Think Every Stephen King Story Happens in Maine? Think Again.

Whether it's the ancient evil of Derry, the cursed corruption of Castle Rock, or the gothic dread of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine serves as the setting for many of Stephen King's best-known novels.

King's first two novels -- Carrie (1974) and 'Salem's Lot (1975) -- take place in fictional Maine towns of Chamberlain and Jerusalem's Lot, respectively. Both are "located" nearby in southwestern Maine, where King was born (Portland) and raised (Durham).

The bulk of King's third novel, The Shining (1977), however, takes place in Colorado (where King lived in Boulder for a short time in 1974). But even that novel's last chapter finds Wendy and Danny Torrance recuperating at a Maine resort, where Dick Hallorann (yes, he survives in the novel) is now the head chef.

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Castle Rock -- another small (fictional) town somewhere in southwestern Maine -- makes its first appearance in The Dead Zone (1979) but is featured more prominently in Cujo (1981) and Needful Things (1991).

In addition to the "big three" Maine settings -- Derry, Castle Rock, and Jerusalem's Lot -- King created several fictional Maine towns, including Chamberlain (Carrie), TR-90 (Bag of Bones), Chester's Mills (Under the Dome), Ludlow (Pet Sematary), and Little Tall Island (Dolores Claiborne), as backdrops to some of his most terrifying stories.

From there, Maine and all its mysteries play a role in many -- but not all -- of King's more than 60 novels. As you'll see, even in those not set in Maine, there's usually some reference to King's home state.

But this story isn't about all the times Maine has been mentioned in Stephen King's works. It's the opposite. Let's take a look at some of King's works in which Maine isn't a major player.

The Best Stephen King Novels Not Set in Maine

The Shining (1977)

We've already mentioned how Dick Hallorann — the psychic chef at The Overlook Hotel -- moved to Maine in the novel's epilogue. As it turned out, Hallorann had yet another Maine connection.

In King's 1986 novel It, it's revealed that long before Hallorann's time at the Overlook, he lived in Derry, Maine—home to King's infamous Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the town most often featured in King's works.

But back to The Shining, still one of King's greatest works.

Most of The Shining takes place at the haunted hotel in the Colorado Rockies, but a fair bit of the novel's beginning explores Boulder, Colorado, where Jack, Wendy, and little Danny move before he assumes his caretaker duties.

More importantly, this is also the first time King introduces the town of Sidewinder, Colorado -- the closest town to the isolated Overlook. Sidewinder is referenced again in another of my favorite King novels, Misery, which is also on this list.

The Stand (1978)

We're including this one even though two of the main characters -- Harold Lauder and Frances Goldsmith -- hail from Ogunquit, Maine, and some of the early post-pandemic action takes place in the Pine Tree State. There's also a mention of the old Sanford Drive-In, which -- like everything else -- is closed because of "Captain Tripp's" -- the virus that has decimated the area -- and the rest of the world.

But from there, these survivors -- and several others -- make their way westward to the Free Zone in Boulder, Colorado -- and later to the Dark Zone in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a showdown takes place between our heroes and the chaotic evil Randall Flagg.

This 1,100-plus page uncut novel gives King -- and his characters -- the room to explore many other parts of the country, including Stovington, Vermont; New York City, Arnette, Texas; and Provo, Utah, among many, many other real and fictional towns along the way.

Misery (1987)

When author Paul Sheldon crashes his Camaro outside snowy Sidewinder, Colorado, he's lucky to be found -- or is he? No, he's not.

Turns out he's found by his #1 fan, Annie Wilkes, and taken to her remote cabin outside Sidewinder to recover -- and write her favorite character back into existence. Other (real and fictional) Colorado towns are mentioned in the novel, as is New York City, where Sheldon lives and works. (Sheldon is on a working vacation in Colorado when he has his accident.)

Okay, technically, Maine is mentioned in this novel. King wrote this story while living in Maine -- as he notes at the end -- but none of the story takes place there.

Desperation (1996)

This isn't the first time Nevada has entered King's universe. (Remember, we just talked about Randall Flagg's Sin City headquarters in The Stand?)

