The core idea that drives Cell might look a little daft in retrospect, but this is about as relentless and scary a thriller as King ever put down, set in the aftermath of a global apocalypse in which everybody with a cellphone finds themselves transformed into a blood-thirsty zombie and the survivors are bound together in an attempt to survive. If the themes are a bit heavy-handed (technology equals bad), the novel itself is wholly gripping and contains some of King's best characters, as artist Clayton Riddell and his companions - Tom and Alice - navigate a nightmarish wasteland to find his son. There are terrifying sequences that will stick with you long after you're done with Cell - a credit to King's ability to write truly heart-pounding prose. It's never really been considered as anything more than a throwaway work (with criticisms thrown at the lagging pace and the ending), and yet it still retains a lingering power. Very underrated, to say the least.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
