It’s been way too long since Joe Hill released a new novel, nearly 10 years in fact. But after all that time he’s brought forth (from the long dark) an absolutely incredible tale in King Sorrow. And I have to say it’s amazing, so much so that it almost took the crown from NOS4A2 as my favorite Joe Hill novel. Almost but not quite, NOS4A2 still claims top spot (also happens to be one of my all time favorite novels), but King Sorrow is a very close second, and an absolute epic beast of a book. This story has earned the right to be called EPIC, but not just because it clocks in at nearly 900 pages. Yes I said 900 pages, and honestly it feels like it has almost zero filler. This might seem like an oxymoron, but this story is a tight 900 pages that spans decades.

It all starts with a bunch of friends trying to help out their friend Arthur Oakes, who is being blackmailed into doing something he doesn’t want to to ensure his mother’s safety. How to you deal with blackmailers? Why summon a dragon of course. Sounds like wild I know, but Hill makes it feel completely believable. Unfortunately making a deal with a dragon is almost the same as making a deal with the devil. There are always strings attached, strings they didn’t know about until the deal was done, and by then it was too late to back out. And while the deal brings them power, it is also a burden that is hard to live with. They originally thought it was a one time thing, but now they are indebted to King Sorrow and he demands a yearly sacrifice. This story goes places I would never have expected. This is amazing story of friends forced to deal with the unforeseen consequences of making a deal with a dragon. If this book were a summer blockbuster the headlines would proclaim it a tour de force! (And that would be an understatement.)

While Hill is an incredible author in his own right and has his own unique style, you can still seen the influence his legendary father has had on him. And there are a number of winks and nods to some of King’s best works, which I have to assume were intentional and meant to delight readers. The book is an absolute masterpiece, and one I’m sure I’ll read again and again over the years as I await whatever Hill comes out with next. I just hope the wait for his next book is a bit shorter this time around. I’d like to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Joe Hill’s King Sorrow.

His best yet! Masterful plotting and character development. And the pacing! At several points, it seemed we had reached the story's logical conclusion, only to have the door open to the next stage of the journey. I don't know how he sustains this for close to 900 pages,but he does...and therein lies the magic. It's a love story, a story of lifelong friendships, of modern dangers and childhood fears. Who are the real monsters? Where is the real evil in the world? This is a beautiful, stunning book in the best vein of the King/Hill legacy (the eternal battle between good and evil). I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley, author Joe Hill, and publisher William Morrow for providing me with a complimentary ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I usually listen to audiobooks, so reading this one took a bit longer since I don’t have much dedicated reading time—but I’m glad I made the effort. King Sorrow is classic Joe Hill: creepy, clever, and surprisingly heartfelt. The story dives deep into themes of grief and guilt, with a mysterious, unsettling figure at its core.

It’s more emotionally charged than some of Hill’s previous work, and that gives it a unique edge. While a few parts felt a little slow and the ending seemed somewhat rushed, the story as a whole is powerful and lingers long after the final page. Fans of Hill’s work won’t be disappointed.

Hill is such a writer you can almost taste the air. Compelling story with can't-put-it-down moments; quick paced for such a long read that it seems short. Loved it and will recommend to all library patrons.

This cautionary tale about making deals with dragons could continue for another 900 pages, and I'd still want more. More of these messy characters, more of their sacrifices and betrayals, more of that perfect urban fantasy blend of jet fighters and dragons and technology and trolls (the kind you find under a bridge as well as online), more of the dark humor and despair and triumph.

Six friends, dabbling in the occult, trying to defend one of their own, conjure a dragon from the Long Dark.

The dragon, King Sorrow, assists them in the immediate, but what he demands in return changes them forever.

A perfectly crafted horror novel. Timely and weighty. With characters that I will miss so much. I feel teary. I feel overwrought.

God. That was such a good book. Epic. Extraordinary.

4.25 stars

I know books with dragons are exceptionally trendy at the moment, but I honestly did not foresee myself writing a glowing review for one! Enter Joe Hill and this absolute banger of a fire-breathing rollercoaster ride. 

As per the status quo with Joe Hill, this is an extremely creative horror fantasy with a diverse cast of unforgettable characters and a sprawling timeline. (Robin will live in my heart forever, even though this book does eventually end.)

My only criticism, a very personal one and not a direct critique of the book, is that the sense of humor many of the characters share and bond over isn't exactly my cup of tea. That said,   I am so excited for everyone who WILL love it.

This is a must-read for horror fans, Stephen King fans, and, obviously, Joe Hill fans. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to write this review now, just half hour or so after finishing the novel, while it's still entirely fresh in my mind -- I'm already experiencing an intense book hangover for this book. I absolutely was not ready to leave this world. I read large chunks of this book in varying stages with a few breaks between for traveling and events. If it weren't for those obligations I probably would have gone through this 900 pager in less an a week and been all the more sad for its ending.

