Review: King Sorrow

King Sorrow by Joe Hill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A decision to rescue a friend leads to decades of death and despair as King Sorrow litters history with his burning desire for terror.

Arthur Crane becomes forced to steal sixty thousand dollars worth of rare books from one of his favorite spots and place of work, his college library, to pay back the debts of a criminal family. Despite trying his best to conceal his new fate to his closest friends, the group finally becomes aware of his predicament. In an attempt to rescue Arthur from torment, the group reach into The Long Dark to summon a dragon to protect their friend and target those tormenting Arthur. Only to realize that King Sorrow is hungry and has no intention to leave their world for good. And now this year, and every other year, the group must provide King Sorrow with a fresh target at Easter.

I really enjoy the character development of Arthur as he takes his new found curse and dedicates his life to academics at Oxford, studying dragons and other creatures from The Long Dark, in an attempt to free himself and his friends from the grip of King Sorrow. The novel is overall filled with vast character arcs as the story takes place over several decades. The friends each other thought they once had adjust their loyalties and some ploy for complete control through crossing their closest friends.

King Sorrow is an almost 900 page novel that Hill makes engaging enough to be a complete page turner. The world as a whole is large and the timeline spans near 30 years with Hill's vivid descriptions really coming into their own during the small setting scenes. Each interaction feels intentional, properly developed, and crafted in descriptive and unsettling ways. Not only is the world well developed but Hill does remarkable work instilling a sense of individuality and character within each character's personality. Every character is complete with their own motives, style, and behaviors which all contribute positively to the overall arc of the novel.

The pacing always felt right where it needed to be and provides a strong balance of fast action with slower bridges that let the weight of events settle. Even when the story slows down, those quieter moments help reinforce the consequences and keep the tension present. From mass destruction in a city, to traps and puzzles in a troll's cave, to a 737 over the Atlantic stalked by King Sorrow, to quieter scenes with federal law enforcement and planning for the next years targets, everything collectively drives the novel forward and keeps it impossible to put down.

Throughout King Sorrow, there is a notion that you can collectively think of something so strongly that it's possible to pull it out of The Long Dark and manifest it within your own reality. With the right tools, intention, and sacrifice, great power can be summoned; although the repercussions and lasting effects of such maybe unknown until its too late. This novel explores the ideas of grief, generational decisions, sacrifice, selfishness, the desire to be in control, and the clashing of folk lore with reality.

Joe Hill hits the emotions of each character very well and I could see each one of them truly developing over the course of the novel. Their aspirations, acceptance with being in control of a hand of death, and coping mechanisms all change and grow throughout. I found this to rely less on overall shock factor of horror, although the descriptions can be extremely detailed, and instead be more psychologically driven as characters grapple with the feeling that they are stuck in the claws of a beast with weeks left to survive, and no way out.

By the time the novel reach its conclusion and I tore through every corner of the book I felt satisfied with the culmination and resolution of the plot. Hill does a good job of tying things together, giving insight into the endings for each of the characters. I do feel like the door is left just a crack open to allow for what would be a very welcomed new volume into what lays within The Long Dark.

Overall King Sorrow beyond hit the marks in every facet, exceeding my expectations, and places itself well atop my favorites for 2025. Hill has expertly stitched together this epic and provided us with yet another compelling story that is impossible to put down until the very last page concludes.

Rating: ★★★★ ★(5/5)

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