released just one year after King was in a serious car accident, so it’s very reflective on his own legacy, the future of his career, and how difficult it can be to make a name for yourself in this competitive industry. On Writing is a must-read for anybody who considers themselves a writer, and there’s plenty to keep Stephen King fans invested too.

7 Billy Summers

Genre: Crime Thriller

In truth, there are hints of the crime genre littered throughout Stephen King’s work. Whether it’s The Shining or Misery, he’s no stranger to weaving certain elements of this genre throughout his horror stories. However, Billy Summers is among the few King novels that ditch the horror almost entirely and focuses on the crime genre instead. The story follows the titular ex-marine turned hitman, who takes a job that requires him to work undercover as an author working on his new novel.

There’s a sense of self-aware wit that runs through Billy Summers, not least because it's an author writing about being an author, but because the character is placed in such an unusual and unconventional situation. But it’s not a comedy - the plot maintains a steady, exciting pace with several twists and turns that keep the reader invested from start to finish. Billy Summers is set to become an on-screen feature with J.J. Abrams at the helm, marking the fourth collaboration between the two.

6 Mr. Mercedes

Genre: Detective Thriller

The overwhelming majority of Stephen King’s works have been standalone, whether that’s his full-length novels or occasional short stories - with a few exceptions. His Dark Tower series ran for eight books, for example, and Doctor Sleep served as a fitting sequel to The Shining. Similarly, Mr. Mercedes was among King’s only attempts at writing a trilogy, and the result was excellent. The story follows a retired detective named Bill Hodges who receives a note from a serial killer that he was never able to catch, drawing him out of retirement.

The other two novels in this trilogy, Finders Keepers and End of Watch are just as thrilling and well-written as the first. Each story gets bolder and more fascinating than the last, as King gradually drifts away from the detective formula and begins to put his own creative spin on things. These books are definitely worth a read for anybody who isn’t interested in horror but wants to understand the hype around America’s best-selling author.

5 The Green Mile

Genre: Historical Drama, Southern Gothic

There are certainly elements of horror in The Green Mile, at least more than are shown in the on-screen adaptation, but they’re nowhere near as central to the story as they usually are in King’s works. Instead, this novel is more of a dark, gritty drama in a high-security prison and follows a death row employee as he forms a unique friendship with an inmate with supernatural abilities.

The Green Mile film changes lots of details from King’s original novel, but the crux of the narrative is the same. It’s a very mature, often harrowing read that deals with some seriously dark topics with a sincerity that isn’t often seen in King’s works. He’s known for masking the truth of his stories behind horror tropes and supernatural unknowns, but here, he’s very blunt and open about the severity of what he’s describing.

4 Under The Dome

Genre: Science Fiction

Sci-fi certainly isn’t a genre that Stephen King is unfamiliar with, as it appears in pretty much all of his stories, but Under the Dome takes it to a whole new level. The story centers around a small town in Maine that’s cut off from the rest of the world by a giant, invisible dome that encloses them. Unlike most of King’s work, Under the Dome is a multi-perspective ensemble that follows several different characters as they reckon with their new lives in this sci-fi nightmare.

Under the Dome was famously made into a TV show of the same name, which stuck closely to the contents of the story and ran for three fairly successful seasons. Unfortunately, Under the Dome wasn’t picked up for season 4, leaving the show without a definite ending - but thankfully, King’s book is a much more cohesive piece of work that leaves no questions unanswered.

3 The Dark Tower

Genre: Fantasy, Western, Sci-Fi

Among Stephen King fans, the Dark Tower series is arguably the author’s most praised work. While most of his books are standalone adventures that tell tight, gripping, confined stories, The Dark Tower is an epic adventure that sprawls across eight novels, one novella, and one children’s book. It’s certainly the author’s most ambitious work yet, and while there are aspects of horror in some scenes, the series as a whole is deeply rooted in fantasy.

The first book, The Gunslinger, takes this high fantasy storytelling and places it in the world of a neo-Western, with the titular character seeking revenge on his old nemesis, The Man in Black. It takes all the tropes of the Western and places them in an unfamiliar world - and it’s this blend of genres that Stephen King always does so well. The Dark Tower series may be his best example of it.

2 11/22/63

Genre: Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction

Time travel is always a difficult thing for writers to navigate, especially when dealing with real-life events. And yet, Stephen King manages to make it look effortless with 11/22/63, an alternate-reality novel that sees a time traveler attempt to save President Kennedy from assassination in 1963. It’s one of King’s later works, released in 2011, yet it feels incredibly fresh and inventive all the same.

It’s not just about their actions, but rather the consequences of them and how they deal with them.

What’s so impressive about 11/22/63 is that its central premise isn’t really the best thing about it - the traveling through time is great, but it’s the characters and their complex relationships that really make this story fascinating. It’s not just about their actions, but rather the consequences of them and how they deal with them. Although an idea exists for a sequel to 11/22/63, King has stated before that it’s one of his favorite books and it doesn’t need any expansion.

1 The Stand

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic

When it comes to stories about the apocalypse, The Stand has to rank among the best ever written. The way that Stephen King manages to use this far-fetched story of chemical weaponry and mutating viruses and make it feel so real and topical is excellent, weaving in plenty of subtle commentary about the world around us. The story follows a man who escapes from a biological weapon facility after an accident, releasing a deadly virus upon the world and wiping out most of humanity.

There is some horror in The Stand, but it’s not the supernatural kind that Stephen King is known for. Instead, it’s the horror of how easily our civilization could fall apart, and that’s arguably even more frightening. Everything in The Stand is shocking and frightening because it’s so gritty and real - this isn’t the faraway world of The Gunslinger or The Eyes of the Dragon, it’s right here.