NEWS -

Building 8 Seasons In The Same Structure As King's Books

Posted: October 15, 2026, 13:19
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Mike Flanagan sees his adaptation of The Dark Tower as an 8 seasons TV series and he intends to do them as the books and following the outline and structure that King provide with the source material. Flanagan explained that King's structuring is "genius," beginning simply with two characters, the Man in Black and the Gunslinger, in a vague desert landscape before gradually building and expanding on the franchise's massive universe "one brick at a time."

"The problem with the other approaches is people who try to jump in in the middle, or people who try to jump in at a different point. Because you can't throw an audience face-first into this huge universe. It's overwhelming. King did it right, he walked you in starting with two people and nothing else, and walks you one step at a time. So my adaptation was that. It was just doing the books, and doing them in order."

One challenge could be to get the audience to accept the series leaving the main story and Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy for a season while doing Wizard and Glass and then again with The Wind Through The Keyhole.

Two Of My Books Being Released in Portuguese

Posted: October 13, 2026, 21:08
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My Portuguese publisher Darkside Books has announced the Portuguese edition of my books Stephen King: Not Just Horror and Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling. Both books have been collected in one book called Almanaque Stephen King. The release is November 18 and if you order from their site you’ll get some extra stuff (see image and more info on the publisher's site).


Hans-Åke Lilja isn’t just an exceptional Stephen King fan. He’s the creator of one of the world’s leading resources on the author, and now he’s back at DarkSide® Books ALMANAQUE STEPHEN KING is a book that reveals behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive interviews, trivia, and perspectives that only someone who has dedicated decades to King could provide.

A complete immersion into the worlds created by King, this DarkSide® edition is a compilation of two works: “Not Just Horror” and “Stories from Five Decades of Storytelling”. In this book, you’ll learn a little more about the genius, the creative process, and the generosity of this colossal author. From the same mind that organized the “Antologia Macabra”, the ALMANAQUE STEPHEN KING also features photographs and illustrations, as well as a detailed chronology of the writer, who continues to produce unforgettable works. An edition for shining fans who wish to delve into the mind of the master of horror.


For more info check out Darkside Books.

An Update From Joe Hill

Posted: October 13, 2026, 15:50
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Joe Hill mention his upcoming book Hunger in his last info mail and now it looks like it will be released in June 2027:

When is that novel coming out? It was May. Then it was September. Looks like now it’s going to be June 2027. The game of trying to find the right week to release isn’t limited to publishing… this exact same thing happened with the release of the first Black Phone movie. The ball dings around the roulette wheel, catching here, and then there, before finally settling into its proper socket. For what it’s worth, I think we’re sticking at June.

He also mention that he's finishing up a spooky story, he won't say much about it yet though...

I’m finishing up a spooky story of my own, but I won’t say anything about it. You don’t start boasting about the fish you’ve caught before you’ve reeled it in. Hopefully I’ll get it done before I slip out of here for London. Maybe I better get back to it.

A Haunted House Idea

Posted: October 13, 2026, 00:41
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In the printer version of the Locus interview King mentions an idea for a Haunted House story…

"It's interesting'; that's the curse of the writing class: This thing is interesting, that thing is interesting, and you gotta do it. I get offered a lot of things, Jack Bender came to me and said – he did From, and he's got The Institute on MGM+ – 'Do you have any good haunted house stories? I said, 'I do have this one idea....

Sounds interesting. Let’s hope it happens.

Anything For Holly Confirmed By King For Release In 2027

Posted: October 13, 2026, 00:34
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In the printed interview in Locus King confirmed that Anything For Holly will be released in 2027.

"And I've got a new Holly book that will come out in 2027, and that finishes that. I thought I was done; I thought, 'Well, I finished The Talisman and I finished The Dark Tower series in T3. I finished the Holly books because I put a button on those, and I thought, 'Well, I'm done. I'm retired. But the world... it doesn't work that way. People come along and they say, 'Would you like to try and do this? Would you like to try to do that?' My mother used to say, 'Stephen, if you were a girl, you'd always be pregnant.'

1968; Yet Another New King Book

Posted: October 13, 2026, 00:28
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In the printed version of King’s interview with Locus King talks about another book he is writing. The titel is 1968 and here is what he said:

"I'm working on something now that's called 1968. 1968 is something that I wrote, originally, in 1968, when I was 20 years old. I had just broken up with a girl and it was a place to go, a make-believe place where I could retreat from my pain. Nobody feels emotional pain like a 20-year-old - except maybe a 15-year-old! So, I wrote this long book, and I thought, 'This is not a very good book,' and I never looked at it again. Then, when I finally did, I decided, 'Yeah, it's okay. Maybe I can do something with it.' I might, and I might not. I'm trying!

