King Sorrow by Joe Hill Review – A Epic Horror Saga Delivers Masterpiece-Level Thrills

A group of six oddball but doughty youngsters fall into the path of a vast and dreadful supernatural darkness that has invaded our realm from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

The author started his career going to great lengths to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and intelligent, solving Old English riddles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Inventive Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to horror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a segment sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is above all a paean to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent into existence with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.