King Sorrow is the story of a group of friends who summon a dragon to help clear up a problem - only they accidentally make a deal that goes on for years longer than anyone could have ever imagined. A simple enough premise that was expanded into a grand, sweeping story that follows these friendships through the decades as the group copes with the consequences of their choices and the ultimate decision to take a stand and stop there from being more sorrow unleashed on the world.

One thing that will often kill a book for me, no matter how well written, is pacing. And this book was immaculately paced. Joe Hill knows how to build good tension without ever leaving room for anything to be dull. There were ebbs and flows in the action but never a moment that I felt like there were wasted pages. In addition to the compelling through line, this book contained increasingly interesting subplots that all tied together, leaving the whole thing tied up in a satisfying package.

Outside of the plot and the pacing this book was a brilliant character study. Each major and minor character so well thought out and detailed that it was easy to look at them as living breathing people by the end. Possibly the part that made finishing this book so difficult - only because I didn't want to leave anyone behind.

I've read all of Joe Hill's novels and most of his short stories and some of his comics and to date this is the best thing he's written and so far the thing I've loved the most. I unreservedly recommend this to anyone and everyone who likes to read and wants a good story. For fans of King Arthur, for fans of dragons, for fans of books that make you get in your feelings. I'll definitely be reading this one again.

Thanks to William Morrow, Joe Hill and Tavia Kowalchuk for sending this my way through NetGalley.

Ever wondered what it would be like to control life and death? To take revenge on your enemies? To stop world disasters from happening? Would you make an irrevocable deal with a dragon to gain power? Well, King Sorrow is the dragon for you.

Arthur is a librarian with an interest in medieval legends... and a mother jailed for participating in the death of a security guard. His random act of kindness giving another inmate’s child a sweatshirt leads him into a situation where he is extorted and forced into stealing valuable books from his job, including a famous one by a man who once broke the veil and summoned King Sorrow. His group of friends hold a seance to summon King Sorrow, hoping to protect their friend, but quickly find an agreement with a creature of death was more than they bargained for, as dragons are always creatures of greed.

I found myself engaging with certain characters more than others. Allie, Arthur, and Gwen truly were sympathetic characters due to their ongoing life problems, such as being closeted, poor, or simply a black man in the world of academia. Donna purposely was harsh and cold, a contrast to her fun-loving and empathetic brother, Van, their relationships in particular serving as catalysts throughout the novel. Colin, well... he was everything one thought he would be. From the beginning, it was clear his interest was not in helping Arthur, but in gaining a power he considered under his control, a situation that was far from the truth. Their struggles as a group in accepting their fate and in trying to free themselves was a theme throughout.

Overall, King Sorrow had some uneven moments in how interesting the different characters were across the timeline, but aren’t we all uneven as humans? If anything, it made the situation more real because we aren’t always thrilling in our lives, but our lives do continue to happen to us. I would encourage reviewers and readers to give this novel a shot, not just because of its dark premise, but because of the very real human struggle within.

WOW. This book was part horror, part fantasy, and part historical fiction. King Sorrow follows six friends: Arthur, Gwen, Colin, Allie, Van, and Donna. In order to help their friend survive, the friends use Colin’s grandfather’s love of the occult (and some high-quality government weed) to summon King Sorrow, a hideous dragon that lives in an alternate universe called The Long Dark. They thought the king would return from whence he came once they saved Arthur, but they were totally wrong.

This book follows the gang of friends over the expanse of their lives while continuing to deal with not only the fallout from the person they must sacrifice to King Sorrow every Easter, but the events of the world that are unfolding around them. We, the readers, catch up with the friends about every 5 years.

I loved the characters (even the ones I absolutely loathed) and the representation of many different kinds of people. I will always trust Joe Hill to write excellent female characters, especially after seeing him speak about the creation of his female characters leaning heavy on the experiences of the women in his life. One way that Hill is able to blend our world and the one just on the edge of ours are his clear inspirations from Tolkien. As a Tolkien nerd myself, all of the references to Tolkien’s work was very special to me and made this book a little more magical than Mr. Hill probably meant it to be. I think that’s a problem with me, though.

This book is about pain, loss, sacrifice, sadness, chosen family, love, hard decisions, betrayal, friendship, hate, disinformation, difficult consequences, and the imbalance of power in the world. This was a powerful tome (and I do mean tome, at 896 pages) about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. This book was an excellent way to hold a mirror to the current world. Much like staring into one of King Sorrow’s tractor tire-sized eyes, it was both scary and exhilarating and an excellent way for Joe Hill to ruin Easter.

Intense story, grasping from start to finish. I could not put down once I started. Wonderful character building with twist you could never see coming. The story was intriguing, unpredictable and had some me romantic twist. Mr Hill never disappoints!