"Part of the thrill of it is working with my 20-year- old self. There are parts of it where I can say to myself, 'This is totally fucked up. People don't behave this way. You might like to think people behave that way when you're 20, but they don't.' We don't fight too much, me and my 20-year-old self, because I rule, as the one who made it; I survived being 20.

Thanks to Jonathan Reitan

My Thoughts On Flanagan’s Carrie

Posted: October 7, 2026, 09:37
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Here are my thoughts on Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Carrie. There are some spoilers so be warned if you haven’t seen the series.

Most of the series is good and it definitely earns its place among the many adaptations of King’s book. In fact, I think that only the 1976 version is better. There are problems with it though and the biggest problem I have with the show is…

Anything for Holly, The Last Holly Book

Posted: October 6, 2026, 22:56
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In an interview with USA Today King mention that he is closing another chapter (besides the Talisman/Dark Tower chapter. The upcoming Holly book will probably be her last.

And lest you think King’s slowing down as he nears 80, the author’s closing another chapter of his literary life: He just finished his next book, “Anything for Holly,” the last novel to feature fan-favorite detective Holly Gibney.

Holly is one of your favorite characters. Did you get a little emotional finishing her story, too?

She means a lot to me. She's my dear one. And she means a lot to readers who have followed her for a long time. I didn't cry beautiful tears or anything like that, but yeah, I got a little nostalgic I guess you would say. I always say to myself, well, maybe she'll come back in some form or another, but I really don't think so.

Title For The Next Holly Book Revealed

Posted: October 6, 2026, 15:56
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King recently did an interview with Talking Scared about Other Worlds Than These and in the end he gave away the title for the next Holly-book; Anything For Holly and that it’s a BIG one. He’s editing it right now.

He also mentioned that he is thinking about a witches for an upcoming story and that he would like to write another story taking place in 1968.

So, the guess is that Anything For Holly is the King book for 2027.

My Thoughts On Other Worlds Than These

Posted: October 6, 2026, 14:55
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Here are my thoughts about Other Worlds Than These. There are some small spoilers in it so if you want to read the book totally unaware read the book first.

It’s finally here, the last Talisman book, the last Dark Tower book. It’s both exciting and a bit sad that this is the end of an era. So, the expectations are huge for this one. Does it live up to them? Well, both yes and no.

Flanagan sees Carrie As A 3-Season Series

Posted: September 29, 2026, 08:56
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I just finished writing my review for Flanagan’s Carrie the other day and even though I can’t share it with you just yet (it will be published on October 7, the day of the series release) I can tell you I felt like Flanagan was aiming for more seasons than just one when I saw the series. And now I just found out that I was right. In an older interview done at the Toronto International Film Festival by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff asked the filmmaker how many seasons he would want to make and why that length suited his vision.

“In my dream scenario, I think it’s three seasons. In my dream scenario, I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc. It’s a trilogy, really.”
- Mike Flanagan

For now, three seasons is just Flanagan’s vision. No announcement from Prime Video has been done for additional seasons. If they will my guess is that they’re deciding once they know how well season 1 is doing.

Thanks To Everyone That’s Helped Me Celebrate 30 Years!

Posted: September 24, 2026, 22:17
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Lilja’s Library’s 30th Anniversary is slowly coming to an end. It’s only about 3 months left of 2026 and the celebrations. So I thought it would be appropriate to thank everyone that in some way have helped me celebrate and wished me a happy anniversary!

A special thanks to:
Vincent Chong
Glenn Chadbourne
John Ajvide Lindqvist
François Vaillancourt
Glen Mazzara
Mick Garris
Joe Hill
Barbara Muschietti
Andy Muschietti
Stewart O’Nan
Tyson Blue

I really appreciate all your support in my quest to cover everything King on the site. It’s been 30 exciting years!


You can see all the happy anniversary videos here.

Flanagan Gives Update On The Dark Tower

Posted: September 16, 2026, 15:43
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Entertainment Weekly spoke to Mike Flanagan about the upcoming Carrie show but also asked about The Dark Tower adaptation.

To do it the way I wanna do it requires an enormous commitment from a studio.

Flanagan’s main struggles now are the rights that he needs to secure.

The way the Dark Tower universe is connected, you’ve got characters in there that are all over the place when it comes to studio ownership. So the development process on it has been epic. It, of course, has taken much longer than I’d like it to, but I work on it all the time. It’s never stopped moving. It just moves at its own oil-tanker pace.

