King Sorrow
US hardcover | |
| Author | Joe Hill |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Horror fiction; Fantasy; Thriller (genre); Supernatural fiction; Occult |
| Publisher | William Morrow and Company |
Publication date | October 21, 2025 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 896 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-220060-0 |
King Sorrow is a 2025 horror novel by American author Joe Hill, published by William Morrow and Company. Hill's first novel in nine years, it received positive reviews.
Synopsis
Arthur Oakes, an American college student in Maine, faces an evil dragon who coerces him and his friends into offering a sacrifice every Easter.[1]
Release and reception
The fifth novel by Joe Hill, King Sorrow was also his first since 2016's The Fireman.[2][3] Hill revealed the book's cover on social media in January 2025.[4]
Reception to the title was positive. In their pre-release starred review, Kirkus found the novel "At turns spooky and funny, with bits of inside baseball and a swimming pool's worth of blood."[1] Booklist called it a "remarkably well-paced, character-centered epic [that pits] the computer age against folktales",[5] while James Gardner of Library Journal said, "Though nearly 900 pages, the book never feels long or overstuffed, since Hill deftly moves between characters' viewpoints while rendering them vividly."[2] The staff of Publishers Weekly wrote, "Pitch-perfect characterizations and doses of black humor....[reinforce] Hill's reputation as a titan of the [horror] genre."[6]
References
- ^ a b "King Sorrow". Kirkus Reviews. Vol. XCIII, no. 16. August 15, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Gardner, James (July 2025). "Horror: 'King Sorrow'". Library Journal. Vol. 150, no. 7. p. 52. Retrieved October 21, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Joe Hill previews his first standalone novel in 9 years, 'King Sorrow'". today.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ @joe_hill (January 15, 2025). "Here's the cover of my next novel, King Sorrow" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Spraford, Becky (August 2025). "Review: 'King Sorrow'". Booklist. Vol. 121, no. 22. p. 53. Retrieved October 21, 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Reviews: 'King Sorrow'". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 272, no. 31. August 11, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025 – via ProQuest.