Stephen King’s best book of the 2020s was released earlier in 2024, but one of the prolific author’s upcoming stories is poised to be even better. Since his first novel,Carrie,was published in 1974,Stephen King’s best bookshave been consistently acclaimed as they cover a wide range of genres and topics.Carrie,The Shining, andItare standout horror novels that have received iconic adaptations that further solidified them as staples of popular culture. King has proven just as adept at writing the multi-genreDark Towerbooksand the inspiring novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.”
His works in the past decade have continued to be compelling, including thestory ofThe Institute, which is being adapted into a television series, and the novella “The Life of Chuck,” whose movie adaptation won the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. King’s next book is confirmed to beNever Flinch(viaEntertainment Weekly), which is slated for release on July 16, 2025. It tells the intertwined stories of a vengeful killer and a vigilante.The ongoing quality of King’s stories is unquestionableand makes his current and future stories even more exciting.
You Like It Darker Is Stephen King’s Best Book Of The 2020s
The Short Story Collection Features Plenty Of Scares
King’s most recently published book,You Like It Darker, is his best book of the decade so far.You Like It Darkeris a collection of 12 short stories that explore new horrors while also revisiting some familiar locations, including the fictional towns of Derry and Castle Rock in Maine. Many of these short stories are genuinely terrifying, especiallyYou Like It Darker’s scariest story,“The Dreamers.” This story and the others in the collectionprove that King has not lost his touch as the master of crafting horror narratives.
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You Like It Darkeris not the only memorable book King has published in the 2020s, with “The Life of Chuck” arguably being the most riveting and emotional story King has written in the current decade. However, “The Life of Chuck” is only one of four stories in the collectionIf It Bleeds. When looking at the entirety of each King book published in the 2020s, none have managed to be quite as thrilling and suspenseful as the totality ofYou Like it Darker.
Stephen King Can Still Beat You Like It Darker With Another 2020s Release
He Has Teased A Project Related To The Talisman And The Dark Tower
As impressive asYou Like It Darkeris, it may be beaten by aTalismanorDark Towerbook.Stephen King teased newDark Towerstorieswhen he shared that"I’m back in Mid-World…and the Territories,“although he admitted that he did not"know if it will develop into anything yet – I never know.“The mention of Mid-World and the shirt reading"All things serve the f***ing Beam"are clear nods toThe Dark Towerseries since Mid-World is a primary setting and the shirt references the Beams that hold up the Dark Tower.
Stephen King Has Teased A New Dark Tower Book, But What Could It Actually Be About?
Stephen King has hinted at a new Dark Tower book that he is working on, leading to speculation of what the new story’s focus could be.
While the new project could be anotherDark Tower book, the mention of the Territories also raises the possibility of it being asequel toThe TalismanandBlack House. King has previously teased writing a third book that follows up on these previous installments and even went back to rereadThe Talismanand take notes for this reason. If the book comes to fruition, beinga newDark Towerstory, a sequel toThe Talisman, or a combination of the two would be incredibly excitingand draw a great deal of attention.
A New Talisman Or Dark Tower Book Would Be The Author’s Biggest Release This Decade
These Releases Could Follow In Doctor Sleep’s Footsteps
Just asThe Shining’s sequel,Doctor Sleep, was King’s biggest release of the 2010s, a newTalismanorDark Towerbook would likely be his biggest release of the 2020s.The TalismanandThe Dark Towerhave built-in fanbasesthat have existed and continually expanded over the course of numerous decades. This automatically generates more excitement and anticipation for a new book in those series than for an original story or collection such asYou Like It Darker.
If an expansion ofThe TalismanorThe Dark Towerhappens, it would be the biggest, and hopefully also the bestStephen Kingbook of the 2020s.
Sequels and spinoffs are often not as strong as original books. However, if a newTalismanorDark Towerbook follows the trajectory ofDoctor Sleep, this will mean that the story is both a worthy continuation and a narrative that is able to stand well on its own.Doctor Sleepwas proof that a sequel written decades later can be a highly-anticipated release and still manage to exceed expectations. If an expansion ofThe TalismanorThe Dark Towerhappens, it would be the biggest and potentially also the bestStephen Kingbook of the 2020s.
Source:Entertainment Weekly
Stephen King
Discover the latest news and filmography for Stephen King, known for The Dark Tower series, The Stand, IT, The Shining, Carrie, Cujo, Misery, the Bill Hodges trilogy, and more.