There has also been questions about if Carrie could turn in to a backdoor into The Dark Tower?

I may have asked this very question several times along the way. It’s certainly not impossible. There are characters in the Tower canon who would serve a very specific purpose in that story, who audiences wouldn’t necessarily recognize because they only exist in certain books.

Carrie White could achieve the same narrative purpose pretty cleanly. You could say the same, though, of Abra Stone (Doctor Sleep), you could say the same about Danny Torrance (The Shining). How the various Stephen King worlds can connect is always on my mind.

King Translated Into Tamil

Posted: September 10, 2026, 09:13
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Yet another language that King’s books has been translated into has appeared, making the total of translations 57 (see them all here). This time it’s the language Tamil, spoken in southern India and northeastern Sri Lanka. The book they have translated is On Writing.

Hill's Hunger Delayed

Posted: September 9, 2026, 08:51
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Hill’s upcoming book Hunger has been moved back to May 18, 2027, so we need to be patient and wait for another 2 months before we get to read it.

They’re starving in Boston.
It’s the winter of 1776, and the besieged city is running perilously low on supplies. First the American rebels penned in the British soldiers, then frostbite sank its teeth into the city, and now a ravenous ghost has come to feed on the trapped and desperate colonists who remain loyal to the Crown.
Morale is low enough among the besieged British troops without a fiend tempting men with a sumptuous feast of roast meat, pastries, puddings, and pies. It’s a spread many would sell their souls for…which is exactly the deal on offer.
As the ghoul’s withered victims pile up, and panic spreads, British General Howe takes action: he orders Captain Amos Crowe to expel the fiend by any means necessary.
It is an impossible order. But it’s far from the only impossibility in Crowe’s horrifying New World. For the dead have been speaking to him ever since he was injured at the Battle of Bunker Hill. And now, he must track down a witch hidden deep behind enemy lines, a woman who, it is rumored, holds the key to defeating the evil spirit.
A fast-paced and immersive historical yarn from Joe Hill, master of the supernatural fable, this gripping story weaves its way through the heart of the American Revolution as told through British eyes, capturing the spirit of the age in all its high passion, opportunity, and terror.

The book will have 432 pages (according to Amazon) and you can pre-order your copy here.

Lilja’s Library’s 30th Anniversary WINNER!

Posted: August 29, 2026, 09:13
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The biggest contest I’ve had at Lilja’s Library has closed. It’s purpose was to celebrate Lilja’s Library’s 30th anniversary (1996-2026) and I really want to thank everyone who has congratulated me for running the site for this long. THANKS!

So, the contest is over and a winner has been selected and contacted. So, even if you have the same name as the winner, if I haven’t contacted you, it’s not you. Sorry.

The winner is Simon from the US! Congratulations! The book is in the mail and will hopefully arrive soon.

To everyone else; thanks for participating and rest assure that there will be more contests here at Lilja’s Library!

Crouch End Greenlit for a 6-Part Miniseries

Posted: August 28, 2026, 09:40
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Crouch End, based on the short story with the same name, and named after the real-life North London district in which it’s set, has been greenlit by Prime Video as a six-part limited series.

Crouch End is being adapted by Paul Tomalin (Bodies) and directed by Tom Shankland (Berlin Noir, The Serpent) and is produced by Mammoth Screen and Fifth Season. Executive producers are Tomalin, Shankland, Damien Timmer, Rebecca Keane and Ben Irving.

“Stephen King is one of the defining storytellers of our time, and we’re thrilled to bring his Lovecraftian tale to life in London with ‘Crouch End,'”
- Nicole Clemens, VP of International Originals at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.

Photos From Season 2 Of The Institute

Posted: August 25, 2026, 09:40
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Screen Rant has released a few more photos from season 2 of The Institute. They have also gotten confirmation that the season will be released later this year. No exact date has been revealed yet though.

In one of the photos we can see Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen who plays an eccentric European tech billionaire and one of the Institute's financial backers with an ambitious agenda all his own.

Two New Languages

Posted: August 19, 2026, 20:18
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Recently I learned about two more languages that King’s books have been translated into. Galician (Salem's Lot), spoken in northwestern Spain and Kurdish (The Shining), spoken in Krudistan. This makes the total number of languages King’s been translated into (that I know of) 56.


You can check out what those 56 languages are here.

The Gruesome Massacre Of The Bradley Gang

Posted: August 18, 2026, 08:57
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HBO now confirms that season 2 of Welcome to Derry will go back 27 years prior to the events of season 1 and land in 1935. It will focus on the gruesome massacre of the Bradley Gang, a group of bank robbers who stop in Derry to buy ammo and end up facing unimaginable horror. Brad Caleb Kane returns as showrunner for season 2 and will serve as executive producer alongside the Muschiettis.

