10 Most Underrated Stephen King Novels

8. Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep, a sequel to King's classic The Shining, came and went with little fanfare and was met with mixed reviews - a reaction which doesn't seem to fit this excellent story. Set thirty years after the events of the first book, Doctor Sleep catches up with Danny Torrance - now an alcoholic, just like his father - after he finds himself caught up in a battle against a group of psychic vampire-types who drive around in caravans, feeding on the energy that is released when a child in gifted with "the Shining" is killed. The mixed reception for Doctor Sleep presumably stemmed from the fact that the book wasn't anything like its predecessor; whilst The Shining embraced a kind of real-world logic despite its supernatural moments, Doctor Sleep has a lot more in common with B-movie exploitation - it feels more like a book adapted to film and then back again. That doesn't make it bad. In fact, it reeks of King having tons of fun. Don't miss it.