NEWS -

Hansel and Gretel: The Deluxe Edition

Posted: May 18, 2026, 10:40
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Hansel and Gretel will be released in a signed and limited edition from Hodder & Stoughton.


Experience the classic, haunting tale of Hansel and Gretel, reimagined by literary legends Stephen King and Maurice Sendak, in this beautiful collector's edition.

The soon-to-be-unveiled deluxe edition of Hansel and Gretel features:
- A gold-foiled slipcase developed from Sendak's own sun illustration, keeping your book in pristine condition for decades to come.

- Exclusive cover art, unique to this edition, sets it apart as a special collector's copy.

- Five collectible prints featuring art not included in the original hardback, sealed in an envelope with a special message from the Sendak Foundation.

- Heavyweight paper and durable binding, lovingly created for pride of place on the family bookshelf for this generation and the next.

- Alongside the deluxe edition, there will be 100 limited, numbered copies signed by Stephen King, which will ship at a later date to allow for signing and numbering.

Coming soon for pre-order for customers worldwide, excluding the US, Canada, and Philippines. More info

My Thoughts On Locke & Key: Comic, TV, Dramatization & Keys

Posted: May 5, 2026, 22:35
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I’ve just spent some time at Keyhouse with the Locke family, and it’s been a very interesting stay. I’ve been meaning to read the Locke & Key comic (story by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodríguez) for some time, but other things have kept getting in the way. But now I finally decided it was time. I also decided I wanted to check out everything connected to the comic. That means the comic, the audio dramatization, the three-season Netflix series, the unaired Fox pilot, the unaired Hulu pilot and the physical keys that have been created by Skelton Crew Studio.

The keys are magic, and each is unique. One, the Ghost Key, lets you become a ghost if you open the right door with it and go through. Another, the Head Key, lets you open your head and look inside.

With a successful story there are often attempts to turn it into a major movie or a TV series. Locke & Key is no exception. What’s different is that they failed twice before they got it right.

Andy Muschietti directed a brilliant pilot episode… funny, relentlessly paced, and thoroughly terrifying.

Check out my thoughts here.

No More Locke & Key

Posted: April 24, 2026, 17:31
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Just finished Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez’s comic Locke & Key, all 45 issues. Only problem now is that i want more. So I asked Joe but unfortunately it doesn't look like there will be more issues.

My Thoughts On Monsters in the Archives

Posted: April 21, 2026, 08:21
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Here are my thoughts about Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks.

To say that Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King is an interesting book is a huge understatement. This is the book I have been waiting for, without knowing that I was waiting for it.

Patton Oswalt to Narrate Other Worlds Than These

Posted: April 16, 2026, 22:49
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Patton Oswalt is the narrator of the upcoming third Talisman book, Other Worlds Than These.

“I've been a Stephen King fan since I was 10. His books were a huge part of how I fell in love with storytelling in the first place so having the opportunity to narrate Other Worlds Than These feels a little unreal. Being able to step into The Dark Tower universe and bring the final chapter of the Talisman trilogy to life is an absolute honor."
- Patton Oswalt

Credit : Courtesy Robyn Von Swank; Simon & Schuster
"Having Oswalt on board is a “wonderful” feeling. Spoiler alert: In Other Worlds, there's a character named Payton Orville, who's… a stand-up comedian!”
- Stephen King

Other Worlds Than These will be published on Oct. 6 and is now available for preorder:
US hardcover
US Audio
Kindle

UK hardcover

Lilja’s Library’s 30th Anniversary Birthday Wish

Posted: April 16, 2026, 10:03
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Lilja’s Library’s 30th Anniversary Birthday Wish

Here is a birthday wish from Caroline Bicks. Caroline has spent a year in King's archives and written a wonderful book about it, Monster in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King.

Next week I will speak to Caroline about her book as well as review it so look for that early next week.

30 Years Of Serving The King Contest Coming...

Posted: April 8, 2026, 10:54
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As you might (or not) know 2026 is the 30th anniversary of Lilja’s Library. I’m celebrating all year long with birthday wishes from friends and fellow King fans (if you want to send in a video I’d be happy to post it on the site) as well as contests. So far I have had 2 contests and soon it’s time for the third.

I haven't set a date or a format for it yet but I wanted to give you a taste of what you can win. Here is a sneak peek.

Hint: Here is a cropped photo showing parts of the important page in the book that you can win...

Even though the contest is in the future I do recommend you to follow my social medias ASAP to avoid missing out! I don’t think I have to tell you, you don’t want to miss out on this one, right?

