Stephen King Isn’t Slowing Down, ‘Revival’ Earns Author Another No. 1 Bestseller

Stephen King has one of the most prolific careers of any author in modern history.

He’s proven himself versatile, writing about everything from prison breaks and battered women, to telekinetic teens and murderous clowns.

Anytime he writes anything, it’s almost guaranteed that it will end up as a number one bestseller, and an eventual TV show or movie.

His latest, Revival, will be no exception. In fact, the religious-themed book has already achieved one of those accolades in spite of being available for less than three weeks.

According to the Seattle Times, the novel is now atop the Publishers Weekly fiction charts, beating out names such as John Grisham (at No. 2 for Gray Mountain), Patricia Cornwell (Flesh and Blood, No. 3), and Michael Connelly (The Burning Room, No. 4).

Revival is a multigenerational tale that spans five decades and builds to a truly unsettling climax. It covers topics like addiction, fanaticism, and “what might exist on the other side of life.”

Here’s the plot description.

“In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs — including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

“Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties — addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate — Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.”

While the novel does take a critical eye at organized religion, Stephen King has long stated that he believes in something beyond what science has described, admitting that he believes in God but does harbor some skepticism.

Have you read Revival by Stephen King? How do you think it stacks up to his other work?

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