One of the best horror writers working today has a mammoth new novel just in time for Halloween. King of Sorrows, bestselling author Joe Hill's fifth novelhits shelves this week (October 21st) and you can score a huge discount on Amazon. The 896-page hardcover book is on sale at a 34% discount.reducing the price to $26.60 (was $40). The King of Sadness is a fantasy horror novel about a group of bookish college friends who mistakenly summon a terrifying dragon. Hill is best known as the creator Locke and Key, Black phoneAnd NOS4A2– and for following in the footsteps of his father Stephen King and becoming a horror writer.
Kindle e-reader King Sorrow is available for $17, and Audible audiobook costs $22 (was $25). But if you want to hear an ensemble of talented performers read Hill's new novel, you'll be much better off. Audible Premium Plus subscription. New subscribers can get the first three months for $0.99 per month. Every month you'll receive Audible credit that you can use to purchase a book of your choice. Even if you don't qualify for the promotional offer, you can get the King Sorrow audiobook edition for $15 with a one-month Premium Plus subscription.
$26.60 (was $40) | Release October 21
Hill's fourth novel, The Fireman, came out in 2016, so fans have been waiting nearly a decade for The King of Sorrows. The 896-page Door Stopper, Hill's longest novel to date, is set at Rackham College, a fictional university in Maine.
When Arthur Oakes is forced to steal rare books from the college library's exclusive collection, he consults his group of friends to find a way out of his nightmare (he really loves books). Arthur's friend suggests summoning a dragon to stop a drug dealer who is forcing him to steal books. Arthur and five of his friends perform a summoning ritual using an old diary bound in the author's leather. As you might expect, using a leather-bound book to summon an evil entity is a bad idea. Once the eponymous evil has been summoned, the group is faced with the unenviable task of choosing a person to sacrifice each year. If they don't, they will be sacrificed.
15 dollars (was 20 dollars)
In August, Joe Hill's debut collection of short stories celebrated its 20th anniversary with a special paperback edition. Notably, 20th Century Haunting includes the short story “The Black Telephone,” which was adapted into a Blumhouse horror film starring Ethan Hawke. Phone Black 2 just came out in theaters. Walmart Exclusive 4K Steelbook Edition is also available for pre-order – so now is the perfect time to read the original story and 14 other great horror titles. The 336-page anniversary edition sells for just $15. Amazon And Walmart.
The 20th Century Ghosts Anniversary Edition has a rather ghoulish cover with hazy blue and purple artwork. You definitely don't have a book with smudged page edges that look like this. The edges have a mixture of purple and blue colors with purple swirls and neon pink insects crawling around. The anniversary edition includes a new afterword by Hill and is introduced by author Christopher Golden, who recently served as co-editor New stories by Stephen King “The Stand”.
Besides “Black Phone,” standout stories include the “Dracula” sequel “The Boys of Abraham,” a Kafkaesque tale about a boy who becomes a giant insect, and “Pop Art,” a touching story about the friendship between a troubled boy and a boy made of inflatable plastic.
Originally released in 2005 in a very small release, 20th Century Ghosts was a huge critical success. He received the Bram Stoker Award and the British Fantasy Awards. At the time of publication, Hill's identity as Stephen King's son was unknown to the publishing world and the general public. He confirmed his identity in 2007 while promoting his debut novel. Heart shaped box.
In total, the 336-page collection includes 15 stories, an introduction by author Christopher Golden, and a new afterword by Hill.
As mentioned, Joe Hill is the eldest son of legendary horror author Stephen King. The duo collaborated on several projects, including two stories in Hill's 2019 short story collection “Full Throttle”.
Joe Hill novels
All four of Joe Hill's previous novels were bestsellers and several won awards. His debut novel is from 2007. Heart shaped box received the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His 2010 novel “Horns” was adapted into film starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2014. NOS4A2 (pronounced Nosferatu) was published in 2013 and later adapted into two-season AMC television series. The 2016 novel Fireman is a post-apocalyptic novel about a deadly mushroom that is definitely worth reading if you enjoyed The Stand.
- Heart Shaped Box (2007)
- Horns (2010)
- NOS4A2 (2013)
- Firefighter (2016)
- King of Sorrow (2025)
Collections of stories and short stories
Along with 20th Century Ghosts, Hill published two other collections of shorter fiction. The 2017 collection Strange Weather included four novellas (short novels), and the 2019 collection Full Throttle was Hill's last book-length prose project until King of Sorrows. There are actually four paperback editions of 20th Century Ghosts due to the movie versions. The Black Phone 2 cover edition is actually more expensive than the Anniversary Edition.
- Ghosts of the 20th Century (2005)
- Strange Weather: Four Short Novels (2017)
- Full Throttle (2019)
Joe Hill's Locke and Key series and other comics
Joe Hill also had a prolific career in comics. Most notably, Hill created Locke & Key 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 to 2022.
Locke & Key is part of Amazon Kindle Unlimited Libraryand new subscribers receive their first month free. If you prefer physical comics and graphic novels, you have plenty of options thanks to the huge popularity of the IDW series.
$80.85 (was $125)
Released in 2021, a few months before Locke and Key Season 2 aired on Netflix, in hardcover. Key House Compendium is a 976-page collection that collects all six volumes of the main series. The Keyhouse Compendium sells for $80.85 on Amazon.
There is also a six-volume paperback box set called Locke & Key Case Setbut it's close to full price on Amazon right now.
Prices for both of these collections are unstable. They are often still on sale at full price, but are randomly given deep discounts that tend to disappear quickly.
Locke & Key: Master Editions (hardcover)
The three hardcover Master Editions offer another premium way to read the series, but the second volume is hard to find at a reasonable price. However, Volume 1 is over 50% off on Amazon. Each major edition includes two volumes of the original edition. Cheaper to buy Locke & Key: Master Edition Volume 1 than buying the first two volumes in paperback or hardcover.
Lock and Key (Hardcover)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $20.82 (
US$25) - Head games –USD 25
- Crown of Shadows –USD 25
- Keys to the Kingdom — $13 (
US$30) - Clockwork — $12 (
US$25) - Alpha and Omega — $28.50 (
US$30)
Locke and Key (paperback)
- Welcome to Lovecraft — $12 (
20 dollars) - Head games — $14.56 (
20 dollars) - Crown of Shadows — $18 (
20 dollars) - Keys to the Kingdom — $17.27 (
20 dollars) - Clockwork — $18.59 (
20 dollars) - Alpha and Omega –USD 25
Locke & Key Prequels + One-Shots (Hardcover)
An 8-issue prequel entitled The Golden Age was collected in hardcover in 2022. Golden Age includes Small World, but the latter's Deluxe Edition has additional exclusive content. Heaven and Earth is a collection of three singles in an inexpensive hardcover edition.
More comics by Joe Hill
For more Joe Hill comics, check out the list below. We especially recommend paying attention to 6-Volume Box Set of Hill House Comics And Joe Hill: Graphic Novel Collectiona nearly 500-page collection containing five graphic novels.