Follow Lilja's Library and look for more info here: Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky

We Have A Winner!

Posted: April 1, 2026, 09:44
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The second 30th Anniversary contest is over and we have a winner but first let’s check out the correct answer. The question was:

Name the three book series King has written that includes 3 or more books.

The correct answer should be:

The Dark Tower: 8 books
The Bill Hodges trilogy: 3 book
The Talisman trilogy: 3 books

Yes, The Talisman trilogy is included since the questions was “book series King has written” and the third book is written even if it’s not released yet.


Some of you answered The Gwendy trilogy but that isn’t correct since King was only part of book 1 and 3. Some of you also mentioned The Holly Gibney books and I admit that those can be seen as a series even if I se them more as books with the same character included but I have given right for that as well.

The Green Mile has also been mentioned but that is one book even if it was released in segments but that is not a series.

Unfortunately there were a lot of you that had the correct answer and was drawn but then didn’t include your address and was therefore (as stated on the contest page) disqualified. One that did get the right answers and included his address and is now the happy owner of a copy of the limited Firestarter is…

LEE MOORFOOT in Ohio

CONGRATULATIONS! the book is on the way!

Thanks to Overlook Connection for sponsoring the contest. They are also giving everyone 10% off on everyting on StephenkingCatalog.com if you enter the code LILYA10.

Lilja’s Library’s 30th Anniversary Thanks!

Posted: March 31, 2026, 11:44
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Thanks to everyone who has wished Lilja’s Library a Happy 30th Anniversary! 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 videos here.


Thanks to: Vincent Chong, Glenn Chadbourne, John Ajvide Lindqvist, François Vaillancourt, Glen Mazzara, Mick Garris, Joe Hill, Barbara Muschietti, Andy Muschietti and Stewart O’Nan.

100,000 Followers

Posted: March 27, 2026, 00:24
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Today Lilja's Library reached 100,000 followers on Facebook.

Thanks to all of you that follow me there and for all for your support during the last 30 years!

Heather Graham Talks Carrie

Posted: March 22, 2026, 21:38
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Heather Graham talked briefly about the upcoming Carrie series with Collider.

"I have seen the first three episodes, and they’re great. They bring in an aspect of social media bullying and guns in school, so they try to modernize it, and I do feel like he captures the essence of what makes Carrie great.”

What do you all think about it?

I'm Going To KingCon!

Posted: March 10, 2026, 08:48
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If someone have missed it it's now official. I'll be a guest at the 2026 KingCon in Atlantic City, NJ, October 22-24. Other guests that's been announced so far is Francois Vaillancourt.


Can't wait to see you all in Atlantic City!

The World Ends In Hardcover

Posted: March 3, 2026, 16:18
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The End Times will be released in hardcover collecting all 12 issues. The book will be released in early 2027 but you can pre-order here.


As the world struggles to begin again—years after a pandemic wipes out most of the population—Mary Poole finds meaning as a writer and editor when she revives an old printing press and begins publishing a small-town newspaper. But Mary soon discovers there are other, more sinister agendas at work as well. Don’t miss this tale of quirky humor, startling fear, deep love, faith in humanity, and—ultimately— hope.

Special contributions by Claudia Inez Bachman not only inform the narrative, but add to the lore surrounding Claudia and her late husband, Richard Bachman, Stephen King’s longtime pseudonym.

2026 Contest #2: Firestarter

Posted: February 27, 2026, 14:26
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It’s time for the second 30th anniversary contest. The prize this time is Slipcased limited and illustrated edition of Firestarter published by PS Publishing. The book is donated by Overlook Connection.

The question you need to answer correct this time is:

Name the three book series King has written that includes 3 or more books.

Answer the question by filling out this form (no other entries will be valid so please do it right) and follow me on one or several social medias. On April 1st I’ll randomly select one of my social medias. I will then randomly select one of the entries. If the entries I select have the right answer I’ll also see if the person who sent it in follows me on the selected social media and if that is the case we have a winner. If the answer is wrong or the selected person doesn’t follow me on the selected social media I’ll select a new winner.

Here is an example (facebook and Mr. X are just examples in this case) of how I will draw the winner. So, the more you follow me the bigger your chances are of winning.


Good Luck to everyone! You have until March 31 to enter!

Lilja's Library on Social Media
Facebook
X
Instagram
Threads
Bluesky

About the book:
Slipcased limited of Firestaerter, released by PS Publishing.
Slipcased Edition - Extensively illustrated by Dave McKean with wraparound colour dustjacket; an illustrated slipcase; and sumptuous interior pieces. This edition is strictly limited to one thousand numbered copies signed by Dave McKean.

