There are manyStephen Kingbooks for which the legendary author has written follow-ups, but some of his most notable titles, surprisingly, have yet to get sequels. Several of King’s books have been expanded upon before, but their continuation may not necessarily count as a traditional sequel. For example,King’sThe Dark Towerbookscontinue certain parts of’Salem’s Lot’s narrative, but this series isn’t technically a sequel.
Because there are numerousupcoming Stephen King movie and TV show adaptations, many avid readers are revisiting the King of Horror’s bibliography. While some titles don’t warrant a sequel, there are still plenty of others that deserve an extension and could benefit from elaboration upon the original story. Readers are keen to find out what happens to the characters next, andseveral King books could absolutely use a sequel.
6’Salems Lot (1975)
What Is The Fallout Of Ben Setting The Town On Fire?
Considering the popularity expressed inreviews for the‘Salem’s Lot2024 remake, which has reminded readers and watchers of King’s projects of his iconic vampire story, it makes sense that many would be interested in seeing a sequel of the book. At the end of the novel,Ben Mears and Matt Burke return to Jerusalem’s Lot to exterminate the vampiric population once and for all,and the pair start a large fire with the intent of destroying the town.
All 16 Stephen King Books That Tie Into & Reference ‘Salem’s Lot
While Jerusalem’s Lot doesn’t feature as prominently as other places, it & ‘Salem’s Lot are still referenced in plenty of others Stephen King books.
This final image leaves the ending open to interpretation. It is assumed that the small town in Maine is cleansed of the occult, but it’s possible that it didn’t work.‘Salem’s Lotleaves behind several unanswered questions:“What does Ben’s life look like after? Does he face any repercussions for the fire? Does he stay in town? What about Mark?”
King has already said that he did plan on writing a sequel (viaStephenKing.com), but because he continues the narrative inWolves of Calla, there is now no point. However, this doesn’t mean that the King of Horror can’t change his mind.‘Salem’s Lotis one of severalbooks that tie into King’sThe Dark Towerseries, butWolves of CallaandSong of Susannahfocuses on Father Callahan’s battle against vampires in other parts of the country. King could do with revisiting Ben’s story, explaining what happens to this character next.
5The Stand (1978)
How Does Society Rebuild Itself After The Stand?
The Standis generally consideredStephen King’s best non-horror book, and its ending proves the potential for a sequel.The book’s epilogue sees Randall Flagg survive the nuclear explosion,regain consciousness somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, and then immediately start plotting his next escapade.The Stand’s post-apocalyptic world is even revisited inWizard in Glass, so it is established that society has continued in some form or another after the book’s ending.
Stephen King’s Ultimate Villain Isn’t Randall Flagg (It’s Someone Worse)
When people think of the ultimate Stephen King villain, they naturally think of Randall Flagg or Pennywise, but one of King’s villains is far worse.
The Stand’s final pages make it one ofStephen King’s best book endingsbecause it is full of hope for humanity, but also rife with possible storylines that King could expand upon in a sequel.Stuart and Frannie depart Boulder shortly after society slowly starts to reform, and it would be intriguing to see where their lives go after this,especially as parents to Peter. Lucy also gives birth to Larry’s twins after Las Vegas is destroyed by one ofStephen King’s best villains, which offers two more potential characters that could be used as protagonists.
A sequel toThe Standcould be set at many points in the timeline.It could kick off mere months afterThe Stand’s ending, or perhaps even decades later. Although readers know that society does rebuild, it’s not entirely clear how that happens. It could be assumed thatThe Stand’s surviving characters play a part in putting the world back together, but considering their trauma, it also wouldn’t be surprising if some simply set off in search of some sort of peace.
4Black House (2001)
What Happens To Jack In The Territories?
Black Houseis actually the sequel toThe Talisman, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t receive its own follow-up. The two books are products ofStephen King’s collaboration with fellow authorPeter Straub, who passed away in 2022. Despite Straub’s death,King has recently revealed that there is still a possibility ofThe Talismanbecoming a trilogy(viaThe Guardian).
A major topic fromBlack Housedemanding more information is Jack Sawyer’s fate in the Territories. In the book’s climax, Jack is fatally shot by a woman in the crowd of the police conference. However, at the last moment, Speedy manages to flip Jack into the Territories before he succumbs to his injuries, butThe TalismanandBlack House’s protagonist gets stuck in the alternate world.As a “creature of the Territories,” Jack’s future story opportunities are endless,and because he may never be able to return to his world, his fate is intriguing,.
