Caffeinated Reviewer

With an all-star cast of narrators, King Sorrow by Joe Hill was an audiobook I devoured. When one of their own is threatened, six college friends dabble in the occult and are successful, but what they called forth demands regular human sacrifice. The tale that unfolds is chilling, addictive and terrifying.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill, a chilling tale of modern-world dangers, dark academia, and the unexpected consequences of revenge as six friends dabble in the occult and are tragically, horrifyingly successful… calling forth an evil entity that demands regular human sacrifice.

Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.

Narrated by Ari Fliakos, Ian Shaw, Kate Mulgrew, Virginia Kull, Dominic Hoffman, Marin Ireland, Tim Sample, Kristen Ariza, Jaime Lamchick, Mike Ortego, Micky Shiloah, Kristen Sieh, Pete Simonelli, Kevin Stillwell, and Peter Ganim, Hill delivered a tale that held me spellbound and will become a favorite alongside NOS4A2.

When Arthur Oakes, a student at Rackham College in Maine, is coerced into stealing rare books from the college library by a local drug dealer, he turns to his friends for help. When Colin Wren suggests using the Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding, the others willingly agree. Together, Colin, Arthur, Gwen, Alison Shiner, and twins Donna and Donovan McBride call forth a dragon to do their bidding. The tale that unfolds was addictive, chilling and filled with unspeakable horror as the six of them must feed this insatiable beast or forfeit their lives.

You know when a twenty-six hour audiobook flies by as the outside world slips away that you’ve got a winner. Not since NOS4A2 have I slipped into one of Hill’s books in quite the same way. The characters are complex, flawed, and, love them or hate them, you cannot help but get wrapped up in what is happening and how each handles it.

It’s a story of friendship, revenge, found family and a coming of age story. It’s multilayered, complex and very dark. There are mythical elements, sociopaths, and twists as the stakes continue to be raised and everything falls apart. While the middle may have lagged a little, Hill made up for it with scenes and moments that are seared into my mind.

I highly recommend grabbing King Sorrow on audio. The cast brought these characters and the story to life, and the story worked well in this format. The full cast worked well with the changing points of view and enhanced my overall enjoyment.

Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm

About Joe Hill

Joe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel. He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts. He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long-running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez. He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales

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About Ari Fliakos

Ari Fliakos is an actor with experience in television, radio, film, theater, and voiceovers. His narration of Seth Patrick’s Reviver won an Audie for paranormal fiction. He has narrated Black Site and Tier One Wild by Dalton Fury, as well as Gangster Squad, The Inquisitor, and Shotgun Lovesongs.

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About Kristen Sieh

KRISTEN SIEH is a stage, television, and voice-over performer. She was a member of the original cast of the Tony® Award-winning Broadway musical The Band's Visit, and a founding member of the Brooklyn-based theater company The TEAM, writing and performing half a dozen new plays in the U.S. and abroad.

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About Marin Ireland

Marin Ireland has won a Theatre World Award and been nominated for a Tony Award®, and has been described by The New York Times as “one of the great drama queens of the New York stage.” Outside her stage work, she has worked frequently in film and television, including starring roles in Light from Light, The Irishman, Sneaky Pete, and The Umbrella Academy.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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