Thanks to Overlook Connection for donating this book!

Long Days and Pleasant Nights — 30 Years Online

Posted: February 26, 2026, 11:36
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Lilja’s Library celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. That means it first entered the Internet back in 1996. The Internet was still new, and most websites consisted of plain text, revolving skulls, and other “cool” effects. In the middle of it all, Lilja’s Library made its debut. Never in my life could I have imagined that, 30 years later, I would still be updating the site with all the latest news about King.

1996 was a great year to be a King fan. We received no fewer than three books that year, King’s 38th, 39th, and 40th releases. Now, thirty years later, he is publishing his 92nd book.

That year also gave us The Green Mile, released in six parts over six months, an experience that allowed fans to discuss the story together without anyone reading ahead and spoiling the ending. Each installment even came with its own screensaver for our computers. The only problem? Most of us didn’t even have a computer.

We also got the twin novels Desperation and The Regulators, the latter released under the Richard Bachman name. As you can see, 1996 wasn’t just a strong year in terms of quantity, it was also a year of experimentation. The Green Mile was published in serialized form, and Desperation and The Regulators were interconnected through their characters despite being published under different names. 1996 truly was a wonderfully experimental year for King. And Lilja’s Library entry was perfect timing.

There were also a few film releases. We got Thinner, based on Bachman’s novel of the same name, featuring King in a cameo as the pharmacist, Mr. Banghor. Additionally, two sequels were released, Sometimes They Come Back...Again and Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, which, in all honesty, we might have managed without.

A lot has happened since those early days, but Lilja’s Library is still here. For that, I want to thank all of you who visit the site, comment on social media, write to me, and share my news.

Make sure you follow Lilja’s Library in whatever way works best for you. 2026 is a special year, and you won’t want to miss what’s coming. There are many fun things ahead throughout the year!

Read the full history of Lilja's Library here.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights fellow Constant Readers!
Lilja February 26, 2026

Lilja's Library on Social Media
Facebook
X
Instagram
Threads
Bluesky

King Writes Intro To Horror Collection

Posted: February 20, 2026, 09:45
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King has written an intro to Nat Cassidy's horror collection I Know A Place and now you can read a short excerpt from it over at Forbes.

“The short version is, I just asked!” he told me over email. “The long version is, I was lucky enough to have King read my previous novel, When the Wolf Comes Home, and say some incredibly nice things about it. I also had a story in last year’s bestselling anthology set in the universe of King’s The Stand, about which he also had some very kind words."
- Nat Cassidy

The book is released on May 5 from Shortwave Publishing.
Thanks to Anders Jakobson

Carrie Arrives In October

Posted: February 17, 2026, 16:47
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During Katee Sackhoff's Fan Expo Vancouver panel, she shared the release window for Carrie.

"Back to Mike Flanagan, yeah... the Flanniverse... October of 2026, Carrie comes out on Amazon. You guys are in for a treat. It's very good. It's very good. I mean, it's 'Carrie.' There's fire? ... There might be some blood. Yeah, I'm just excited. You guys are gonna love it. Mike Flanagan is, so good at what he does: smart, psychological horror."

Mike Flanagan & Stephen King Goes Into The Mist

Posted: February 10, 2026, 20:24
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Deadline reports today that King and Flanagan will do a remake of The Mist for Warner.

Flanagan will direct and write the screenplay and he will produce through Red Room alongside Tyler Thompson and Spyglass’ Gary Barber and Chris Stone. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room.

The Mist has previously been made into a feature film by Frank Darabont back in 2007 and a TV series back in 2017. Why King and Flanagan feel there is need for a new movie is beyond me. I rank Darabont's version as one of the top 5 best King adaptations out there, especially the ending.

Thoughts?

King Is Happy With The Scripts For S1 Of The Dark Tower

Posted: February 9, 2026, 16:38
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King has commented on the scripts for season 1 of Mike Flanagan's adaptation of The Dark Tower and he likes it.

The scripts for the first season are wonderful. I am so happy with them. Stephen King is very happy with them. He's been through it with his adaptations. He'll tell you he's not pleased. And this one means more to him than any of the others, so the pressure is huge.

Read more here

The Talisman 3: Other Worlds Than These Out Oct. 6

Posted: February 8, 2026, 02:56
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Amazon.co.uk has listed The Talisman 3 for release on October 6 and it’s title is Other Worlds Than These

'I wanted to go back to Mid-World, which was always the Territories by another name' - Stephen King

This is Stephen King and Peter Straub's epic and unforgettable finale to the Talisman Trilogy (including the novels The Talisman and Black House) and a wrapping up of the fate of the worlds in King's iconic, fiercely beloved Dark Tower epic. It is also a wonderful stand-alone novel, that will appeal to new readers, as well as to King's Constant Reader.

OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE is the story of Jack Sawyer, whom readers first met when he was twelve, crossing America and 'the territories' to save his mother's life, and met again in Black House, where Jack faces a child killer and the Crimson King (among other evils). In OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE Jack must stop a rampaging gang of infected teenagers from America-side, and the forces of the mysterious Gullet at the edge of Mid-World, before it destroys our world and all worlds. Jack is older now; his Ka-tet is fraying; and his task, nearly impossible.

Magnificent, riveting, full of heart, and humour, OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE is a spectacular, propulsive adventure, and features 30 exclusive black and white illustrations by artist Gabriel Rodriguez.

Pre-order your copy here.

Alfie Allen Joins The Institute & Plot Info Released

Posted: February 5, 2026, 09:48
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Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones has joined the cast of The Institute. Production has started in Halifax and Allen will play Nolan Reeves, an eccentric European tech billionaire and one of the Institute’s financial backers with an ambitious agenda all his own.

We have also gotten some info about the plot of season 2:

Season 2 picks up following the Season 1 finale, following Luke Ellis, Tim Jamieson and the other survivors as they work to expose the Institute’s crimes while staying one step ahead of the army of killers on their tail. Meanwhile, the ruthless and calculating Ms. Sigsby pursues her quest for vengeance and a return to power, in the process discovering more about the deep inner workings of the Institute than she ever could have imagined.

My Interview With Rex Ballot

Posted: February 4, 2026, 10:13
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I love to find out what happens behind the scenes in movies and TV series, so the other day I sat down with Rex Baluyot, Make-up Artist, and in the case of Welcome to Derry, Prosthetics Artist / Denture Technician and asked her about her work on creating Pennywise’s fangs…

So, if you are curious on things like this, check out the interview here.

My Interview With Andy and Barbara Muschietti

Posted: February 2, 2026, 16:16
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A few day ago I sat down with Andy & Barbara Muschietti to talk about Welcome to Derry but also to find out what was true and what was just rumors when it comes to season 2 and 3 of Welcome to Derry, if there will be a supercut of IT part 1 and 2 and also if there really are plans for a third movie, IT part 3.


Check out what they had to say here.

Hill Working On A Script and Hunger Pushed To March 2, 2027

Posted: February 2, 2026, 16:15
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In his latest newsletter, Escape Hatch • 72 Joe Hill gives an update on what he’s working on at the moment.

I’m closing in on the latest rewrite of this screenplay (adapted from a still-unpublished-but-it’ll-be-out-someday novella of mine).

He's also updating us on his next book Hunger:

I’m also elbow deep in what will probably be the last major rewrite of Hunger (although there will inevitably be at least two more lighter revisions).

HarperCollins announced Hunger, complete with a pretty good sketch of what the thing is about. There’s also a release date, but I wouldn’t Sharpie that on your calendar just yet, I kinda got a feeling it’s gonna get bumped to early 2027. (Hey! I said I’d finish a book a year, I didn’t promise anything about publication dates, which is somewhat out of my control).

The release date for Hunger on HarperCollins website has now been changed to March 2, 2027.

A 25,000 Words Longer King Sorrow?

Posted: February 2, 2026, 15:59
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In his latest newsletter, Escape Hatch • 72 Joe Hill talks about cutting 25,000 words out of his last book, King Sorrow, giving us a very detailed list of what he cut and how long each segment was. He also reveals that there might be a future limited edition in which he'll be able to put that material back into the narrative. I don't know about you but I'm hoping this will happen.

After my editor, Jen Brehl, and some other early readers had a look at the second draft of King Sorrow, it became clear to me that it would be best for the book, commercially if not creatively, to cut 25,000 words. In the end I had to make some hard choices. One of the things I had to clip out was a whole suspenseful subplot about Donovan McBride on Cherokee Island and his not-so-meticulous escape plan. It just about killed me to clip it out, but I saw that it could be excised cleanly, and no one would sense the loss of it. So that was 6,500 words right there.

I had cause to think of it the other day, because while I can’t announce anything just yet (there’s nothing to announce), there might be a future limited edition in which I’m able to put that material back into the narrative. We’ll see. Seems to me that could be pretty cool.

