The student has become the master! I would put this new novel by Joe Hill at the same level as The Stand or IT. I couldn't put it down-- a dark mix of fantasy and horror with a focus on current events, friendship and morals- taking us on a journey with this group of a span of 25years.

Thank you, Net Galley. This was crazy, this was great. I could not put it down, Joe Hill really knows how to write. I love dragons.

4.5 stars
Not what you would expect from Joe Hill, but also not one to be slept on. This is a dense yet amazing read. It does not at all feel like an 800+ page book. I loved every second of it. I love when authors step outside of their regular genre and succeed, and Joe did just that.

I was so excited to see a new book from Joe Hill! I loved the premise, how we were able to follow along with the characters and they grew older. There was some twists and turns that I did not see coming. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed the book. It is a dense read, as one would expect at 858 pages. I liked the fact that Hill took the fairytale lore about dragons, and showed how easy it would be to fall into a scary and damaging bargain with one, especially if you're desperate and frightened. I also enjoyed the way that the text wove in real-life events, and ended on a note that said that even though things are often sad and scary out there, it's up to all of us to pay attention and be ready to slay the dragons.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Other than 20th Century Ghosts, King Sorrow is Joe Hill's best work to date. I don't usually like books that include fantasy but this one was an exception. Joe Hill managed to create characters that the reader could care about and get to know quickly. A group of college friends dabble with the dark arts and reap consequences beyond their wildest imaginations and that last for years. King Sorrow is over 800 pages and is not a quick read, although it was tempting to want to stop everything else and keep reading. Its a story of friendship, love and consequences.

4.5 stars, fo sho

All hail the King (pen name or not)...

After a SIGNIFICANT stretch of time away from long form stories, Joe Hill is back in a large way!

When bullying is too much to bear, a group of... lovingly said... nerdy friends from varied walks of life band together to bring forth an object of destruction that has been celebrated and cursed thru millenia.

Years later, though, would their grotesque savior be a protector, or a plague?

All is left to chance with King Sorrow, as power and alliances shift in this exhaustively well-planned tome.

Joe, welcome back. Great to see you.

This book kept me on my toes and I loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is a tough book to review. No book is for everyone, even those who generally like the author and genre. I don’t know that this book is going to grow Hill’s fanbase, but I imagine for a segment of it, this will be high payoff. It is seriously long though; so, for those readers on the fence, maybe the thoughts below will help matchmake the right reader or gently redirect others to a better-for them-for-now choice.

Was it for me? Not really. Had I read reviews when it came out, I probably wouldn’t have read it. That said, I’m glad for the opportunity to read it and just because it wasn’t for me and not my particular vein of horror writing, I did appreciate the chance to read it and make up my own mind. Solid 4 for the craft and the story development—he is crazy talented. I do think it’s unique in the genre and for that it stands out in a very positive way.

For context, I’ve read several, but not all, of Joe Hill’s books. I note that because King Sorrow isn’t a wholesale departure from his earlier works, but it isn’t the Joe Hill of years past either. (This isn’t a bad thing, just a thing.)

To start, a very high-level summary: Six college friends summon an ancient dragon (the titular King Sorrow) who, in exchange for his protection of them from enemies, marks them as his, and requires naming of a human sacrifice every Easter. They take turns deciding who in the world deserves to die by dragon, knowing it won't dispatch them gently and there’s often serious collateral carnage. Then, the friends try to end the arrangement.

My reactions:
1) The storyline went in very different and unexpected directions. Rather than a play in three acts, it was almost like three completely different plays with an ensemble cast. Almost like there were three different stories that got stitched together. I didn’t like them all equally, but kept going for the chance of some payoff vs. none.
2) I’m personally not a fan of nihilism and this dances pretty close to that most of the way through. The ending redeems that, but only if you abandon before getting there. I suspect this one may have a higher abandon rate than most.
3) Mixed feelings on the characters. With limited exceptions, I didn’t like them and couldn’t relate to them, despite spending a lot of time with them.
4) Did I mention this book was LONG?
5) This has a deep thread of what I think of as political horror, kind of in a similar vein as American Horror Story: Cult. There are political figures (Trump, Clinton, Elon, others) and horrific news stories (OKC bombing, 9/11, etc.) namedropped. It serves a point Hill wants to make, but…the story could have stood on its own without all that, and I, just, no. Sorta related - not sure it’ll translate beyond the US, Twittersphere types.

