One of the best horror writers working today has a new behemoth of a novel just in time for Halloween. King Sorrow, the fifth novel by best-selling author Joe Hill, hits store shelves this week (October 21), and you can get a huge discount at Amazon. The 896-page hardcover is on sale for 34% off, slashing the price to $26.60 (was $40). King Sorrow is a horror-fantasy novel following a group of bookish college friends who mistakenly summon a terrifying dragon. Hill is best known as the creator of Locke & Key, The Black Phone, and NOS4A2–and for following in his father Stephen King’s footsteps by becoming a horror writer.
The Kindle ebook edition of King Sorrow is available for $17, while the Audible audiobook is $22 (was $25). But if you want to listen to the ensemble cast of talented performers read Hill’s new novel, you’re much better off signing up for Audible Premium Plus. New subscribers can get their first three months for $0.99/month. You’ll receive an Audible credit each month that can be used to purchase a book of your choice. Even if you aren’t eligible for the promotional offer, you can get King Sorrow’s audiobook edition for $15 by subscribing to Premium Plus for one month.
$26.60 (was $40) | Releases October 21
Hill’s fourth novel, The Fireman, released in 2016, so fans have been waiting nearly a decade for King Sorrow. The 896-page doorstopper–Hill’s longest novel to date–takes place at Rackham College, a fictional university in Maine.
When Arthur Oakes is forced to steal rare books from the college library’s exceptional collection, he consults his friend group to find a way to get out of his nightmare (he really loves books). Arthur’s buddy suggests summoning a dragon to thwart the drug dealer who is making him steal books. Arthur and five of his friends perform the summoning ritual using an old journal bound in its author’s skin. As one would expect, using a skin-bound book to summon an evil entity is a bad idea. Once the eponymous evil is summoned, the group has the unenviable task of choosing a person to sacrifice each year. If they don’t, they will be sacrificed.
$15 (was $20)
In August, Joe Hill’s debut short story collection celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special paperback edition. Notably, 20th Century Ghosts includes the short story “The Black Phone,” which was adapted into a Blumhouse horror movie starring Ethan Hawke. Black Phone 2 just released in theaters–a Walmart-exclusive 4K Steelbook Edition is up for preorder, too–so it’s the perfect time to read the original story and a 14 other great horror stories. The 336-page Anniversary Edition is on sale for only $15 at Amazon and Walmart.
The 20th Century Ghosts Anniversary Edition has an appropriately ghoulish cover with misty blue and magenta cover artwork. You definitely don’t own a book with stained page edges that look like this. The edges have a mixture of violet and blue with magenta swirls and neon pink insects crawling around. The Anniversary Edition features a new afterword by Hill and is introduced by author Christopher Golden, who recently co-edited New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand.
Beyond The Black Phone, standout stories include a Dracula follow-up called “Abraham’s Boys,” a Kafka-esque tale about a boy who becomes a giant insect, and “Pop Art,” a moving tale about the friendship between a troubled boy and a boy made of inflatable plastic.
Originally released in 2005 with a very small print run, 20th Century Ghosts was a huge critical success. It won Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Awards. At the time of its publication, Hill’s identity as Stephen King’s son was unknown to the publishing world and general public. He confirmed his identity in 2007 while promoting his debut novel Heart-Shaped Box.
All told, the 336-page collection features 15 stories, an introduction by author Christopher Golden, and a new afterword by Hill.
As mentioned, Joe Hill is the oldest son of legendary horror author Stephen King. The duo have collaborated on several projects, including two stories in Hill’s 2019 short story collection Full Throttle.
Joe Hill’s Novels
All four of Joe Hill’s previous novels have been bestsellers and several have won awards. His 2007 debut novel Heart-Shaped Box won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His 2010 novel Horns was adapted into a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2014. NOS4A2 (pronounced Nosferatu) was published in 2013 and later adapted into a two-season television series by AMC. The 2016 novel The Fireman is a post-apocalyptic novel about a deadly fungus that is definitely worth reading if you enjoyed The Stand.
- Heart-Shaped Box (2007)
- Horns (2010)
- NOS4A2 (2013)
- The Fireman (2016)
- King Sorrow (2025)
Short Story and Novella Collections
Along with 20th Century Ghosts, Hill has published two additional collections of shorter fiction. The 2017 collection Strange Weather features four novellas (short novels), and the 2019 collection Full Throttle was Hill’s most recent book-length prose project before King Sorrow. 20th Century Ghosts actually has four paperback editions because of movie tie-in versions. The edition with Black Phone 2 cover art is actually more expensive than the Anniversary Edition.
- 20th Century Ghosts (2005)
- Strange Weather: Four Short Novels (2017)
- Full Throttle (2019)
Joe Hill’s Locke & Key series and other comics
Joe Hill has also had a prolific career in comic books. Most notably, Hill co-created Locke & Key and with illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez. The duo collaborated on 37 issues of the supernatural fantasy series from 2008-2013. Netflix adapted the comic into an original series that ran for three seasons from 2020-2022.
Locke & Key is part of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited library, and new subscribers get their first month free. If you prefer physical comic books and graphic novels, you have numerous options thanks to the immense popularity of the IDW series.
$80.85 (was $125)
Released in 2021 a few months before Locke & Key Season 2 streamed on Netflix, the hardcover Keyhouse Compendium is a 976-page omnibus collecting all six volumes in the mainline series. The Keyhouse Compendium is on sale for $80.85 at Amazon.
There’s also a six-volume paperback box set dubbed Locke & Key Slipcase Set, but it’s close to full price at Amazon right now.
Prices for both of these collections are volatile. They often still sell for full price but randomly receive steep discounts that tend to disappear fast.
Locke & Key: Master Editions (Hardcover)
A trio of hardcover Master Editions offer another premium way to read the series, but Volume 2 is difficult to find for a reasonable price. Volume 1, however, is more than 50% off at Amazon. Each Master Edition includes two volumes from the original run. It’s cheaper to buy Locke & Key: Master Edition Volume 1 than it is to buy trade paperback or hardcovers of the first two volumes.
Locke & Key (Hardcovers)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $20.82 (
$25) - Head Games — $25
- Crown of Shadows — $25
- Keys to the Kingdom — $13 (
$30) - Clockworks — $12 (
$25) - Alpha & Omega — $28.50 (
$30)
Locke & Key (Paperbacks)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $12 (
$20) - Head Games — $14.56 (
$20) - Crown of Shadows — $18 (
$20) - Keys to the Kingdom — $17.27 (
$20) - Clockworks — $18.59 (
$20) - Alpha & Omega — $25
Locke & Key Prequels + One-Shots (Hardcover)
In 2022, an 8-issue prequel arc called The Golden Age was collected in hardcover format. The Golden Age includes Small World, but the Deluxe Edition of the latter has additional exclusive content. Heaven and Earth collects three one-shots in a budget-friendly hardcover edition.
More comics by Joe Hill
For more Joe Hill comics, check out the list below. We’d especially recommend taking a look at the 6-volume Hill House Comics Box Set and Joe Hill: The Graphic Novel Collection, a nearly 500-page compilation containing five graphic novels.
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