If you paid attention during season 1, you will have noticed a small hint at the Bradley Gang storyline when General Shaw dug up an old automobile filled with skeletons from the ground. In season 2, the tale of the Bradley Gang will expand upon a small narrative told in King’s book as part of the interlude chapters.


Brothers George and Al Bradley were the heads of the Bradley Gang, a band of criminals who robbed and pillaged various storefronts and banks across Derry in the ‘30s. Kitty Donahue, George’s wife, is another character who often accompanied the brothers on their terror sprees. George and his acquaintances were finally gunned down in 1935 during a brutal shootout when several Derry residents ambushed them. Andy Muschietti told EW in a 2025 interview that they are “building a story that has the Bradley Gang episode as a climactic event.”

“Some guy saw the clown hanging outside a window. It’s weird physics and just a collage of information. We are bringing much more life to the story. The story now makes a lot of sense. It’s a fleshed-out story with characters and arcs and everything.”

Casting hasn’t been confirmed yet, but when speaking with Entertainment Weekly last November, Barbara Muschietti teased the return of Bill Skarsgård. She said the origins of Bob Gray and It’s Pennywise form “will also play into the second season.”

King Joins Big City Greens Halloween Episode

Posted: August 7, 2026, 14:00
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Disney has officially announced the guest cast who will be doing voices in the upcoming 5th season of the animated series Big City Greens and King is one of them. King will be featured in a Halloween-themed episode, and a first look at his appearance has been revealed (see image).

Season 5 will debut on Aug. 21 on Disney Channel (8:00 pm EDT/PDT) with the season's first five episodes. They are made available for streaming the next day on Disney+. No word on when King’s episode will air but a good guess is around Halloween.

Sam Raimi Goes To Desperation

Posted: July 31, 2026, 17:31
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Sam Raimi will produce an upcoming adaptation of King’s Desperation and Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky are on board to direct. Searchlight Pictures is the studio attached to the feature film project.

King’s book was released in 1996 together with Richard Bachman’s The Regulators and Mick Garris turned it into a made-for-TV movie starring Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt and Steven Weber back in 2006.

Welcome To Derry Season 2 Still In Script Stage

Posted: July 30, 2026, 21:58
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Casey Bloys head of HBO recently spoke to Variety and gave a status update on season 2 of Welcome to Derry that confirms what most of us (except those who claim filming has already started) already know. That they are still working on the scrips.

What’s the status of “It: Welcome to Derry,” which still hasn’t been given a renewal?

Oh, I said this before: They’re working on on a take for Season 2, and they’re coming up with a take and scripts. I am very inclined to, obviously — the show did very well. They want to be happy with the direction that they’ve come up with. They’re still working on it. They’ll show it to us, but I’m feeling very good about what I’ve heard so far.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson

Carrie Season 2? It’s Possible

Posted: July 28, 2026, 09:56
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Carrie could end up being a multi-season affair. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly at San Diego Comic-Con, Flanagan addresses the “potential” for a season 2.

“The beauty of not really being beholden to the book or to any of the previous adaptations is that the potential of the characters and of the greater world that she belongs to does allow to look at it not as a finite story. I don’t speculate as to what it could be or what Amazon may want to do with it down the line. My priority is to make these eight episodes as great as I can from start to finish.”

“Having done so many limited series, I want to make sure that when it ends, it’s perfectly satisfying no matter what happens, whether you’re moving on or not. But, yeah, part of the fun of this was diving into that expansive world that could potentially continue.”

Flanagan Compares His Carrie & The Mist With Building LEGO

Posted: July 27, 2026, 00:10
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Mike Flanagan talked a little about his adaptation of The Mist (not filmed yet) at Comic-Con. Director Frank Darabont adapted it in 2007 and Flanagan really like that version.

“It’s one of the most brutal movies I’ve ever seen. That ending is jaw-dropping. My way into the story, through the story, and out of that story is very different. When I presented that to Steve [King] — that was also important because he loves Frank’s movie — it’s like, Why are we doing this? What are we gonna do that justifies itself? So it’s a different type of adaptation for me.”

Flanagan has compared adapting both Carrie and The Mist with taking LEGO apart and then building something new.

“With his [King] blessing, always! I would never contemplate it without it. But, yeah, it’s a different way to adapt things for me. And it’s interesting to me that he’s a storyteller whose ideas can have multiple lives.”