This will be only my second Joe Hill book to read and I am glad I took the time to do it. I found myself in a limbo of wanting the book to end soon so I could learn how it ends but at the same time did not want this book to end. So much happens that I want to discuss but I can’t without giving too much away. Even when this book is released, do yourself a favor and don’t read too much into what people are saying or reviewing aside from the short summary, go in fresh not knowing what to expect and you will not be disappointed. 10/10 read and releasing it come spooky time is perfect holiday reading.

Tackling a book this long is a commitment and sometimes a love/hate relationship. Hill does an amazing job of character building here. Each character is unique. Some characters are very unlikeable, which can make you question why their friends stick around. However, Hill is able to answer that question by the end.

The book also has fantasy elements but it's much more horror or thriller. It is unique in that way; he is able to blend genres very smoothly.

The ending of the book was not what I expected and took the book from a 3 star to 4 star book for me. The book is very long and at times the action can get more exhausting then exciting. This isn't a book I reccomend picking up and trying to marathon read. It works better splitting the different parts into a few sessions and letting yourself live in the world a bit.

I cannot believe how much I loved this. This was my first Joe Hill novel and the rest of his work has a lot to live up to if I work my way through it. Arthur Oakes and five of his friends strike a deal with a dragon to protect his mother. The catch? They have to choose someone to die every year on Easter. We follow these characters through the next 25ish years of their lives as they deal with the fallout and consequences of this deal. I laughed, I cried, I was so mad and I was so hopeful and I was heartbroken for everyone at some point. Hill did an amazing job with this story and managed to get his point across in a poignant way without it smacking you in the face and telling you to read deeper and closer. I hope King Sorrow gets all the hype and praise and recognition that it deserves and more.

I was fortunate enough to receive a digital ARC for Joe Hill’s King Sorrow, and I’m incredibly glad I did; I sense this will be a new favorite novel. The Secret History meets high fantasy meets fantasy-horror, in this excellent novel following Arthur and his group of friends at Rackham College as they summon an ancient dragon sworn to protect them. The only issue is they must choose someone to sacrifice to Sorrow—every year. This was a delightful horror-fantasy-epic on so many levels, but I was pleasantly surprised by the queer subplot surrounding one of my favorite characters. If you’ve ever wanted to watch grown-up rich kids tangle with an ancient dragon, pick this up this fall.

I hated how much I enjoyed this book. Like his father, Hill is better when he doesn’t strive for literary grandeur. But he writes a mean horror novel.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC!

King Sorrow is Joe Hill’s first full-length novel in nearly a decade and it was well worth the wait. This almost 900-page beast of a novel moved surprisingly fast and always found a way to increase the danger and drama surrounding our POV characters. While the story has its twists and turns and scary moments, it’s the characters that really kept me turning the pages. We follow a group of six friends from the late 1980s until recent years and see how a pact they made with an evil entity has changed their lives. I loved the interactions between the characters. They have a group dynamic filled with loyalty, betrayal, love, regret, and everything in-between. Some of the characters are terrible, broken people, but Hill humanizes them and shows his readers how their past traumas impacted their lives. And I loved King Sorrow himself! He’s a villain through and through, but I looked forward to his appearances (even if some of them are a little nerve-racking).

King Sorrow is an epic novel perfect for fans of horror, fantasy, lifelong groups of friends, Stephen King, and talking dragons.

Joe Hill does it again with an epic tale featuring strong likeable characters that face horrifying obstacles when they dabble in the occult and bring forth a dragon that forces them to select a person to die every Easter. The plot is intricately woven with themes of good vs evil, political morality, advancing technology, LGBTQ, and climate change but Hill does a wonderful job of getting the point across without hit readers over the head.

This was a hefty book but I didn't want it to end. Well done.

A worthy journey into fantasy much like the tales told by his father. Summoning a demonic dragon that requires a human sacrifice? I just can’t get over how enthralling that idea is. It’s somewhere between Hellraiser and Monkeys paw but with so many dark and delightful twists. You won’t want to miss this, horror fans. I can even describe it without spoilers but it’s LUSH and gorgeous in prose and concept and it keeps you on your toes with the horror all the way to the end.

Maybe my opinion will change over time, I think it's safe to say my feelings on this is complicated.

First off, this wasn't want I was expecting. I had believed I was getting half horror and half fantasy when really it was a very long character study AND commentary on war, the American war machine and how much we can say our hands are clean.

To be fair, if I had personally know that going in, I might have looked at this differently. That doesn't mean it was bad!

The writing was spectacular, as Joe's writing usually is, and you could feel everything so deeply when the characters went through massive and heartbreaking changes. I will admit I cried a few times.

It was also simply too long. Some of it could have been trimmed because it felt like it was just padding the book, leaving you with dialogue, characters questioning their morality for the hundredth time, or nothing that moved the plot forward.

Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to read it and it did keep me engaged. I'd absolutely love to see a movie or series come out of it!