10 Best Non-Horror Stephen King Stories You Must Read

You're likely heard of or seen the movie adaptation of The Running Man, the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at his peak. It's a campy, schlocky affair, and a world aware from the novella of the same name. Think the tone and aesthetic of Alfonso Cuaron's 2006 film Children of Men and you're on the right track.

The story was also published under the name of Stephen King's pseudonym, Richard Bachman. The setting of the novella is certainly scary and depressing, but it's an altogether different animal to King's usual fare.

Set in a dystopian, totalitarian police state in the year 2025, the United States' economy is in the toilet. Ben Richards can't afford medication for his ill daughter, so applies to appear on The Running Man, a game show in which contestants go on the run and try evade the show's Hunters, a team of trained killers. If Richards can survive for 30 days, he wins $1 billion dollars.

What's disturbing is the fact that this grim reality isn't a million miles away from our own. In our world, people die due to being unable to afford medicine, violence can be very profitable indeed, and TV stations are known to push the boundaries of taste and decency in order to turn a profit.

Evil killer clowns from outer space are certainly scary, but the thought of not being able to provide for someone you love, and being forced to lower yourself in order to do so, is far more unsettling.