I suspect reviews and readers will have polarized opinions. Curious to see/read what other readers think and which character/s emerge as crowd favorites.

It's a rare feat for a 900 page book to feel so immersive that you simultaneously can't turn the pages fast enough and don't ever want to leave the world the author has created. King Sorrow expertly meshes fantasy with horror, dipping its toes in dark academia, as well, and serving as a coming-of-age story to boot. The main cast of characters, followed over a period of approximately thirty years is deep and rich, flawed yet endearing, arguably one of the most fully realized literary ensembles since IT. In truth, the premise of a magic dragon summoned from another dimension does not work without this cast of characters. Hill takes care building their world and allowing us to live in it, and with that work put it, all the dangers, risks, and tragedies wrench our reader's hearts to the fullest extent.
King Sorrow is the strongest work in Hill's already very strong catalog and an easy early favorite for novel of the year.

I really enjoyed King Sorrow by Joe Hill— I am a sucker for a group of friends getting in trouble and finding their way out of it type of story. As soon as the library and rare books were described I knew we were in for a treat. You get a little of everything in this book; occult, fantasy, mystery and horror—I kept wondering where the kids would end up. A very satisfying tale and the length is deceiving, it’s a very easy read!

Wow. What a phenomenal book. 275,000 words; it is an epic, longform story that I fell in love with. The book centers on a group of friends: Allie, Donna, Van, Gwen, Colin, and Arthur. Arthur’s mother is in prison and in danger, and the only way to keep her safe was a proverbial deal with the devil. The friends band together to find a solution to the problem but as we know, harm begets harm. Their solution is a dragon, who agrees to do their bidding, and they find themselves doing a less-proverbial deal with the devil. If you know anything about dragons, you know that you must be extremely careful when talking to them – they love to exploit a loophole. King Sorrow, the dragon, does just that.

It took a little while to understand the characters and differentiate between the main group, but Hill does a great job with developing them so that they all feel unique. I loved the twists and turns and story-within-a-story nature. He nailed the ending.

Honestly, my only frustration was that I read this as an ARC so I couldn’t talk to anyone or read fun Reddit theories along the way. I love the community of books, and I’m looking forward to seeing what forms from this book. Maybe I’ll re-read in October… (yes, I will definitely re-read in October). The only threads right now talk about how silly a premise it is, stealing library books. What are library books worth? Look up the Transylvania University book heist. I was lucky enough to do library school at IU, where the incredible Lilly Library lives. I’ll never forget looking at a copy of The Faerie Queene that was owned by Tolkein, where he doodled characters in the margins. Oh, or a gorgeously custom-bound copy of The Silmarillion that I still look at pictures of… Readers won’t need to be librarians or librarian nerds to understand though – Hill of course does a wonderful job setting the scene, and explains it all. Give him some grace and don’t discount the book before you touch it.

This was my first time reading Joe Hill and I did vibe with it. It is a lot. More than I typically read. But the prose was great and the story was def. interesting despite it being something I don't usually go for. No regrets. Will rec. to my fantasy friends and those that like their horror a little extra. I am looking forward to seeing the physical edition because it is a beautiful presentation.

Definitely my new favorite Joe Hill. He has created a medieval-style fantasy horror and formed it around a “Loser’s Club” of well-thought-out characters. I enjoyed every single page.

Freaking Fantastic! Absolutely Amazing.

A long spiraling tale that spans years of American history, King Sorrow is the Dragon Story that deep down, you always knew was true.

Hill's first book in ten years is an ambitious, unrelenting, and unforgettable. This novel is thriller, horror, romance and coming-of-age. It reads like an elegy for the choices we make in the name of friendship and survival.

The story follows Arthur Oakes and five close friends, in and around Rackham College, Maine, in the 1980's. When Arthur is at his wit's end, his friends' plan to recklessly engage with supernatural forces has devastating consequences. What begins as an attempt to escape a very current situation spirals when the groups succeeds in summoning King Sorrow, an ancient dragon entity whose solution becomes a never ending catastrophic problem.

What makes King Sorrow stand out is not just the horror, it's the characters. Each of the six is and some supporting actors are flawed, human beings. Hill captures their unique personalities and illustrates the bond and growth of their friendships as time passes.

