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A review by matts_booksanddrams
King Sorrow: The Epic New Masterwork from the International Bestseller by Joe Hill
5.0
King Sorrow is Joe Hill’s first novel in nearly a decade (since The Fireman in 2016) and it is a BEAST of a novel. With its large page count and the amount of time it has been since his last book, the hype is real for this one.
I’m happy to report that the hype is deserved for King Sorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve read a long novel like this one (I’ve read most of King’s door stoppers) and I was amazed at how quickly I moved through this novel despite its length.
King Sorrow follows a group of six friends at a small college in New England, who use a book to summon a dragon, the title King Sorrow, to help rid Arthur Oakes of a predicament he’s been forced into (stealing rare library books for a couple of townies using Arthur to make money). The problem is that King Sorrow requires a sacrifice every Easter, or else he will take one of them. The narrative takes place over many years starting in 1989 and gradually moving to present day, as it is broken up into several parts.
I absolutely loved these characters and their complex relationships with one another. There is love, loss, heartbreak, frustration. The secondary cast of characters are fantastic too, including some truly deplorable human (and non-human) antagonists in addition to King Sorrow.
This was a page-turner of the highest order, with a compelling plot, rich, complex characters, blood, humor, and heart in spades. I laughed, I cried, I rolled my eyes, I was scared. You know that feeling you get when you first read those door stopper Stephen King novels? That’s what this one feels like.
King Sorrow is a triumph of a novel. I think I might have a new favorite Joe Hill book.
Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!
I’m happy to report that the hype is deserved for King Sorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve read a long novel like this one (I’ve read most of King’s door stoppers) and I was amazed at how quickly I moved through this novel despite its length.
King Sorrow follows a group of six friends at a small college in New England, who use a book to summon a dragon, the title King Sorrow, to help rid Arthur Oakes of a predicament he’s been forced into (stealing rare library books for a couple of townies using Arthur to make money). The problem is that King Sorrow requires a sacrifice every Easter, or else he will take one of them. The narrative takes place over many years starting in 1989 and gradually moving to present day, as it is broken up into several parts.
I absolutely loved these characters and their complex relationships with one another. There is love, loss, heartbreak, frustration. The secondary cast of characters are fantastic too, including some truly deplorable human (and non-human) antagonists in addition to King Sorrow.
This was a page-turner of the highest order, with a compelling plot, rich, complex characters, blood, humor, and heart in spades. I laughed, I cried, I rolled my eyes, I was scared. You know that feeling you get when you first read those door stopper Stephen King novels? That’s what this one feels like.
King Sorrow is a triumph of a novel. I think I might have a new favorite Joe Hill book.
Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!