Flanagan & Cast Talks Carrie

Posted: July 25, 2026, 09:03
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Mike Flanagan and the cast from Carrie, Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan, Matthew Lillard, and Amber Midthunder being interviewed by IGN at SDCC. Flanagan also gives an update on his in-development adaptation of The Dark Tower.

The Road To The Dark Tower Is Long

Posted: July 18, 2026, 23:09
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Flanagan says that getting The Dark Tower done is a long process.

When Flanagan struck a splashy television deal with Amazon, after a years-long stint at Netflix, those who gleefully follow his horror work were expecting him to launch into The Dark Tower, a TV passion project he spoke of repeatedly over the years. That, however, became “one of the most complicated properties to get started,” he says. “Getting the green light on Dark Tower is a much longer and more involved process than anything else I’ve ever approached in my life.”

It sounds like there will be some time until we se this one…

First Photos And Some Changes For Carrie

Posted: July 13, 2026, 20:22
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Entertainment Weekly posted the first images from the upcoming Tv-series based on Carrie today as well as more info about what we can expect. And it sounds like we should prepare for there to be some changes compared to the book.


Flanagan’s vision for these characters couldn’t be more different than previous movies. He describes Spacek’s performance as “a clenched fist who’s absolutely shaking out there in the world.” Meanwhile, Summer H. Howell version of Carrie is “wide open,” “eager,” “curious,” and “earnest,”. “[She’s] walking into the forest of her teenagehood without any sense of danger and with an innate trust in people and in goodness.”


We’ll get moments like the period scene in the high school bathroom that sets off a wave of bullying. And, of course, there’s the prom. “We’re getting there a completely different way and the events of that prom are going to be completely different,” Flanagan prefaces. “That’s a wonderfully delicious and irresistible opportunity for someone who loves adapting things.”


Stephen King also talks about the ‘TK gene’ [for telekinesis] and the science behind Carrie’s abilities. Something that the De Palma adaptation ignored was Carrie’s place in the larger universe, that she’s part of a sorority of very gifted women and just doesn’t know it. The book absolutely points at that, but that was something we could pick up and run with.


Beginning with episode 2, each installment of the season will open with “a different, unique story of a different woman, somewhere else in the world and in time, coming to terms with their own abilities. Carrie’s specific place among that group of women is part of the real joy that we get to discover over the course of the season.
- Mke Flanagan


What do you think about this? Carrie is set to premiere on Amazon Prime in October.

Anniversary Contest At Lilja’s Library!

Posted: July 4, 2026, 21:59
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OK it’s contest time and to celebrate Lilja’s Library’s 30th anniversary I have a really special prize for you (see image).



All you need to do is find this post on my social media and follow and share it on any of my other social media before August 28th.

Then on August 29th, which just happens to me my birthday (I’m a bit older than 30 though) I will randomly select one social media and then one person that follows me there and have shared this post as the winner.

The contest is open to anyone all over the world and you can share as many times and on as many social media as you like. And don’t forget to follow.

Here is where you’ll find Lilja’s Library’s contest post on social media:
Facebook
X
Instagram
Threads
Bluesky

Good Luck!

An update from Joe Hill

Posted: July 2, 2026, 21:27
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Joe Hill updated us about the status of his next book, Hunger and told us he is now working on the book after that in his latest newsletter.

My book-a-year plan is off to more like a book-every-two-years start. All I can tell you is that Hunger is done in second draft, chugging pleasantly along through the next editorial steps, and I’m at work on a new novel. I wrapped up a screenplay—the first time I’ve ever adapted someone else’s work!—and will likely be on to another adaptation in the fall.

Sherlock Cover

Posted: June 23, 2026, 08:28
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Here is the hardback cover for SHERLOCK: Short Story Anthology that includes Joe Hill's new story An Exercise in Murder. Release date for the hardback is December 1st and you can pre-order it here.

Special feature

30th anniversary wishes

King calendar

Out now!:
Other Worlds Than These
Out now!:
Carrie TV Series
2026:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (Portuguese ed.)
2026:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (Portuguese edition)
November 5, 2026:
An Exercise in Murder (Short story by Hill)
November 8, 2026:
The Institute season 2
2026:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (German edition)
2026:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (German ed.)
June:
Hunger (Joe Hill)

Latest interviews

Caroline Bicks
April 20, 2026
Rex Baluyot
February 4, 2026
Andy & Barbara Muschietti
February 2, 2026

Latest reviews

Carrie
October 7, 2026
Other Worlds Than These
October 6, 2026
Locke & Key: Comic, TV, Dramatization & Keys
May 5, 2026

Comics

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