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 books have been consistently acclaimed as they cover a wide range of genres and topics. Carrie,The Shining, and It are 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-genre Dark Tower books and the inspiring novella “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.”

His works in the past decade have continued to be compelling, including the story of The 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 be Never Flinch (via Entertainment Weekly), which is slated for release on May 27, 2025. It tells the intertwined stories of a vengeful killer and a vigilante. The ongoing quality of King’s stories is unquestionable and 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 Darker is 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, especially You Like It Darker‘s scariest story, “The Dreamers.” This story and the others in the collection prove that King has not lost his touch as the master of crafting horror narratives.

You Like It Darker is 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 collection If 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 of You 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 as You Like It Darker is, it may be beaten by a Talisman or Dark Tower book. Stephen King teased new Dark Tower stories when 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 to The Dark Tower series since Mid-World is a primary setting and the shirt references the Beams that hold up the Dark Tower.

While the new project could be another Dark Tower book, the mention of the Territories also raises the possibility of it being a sequel to The Talisman and Black House. King has previously teased writing a third book that follows up on these previous installments and even went back to reread The Talisman and take notes for this reason. If the book comes to fruition, being a new Dark Tower story, a sequel to The Talisman, or a combination of the two would be incredibly exciting and draw a great deal of attention.

A New Talisman Or Dark Tower Book Would Be The Author’s Biggest Release This Decade

Just as The Shining‘s sequel, Doctor Sleep, was King’s biggest release of the 2010s, a new Talisman or Dark Tower book would likely be his biggest release of the 2020s. The Talisman and The Dark Tower have built-in fanbases that 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 as You Like It Darker.

If an expansion of
The Talisman
or
The Dark Tower
happens, it would be the biggest, and hopefully also the best
Stephen King
book of the 2020s.

Sequels and spinoffs are often not as strong as original books. However, if a new Talisman or Dark Tower book follows the trajectory of Doctor 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 Sleep was proof that a sequel written decades later can be a highly-anticipated release and still manage to exceed expectations. If an expansion of The Talisman or The Dark Tower happens, it would be the biggest and potentially also the best Stephen King book of the 2020s.

Source: Entertainment Weekly