In Desperation, travelers through the Nevada desert on Highway 50 find themselves at the mercy of a possessed lawman from the small -- and fictional -- mining town of ... Desperation.

Things get pretty gruesome, and the desert is full of all the things you might expect -- coyotes, buzzards, snakes, fiddlehead spiders, and scorpions, in particular. Let's not forget the intense sandstorms.

It's clear from his descriptions that King had spent some time in the desert. In fact, it's said he -- like his character Johnny Marinville -- drove through the Nevada desert on his motorcycle in 1991 as part of a cross-country trip.

The Regulators (1996)

Originally penned under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Regulators works hand-in-hand with Desperation. It doesn't take place in Nevada, though.

Instead, an Ohio suburb is the setting of this intense, violent residential takeover. It mirrors Desperation in that it shares characters, including the evil antagonist, Tak.

It's the first King novel set mainly in Ohio. Two more are below.

Duma Key (2008)

Duma Key, Florida, is a fictional island town near Sarasota that bears striking similarities to Casey Key, where the Kings have lived part-time since 2001.

Despite the Kings' connection to Florida, Duma Key (2008) is the only King novel to be primarily set in the Sunshine State. (There are a few shorter works partially set in Florida.)

It's the story of a man who retreats to Duma Key after a horrific accident. King fans are well aware of the author's own experience with serious automobile accidents.

The protagonist, Edgar Freemantle, discovers a talent for painting. In typical King fashion, this talent has some scary and supernatural consequences. We'll leave it at that.

11/22/1963 (2011)

You're saying, wait a second, I've read this novel, and it starts in Maine, right?

Yes, the novel starts in Lisbon Falls, Maine -- where Jake Epping is an adult education teacher who finds a portal to the past. But the story soon increases in scope as Epping travels the country -- including a quick stop in Derry -- to right some wrongs, most notably the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

This is one King novel that starts and ends in Maine, but Texas -- Dallas, and the fictional town of Jodie.-- serve as the setting for most of the book's 800-plus pages.

Upon Epping's return to present-day Lisbon Falls, though, things are much different. Maine is part of Canada, and things just aren't right. Time to go back through the portal?

Mr. Mercedes (2014)

This is King's first straight-up detective novel, and it's a good one. The King of horror takes us back to Ohio for this nail-biter in which retired detective Bill Hodges searches for the killer who drove his Mercedes into a crowd of people, killing eight.

Mr. Mercedes is the first in the "Bill Hodges Trilogy." Finders Keepers (2016) and End of Watch (2017) -- also both set in Ohio -- round out the series.

But, there's still one more King book set in the Buckeye State.

Doctor Sleep (2019)

We already know The Shining took place in Colorado. In this sequel, Danny (now "Dan") Torrance settles in Frazer, New Hampshire, after crossing the country, still haunted by the events that took place years ago at the now-destroyed Overlook Hotel.

In New Hampshire, he earns the name "Doctor Sleep" for his work with hospice patients.

The novel eventually takes us back to Colorado, where Torrance and his psychic abilities battle the members of True Knot, a group of psychic "vampires" camping on the site.

Holly (2023)

If you've read the Bill Hodges Trilogy, you know Holly Gibney. She was Bill's quirky partner who first appeared in Mr. Mercedes.

In Holly, she's the same brilliant detective searching for a missing girl in Ohio. The search leads her in some disturbing directions and to the doorstep of a pair of retired professors.

Holly Gibney appears in several other King novels, including Never Flinch (2025), which also takes place in Ohio.

The Mysteries of Maine Still Shape King's Novels

The ten novels above aren't the only King novels set outside of Maine. They are just some of my favorites.

Even though it's been since 2022 (Gwendy's Final Task) that King wrote a novel set in Maine, his home state remains inextricably linked ot the author, who was born in Portland, raised in Durham, educated in Orono, married in Old Town, taught in Hampden, and raised his family at his West Broadway mansion in Bangor.

King's Bangor home has been transitioned to a private archive of his works and a retreat for writers. It still attracts lots of visitors who take photos outside its ornate, black iron gates.

Check out the gallery below to see the places in Bangor that inspired one of the world's most prolific authors.