The prospect of restoring one of Van’s best moments to King Sorrow got me looking back on the other things I had to clip out, stuff that’s kind of wild to think about now. In several early drafts, when we first meet Arthur Oakes, he isn’t living with his best friend Van in off-campus housing… he was living with his aunt and uncle, who both had jobs at the school. Yeah, that’s right: Reverend Erin Oakes had a sister! Aunt Kate was a big character too. My mom was especially attached to her, and had real concerns about the way she disappeared from the last third of the novel… I remember my ma wrote me a few hundred words, sketching out what I might do with her.

I hadn’t noticed the way Aunt Kate disappeared from the last third of the book until my mom mentioned it… but that was a good cue that I didn’t need her. She had to go, and that was another 6,500 words.

I fought harder to keep something else: once upon a time, Gwen used to be a smoker. To be specific, she was a pipe smoker. Her father was too, and it was her habit to finish her day by smoking a pipe with him out on the front step. That pipe followed her throughout the story and often appeared at moments of high drama. I remember she banged it down in frustration, in Part I, when her friends were talking about pooling their money to pay off the Nighswanders. Years later, when Gwen is in fairly desperate straits, she goes out on the back step of her house with Robin Fellows and has a pipe while they talk about her options.

It’s a weird but true thing that when I attended John Bapst in Bangor, Maine, several of the girls had corn cob pipes, and would whip them out for a sneaky smoke when teachers weren’t around. I found that indescribably cool and, while working on King Sorrow, it seemed like a little random bit of Maine cultural history worth preserving.

My wife and my U.S. editor didn’t agree with me and one or both of my parents found it a totally valueless affectation. I was dragged kicking and screaming but in the end the pipe went. Maybe if we ever get a TV adaptation (hey! I’m allowed to daydream!) we’ll get the pipe back, but probably not. Although smoking was fairly ubiquitous in the 1980s, you won’t see a single ciggy in The Black Phone movies. Our distributor, Universal, wouldn’t have it. Gwen’s pipe, that was maybe 500 words. More? Maybe more. That pipe kept busy.

If you’re doing the math, you’ve probably realized this tally only gets me to about 14,000 words, and I needed to cut 25,000. Where’d I get the rest? Well, I just made a rule for myself that I was going to cut one sentence from every page, no exceptions. Sometimes I’d get two, or more, but never less than one. I also hacked conversations down to the bare minimum (there is always too much banter in my early drafts). I got there. Barely. And the good news is the psychic wounds have almost healed!

2026 Contest #1: The Stand - We have a winner!

Posted: February 1, 2026, 20:54
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The first 30th anniversary contest is over and we have a winner. But before I reveal who it is let’s check out the question and answer.


Question was: What year did Lilja’s Library first appear online?

The answer was of course 1996. Quite easy since the site celebrates it’s 30th anniversary this year. Most of you got the answer correctly. Unfortunately many of you didn’t read the instructions right and missed this part:

Please add your postal address in the answer field // Entries without postal address will be disqualified.

So, the first winners I selected hadn’t entered this info and because of this was disqualified.

One who did do everything right is Josh Johnson (Josh has been contacted and know he is the winner so if your name is Josh Johnson and you haven’t been contacted unfortunately you’re the wrong Josh) who now is the lucky owner of a copy of a Gift Edition of The Stand donated by Cemetery Dance! The book will come in the mail to you soon!

If you didn’t win this time don’t worry, there will be at least 3 more contests this year with great prizes. So keep an eye out for that.

Congratulations to Josh and thanks to Cemetery Dance!!

Hill’s Hunger Out On October 13

Posted: January 18, 2026, 01:14
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According to Amazon Joe Hill’s next book Hunger will be released on October 13 and here is a description of it’s plot:

A new novel about the battle for a country's survival — and a malevolent, murderous ghost hell-bent on consuming souls.
 
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.

Special feature

30th anniversary wishes

King calendar

April 21, 2026:
Monsters in the Archives
2026:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (German ed.)
2026:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (German edition)
2026:
The Institute season 2
October 2026:
Carrie TV Series
October 6, 2026:
Other Worlds Than These
2026:
Stephen King: Not Just Horror (Portuguese ed.)
2026:
Stephen King: Stories From Five Decades of Storytelling (Portuguese edition)
March 2, 2027:
Hunger (Joe Hill)

Latest interviews

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

Latest reviews

Locke & Key: Comic, TV, Dramatization & Keys
May 5, 2026
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King
April 21, 2026
The Running Man
November 14, 2025

Comics

See covers for all the recently released comic books - The Dark Tower, The Stand, American Vampire and more.

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King's best book

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