In print, King Sorrow is a doorstopper of a novel. It’s a behemoth, ringing in at just shy of 900 pages. But those pages go fast. This is an easily digestible book that tells the story of a group of stoned college kids who make a deal with dark forces they don’t understand. It’s written by Joe Hill, his first novel in nine years. It’s an excellent read, and right now the Kindle edition is on sale for $1.99. If my math is correct, that’s roughly $0.002 per page. That’s a lot of bang for your two bucks.
King Sorrow (Kindle Edition) for $1.99
Joe Hill, for those unfamiliar, is the author of acclaimed novels like NOS4A2 and The Fireman, as well as the short story “The Black Phone,” which was the basis for the excellent horror movie. He also happens to be Stephen King’s son, and King Sorrow features a number of Easter eggs nodding toward the horror master’s works.
In the King Sorrow, a group of six college friends get wasted one night and semi-accidentally summon the titular dragon from an alternate dimension called the Long Dark, asking for its protection. Their goal is to rid themselves a dangerous criminal element that has recently started plaguing them. But as sometimes happens to the best of us, the cure ends up being worse than the disease.
The deal they make with King Sorrow brings this malevolent creature into our world on a recurring basis and alters the trajectory of their lives for decades to come. Each of the friends gets their own long section of the book while they deal with King Sorrow as the years go by. Because the story is told in such an episodic way, it’s no surprise that the TV series adaptation rights have been optioned.
We deemed King Sorrow one of the best new books of the month when it came out in October. I listened to the audiobook version (which rings in at 26 hours long), but I might pick this up for two bucks for a future re-read. It really is a thrilling story from start to finish, with plenty of twists and surprising detours throughout. If you grab this ebook for $1.99, or even pick up a hardcover copy for $20 (which is 50% off), you probably won’t be disappointed.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
