All Hail the Son of the King
As a life long Stephen King fan, I have long been curious about the work of his son, novel, comic book, and screenplay writer Joe Hill. His various projects have always sounded interesting to me, but had ended up relegated to the limbo of my endless To Be Read list in favor of other works. However, when his most recent novel launched back in October to rave reviews, I decided it was finally time to give the throne of modern horror’s heir apparent his due regard. After finishing the absolute tome of a novel that is King Sorrow, I’m happy to report it was really enjoyed it!
Let’s get the most obvious talking point out of the way first; I think there are obvious influences from Stephen King’s work (as I would expect there to be for just about any modern horror writer). But Hill does an excellent job of creating a distinct voice and style. His authorial voice reads like someone who is a fan of his father’s work, not someone trying to imitate it. Which is more than I can say for many up and coming horror authors in the modern age.
In terms of both prose and pacing, Hill presents a strong showing for his capabilities. Dialogue, plot, conflict and tone are all well balanced and consistent throughout, carrying what could have easily been a plodding and tiresome tale through to the end with impressive aptitude. Personally, I was impressed that for a book as long as it is, it never felt like it dragged seriously or had boring parts. While Hill has undoubtedly inherited some of his father’s taste for meandering plot lines, he indulges with a sense of purpose that justifies the extended excursions down tangential story trails.
The plot of King Sorrow is something of a Frankenstein’s monster of horror, thriller, fantasy and a decade’s spanning morality tale. The story begins with a group of hapless college students who get more than they bargained for in a classic Faustian bargain, playing heavily to the book’s horror thriller billing. The story then follows the group over the course of decades as they come to grips with their new reality and struggle with the inevitable series of repercussions, both deserved and undeserved.
As the book goes on, it evolves from its rather simple premise into something rather different by the eventual conclusion. Hill incorporates far more fantasy elements than I expected, blending elements of real world occultism, mythology and academia into a sort of internally developed monomyth that takes on a life of its own by the conclusion. One gets the impression that he could be building out the framework his own literary multiverse (or expounding upon what is already set up in previous works). But for this novel, at least, it worked quite well. He masterfully incorporated supernatural and fantasy elements into the modern setting, which is a feat often failed at by lesser authors and managed to make the hybrid of multiple genre’s and elements seem organic, never feeling clunky or forced.
Despite my myriad of praise, I will admit the book is not without its issues. The story takes time to get moving and there’s a certain amount of patience one must have to get through it when reading about what is a quintessential group of dumb kids making bad decisions. Hill does tend towards the wordy and tangential storylines that might turnoff some readers. But if a slower start and lack of conciseness don’t scare you away, I would definitely recommend King Sorrow for both horror and fantasy fans. It’s the rare kind of genre book that feels like it had high ambitions and managed to surpass them while still being wildly entertaining.
