By far the most theologically oriented of King's books, Desperation might fruitfully be compared with the recent work of another best-selling writer of supernatural terror, Anne Rice. In her early novels, Rice, like King, was concerned with supernatural manifestations rather than a God who permits evil to exist. In a recent interview, however, Rice states that she has been immersing herself in religious history because she is curious about the existence of God. In two of Rice's recent novels, as in Desperation, there is a Gnostic multiplication of spiritual entities. In Memnoch the Devil (1995), the vampire Lestat overhears conversations between God and a Devil who serves as an advocate for humanity. In Servant of the Bones (1996; see separate entry), the Babylonian deity Marduk guides the protagonist.

Many other works of science fiction or fantasy treat religious themes. King is, of course, far more ambivalent about God...