King Sorrow

Six college friends in late-1980s Maine steal a grimoire bound in human skin to save one of their own from drug dealers. Before handing it over, they use it in a ritual that works far too well, summoning a dragon called King Sorrow from the Long Dark beyond reality. The bargain they strike demands a new human sacrifice every year, or they become the next meal.

Why Read This

Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, spent nine years writing this novel, and it shows. King Sorrow is one of the most ambitious occult horror novels in recent memory, combining the intimate group dynamics of a dark academia novel with genuine creature horror. The occult elements here are not vague or metaphorical. The grimoire is real, the dragon is real, and the consequences of the summoning play out over decades with devastating clarity.

What sets it apart from other occult horror is the emotional weight. The six friends are vividly drawn, and watching their relationships warp under the pressure of their annual sacrifice is as horrifying as the monster itself. Hill earned comparisons to Donna Tartt for the college sections and to his father for the supernatural set pieces, but the combination is uniquely his.

What to Expect

A long, immersive read at 896 pages that alternates between the 1980s college years and the present day. The horror escalates steadily, mixing dark humor with genuine dread. The ritual scenes are intense and visceral. If you want occult horror where the occult is not a metaphor but a real, breathing, hungry thing, this is the book.