'Original and gripping, a page-turner' George R. R. Martin on The Fireman
'A master storyteller who writes with fire in his veins' Lauren Beukes on The Fireman
'A genuinely scary novel... I loved it unreservedly' Neil Gaiman on Heart-Shaped Box
Arthur Oakes is an outsider. His mother is in prison, his father is long gone, so he spends his time lost in the legends of English mythology. Then one unintended incident - one moment of standing up for another underdog - leaves his mother in danger and him with orders to steal rare books from the college library. And the events that will unfold from that single act of bravery will lead to slaughter.
Because his gang of six close friends, all outsiders, intend to use a tome bound in human skin in an arcane ritual to summon the notorious dragon-demon King Sorrow to kill their tormentors... They enter into a pact - King Sorrow will kill the couple who have been terrorising the group in exchange for their worship.
But dragons are not to be trusted, and soon they realise this isn't just revenge. They must repeat the ritual every year - including choosing who their King will kill next...
From 1980s Midwest America to 2020s England, King Sorrow is a game-changing horror novel with an unforgettable cast led by six clever, damaged protagonists battling all manner of menaces, both supernatural and all too human - unmissable for fans of Stephen King, Jordan Peele, and Leigh Bardugo.