This is a long and brilliant book and I cannot wait for you to read it!
#williammorrow #joehill #kingsorrow

Honestly, I don't even know how to write a review for this book. It was so incredibly good. I went into it knowing I would probably like it but thinking it wouldn't surpass N0S4A2 as my favorite Hill book, but I was wrong.

This one was far better (and N0S4A2 was FANTASTIC, so that's saying something.)

I loved this book. There's no other way to say it. It was an epic read, but there wasn't a single page that wasn't enthralling. Like his father, Hill tends to dive into the action pretty quickly, so I was invested in the story extremely early on.

I love the characters and was floored by how well rounded they were -- even the villains and side characters. He did a great job with inclusion, as well, featuring characters of different races and members of the LGBT community. I'm sure some complaints will come from folks about "woke" writing, but I thought Hill did an excellent job of making relatable, real-life characters. It didn't feel forced or woke at all. Instead, each character's ... um, characteristics? (Sorry, I know "character's characteristics" is just awful) were natural and fit into the story perfectly.

The masterful way Hill blends suspense, fantasy, fairy tales, and thrillers (with just a hint of horror thrown in) was perfect and made this a truly one-of-a-kind read. It had a little bit of all of my favorite genres and was never boring. There's everything you could want from a really good book -- revenge, intrigue, betrayal, magic, and -- of course -- a big fracking dragon.

Now, I'm going to address the elephant in the room (for those who've read it).

The ending.

We all know Stephen King has a .... unique? .... relationship with endings. Haha.

I'm sure some people are going to say Hill fell into that same entanglement with this book. But honestly, I felt the ending was absolutely perfect. Especially with the addition of Chapter 10 of the Epilogue. Haha. It was very meta but also the perfect ending to such a book as this. Haha. I won't say more about it than that because that would ruin all the fun. But when I say it made me laugh out loud -- in a book that didn't involve a whole lot of laughter (but more than a few tears). It was a delightful little addition that really cemented my love of the book.

Yes, there is definitely some real-world and political commentary in the book. So, for those of you who aren't into that, this may not be the book for you. But I've said it already, and I'll say it again. I adored this book. It was absolutely phenomenal.

My only complaint at all isn't even a complaint. I simply think that Hill may have been smoking a bit of that good stuff when he named some of these characters/places. Haha. Between the Nighswander family, the town of Podomaquassy, the Underfoot family (very Hobbit-esque, no?), and Philip Aylesford, he definitely had his unique naming juices flowing. (And yes, those are only a few examples. Haha.)

All jokes aside, this was easily one of the two best books I've read so far this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me with an early ARC. Now my only problem is having to wait until late October before I can talk about it with people!

A group of friends who dabble in the magical arts conjure a dragon, King Sorrow, to protect their friend Arthur and his mom when they become threatened. Mythology expert Arthur, and his love interest saint-like Gwen are likable and relatable characters who you will root for. I also found Robin’s character, a later addition to the story, to be endearing and brave. At first, I struggled to relate to the other friends Colin, Donna, Donovan and Allie. Their development did become more complex and engaging as the story progressed and their struggles with their own moral compass, guilt and identity were revealed.

I enjoyed the grown up Harry Potter academic setting of old libraries, quests, magical curiosities, trolls and dark creatures. At first I wondered how I was going to read over 800 pages in a week, but I just couldn’t put the book down. It is an epic telling of the friends’ struggles over many years and the challenging decisions they need to make each Easter to satiate King Sorrow, a kind of funny horrific character within himself.

Thank you Joe Hill for your imagination, and NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this work.

This novel is a top recommendation for fans of dark fantasy and horror. With its masterfully crafted plot, compelling storytelling, and emotional resonance, it's a true standout. If you enjoy Joe Hill's work, you'll find this book to be equally impressive.

I appreciate NetGalley and William Morrow for the chance to read this exceptional novel.

Magic, dragons, trolls, and demons. I'm not normally a fan of fantasy, but this was pretty awesome. It was IT but in the setting of a fairytale. Superb characters and atmosphere. It's long, but worth it.

This was well worth the wait. A fantastic, propulsive read that I couldn’t put down. Joe Hill is a master at balancing lived in characters that find themselves in otherworldly, impossible situations. No doubt this will achieve “best of the year” status.