10 Most Underrated Stephen King Books Of All Time
8. Cell
King has said in the past that he often considers a "what if?" scenario and forms a story around the possible outcomes. Cell, published in 2006, is what happens when Stephen King asks himself: "What if people's phones turned them all into literal zombies?"
Whether this is a fairly on the nose assessment of society and human behaviour or not, Cell is a genuinely thrilling horror in which protagonist Clay Riddell races cross country with a band of fellow survivors in hopes of finding his son and his estranged wife.
One of the novel's biggest strengths is its lack of build-up; this is a book that throws readers right into the deep end, with no real explanation. The characters' fear is palpable with every page and the "phone crazies" give King the chance to hone in on his eye for grisly imagery. It also has quite an effective father-son story at its core, and though all told it is a seriously pessimistic story, this plot driver allows readers a slight shred of hope despite all the bad things that happen.