Also recently,King announced his return to the Territories, although the author hasn’t confirmed whether this meansThe Talismanseries is getting a new entry.The Dark Towerbooks expand on the concept of the Territories and Twinners,so there’s hope that King’s next project will at least be connected toThe TalismanandBlack House. Whether Jack remains in the Territories or finds a way back home, readers are keen to learn more about the fallout of his dramatic ending inBlack House.
3Pet Sematary (1983)
What Does Life Look Like For Ellie After Pet Sematary?
Ellie’s fate inPet Semataryis a depressing one,especially as the book ends with her being the only survivor of her father’s meddling and her brother’s reanimation from the dead. While there is a sequel to the 1989Pet Semataryadaptation,Pet Sematary Two, it isn’t based on another King book. There is also aprequel to the 2019 adaptation,Bloodlines: Pet Sematary, but this is also strictly a film story and isn’t directly adapted from a King novel. The 2019 movie also makes changes to King’s work by killing Ellie in the third act, rather than Gage.
Pet Sematary 2019 Differences: Biggest Changes To The Book & Original Movie
The 2019 adaptation of Pet Sematary makes some major changes to the story from Stephen King’s novel and Mary Lambert’s 1989 movie.
In the world of literature, King’sPet Sematarydoesn’t have a sequel. Ellie is only five years old inPet Sematary,and while her cat dying and coming back to life as a smelly demon is bad enough, losing her entire family is even worse.King previously revealed on social media that Ellie is “alive and well” after being adopted,but she “still has nightmares about the pet seminary.” However, there are still plenty of other things to be curious about.
Her torment is something that will never go away, butreaders are interested in how the events at the end ofPet Semataryfurther impact Ellie.Questions include: “Does she ever see Rachel’s corpse? Who is she adopted by? Where is Louis? Does Rachel kill him?“Pet Sematary Twoimplies that Ellie was institutionalized, but as King himself doesn’t establish this, readers are still unsure. It’d be amazing to see a sequel that focuses on Ellie’s teenage years, investigating the terrifying graveyard that cost her father his state of mind, or perhaps even just how her grief influences the rest of her life.
2The Institute (2019)
Where Are The Children From The Other Institutes?
The Instituteis one ofStephen King’s best stories about mind powers, its imaginative premise providing more than enough content to produce a sequel, or at the very least, an adjacent title. At the end ofThe Institute, the kids who escape the titular organization are visited by its supervisor, a man with a lisp, who makes an agreement with them that the USB stick containing evidence of their misdeeds will not be released to the public. Each child has a key to the safe that holds the USB stick, which alone is enough to warrant a sequel.
A potential sequel toThe Institutecould easily delve into each of the characters’ lives after these events,and how possessing the key may tempt them to revisit past traumas. However, there are some unanswered questions that a sequel could answer. The lisped man mentions that there are other Institutes across the globe; it would be great to find out more about the kids who were under their power, especially if there are any survivors from the other branches.
Luke chooses to remain in DuPray with Tim and Wendy, which makes sense for him; his parents are killed early on in the book. While he is safe with them, he still has to live with the memories of losing his family and several friends.King’sThe Instituteis getting the adaptationtreatment, but whether the upcoming MGM+ miniseries will expand upon the main story is unclear.
1The Long Walk (1979)
Does Garraty Actually Survive, And If So, How Does His Life Pan Out?
With anew adaptation of King’sThe Long Walkalso on the way, it’s the perfect time for the author to write a sequel to his 1979 novel. Written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman,The Long Walkis King’s earliest attempt at dystopian fiction, which focuses on a group of young men taking part in a harrowing trek to compete for financial security. While its ending appears to be closed,there are ways that King can further developThe Long Walk’s story and fictional world.
The Long Walkwraps up with the protagonist, Garraty, winning the competition by default. After an awful and terrifying experience, Garraty is the only survivor. However, he believes that there is still “so far to walk,” and he continues after a dark figure in the distance. Many interpret this as Garraty dying, that the figure he is following is Death, and he is walking to his demise. But this is never confirmed, leaving Garraty’s fate open to interpretation.
If Garraty is alive, however, a sequel could revisit him years after the event and delve into how his win affects his life.
If he is dead,The Long Walk’ssequel could look at how the titular contest is possibly stopped, much like howThe Hunger Gamesseries progresses.If Garraty is alive, however, a sequel could revisit him years after the event and delve into how his win affects his life. It would be interesting to see whether his relationship with Jan goes the distance after this, as well as how the families of the deceased are doing after watching their relative die.Stephen Kingis the creator of some brilliant stories, butThe Long Walkespeciallydeserves to be fleshed out more.
Source:StephenKing.com,The Guardian, X
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.
