Arthur Oakes was just being a nice guy.
He never intended to get involved with the Nighswander family, but he did something kind while visiting his mother in prison, it backfired spectacularly, and his goodness led to blackmail. The Nighswanders gave him an option: steal valuable rare books from the college library where he worked — something that hurt Arthur to his very core — and hand them over. If he refused, they’d kill his mother.
And so Arthur became a thief, until the pressure of it became too much and he blurted the truth to his friends. Colin, Van, Donna, Allie, and Gwen immediately understood the stress Arthur had been living under, but what could he do? How else could he ensure his mother’s safety? The Nighswanders had all the cards.
But they didn’t have an old séance film, or an ancient cracked mirror and knowledge of its use — tools that Colin’s grandfather owned. Llewellyn had been somewhat of an Ernest Hemingway type, and from the things in his cabinet, the friends learned that to rid Arthur of evil would take evil. They called forth a dragon to smite the Nighswanders.
No one knew how the conflagration that killed Jayne Nighswander started. Nobody suspected a dragon had torn her boyfriend apart with immense claws. But the six friends knew, and they breathed a sigh of guilty relief. It was done.
Until the dragon, King Sorrow, appeared to ask for his annual sacrifice…
Put King Sorrow in your hands and savor the heft, knowing that every page belongs in this story, knowing that there’s no fluff or unnecessary threads, that each layer complements the one before it. Knowing you’re in for a fairy tale that’s a fiery tale.
Author Joe Hill cleverly corrals history, current events, and a witty horror protagonist, then he places them in a several-decades-long tale of love, sacrifice, and college friendships that aren’t so friendly. You’ll see this as you get to know the six main human characters and their lives and losses organically. Hill’s people are authentically written and humanly flawed despite and within the horror of what they’ve called forward. What happens to your favorite, though, is as if The Breakfast Club and Maleficent had a party, and you were invited.
Don’t let the size of this book scare you. The better scares are waiting inside, and you won’t be sorry when you find them. For lovers of horror novels, mythology, and happily never after, King Sorrow tips the scales.
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