Scribner announced today they have acquired the rights to, and will publish Stephen King’s ‘Sword in the Darkness’. One of King’s earliest works, Sword in the Darkness was finished on April 30th, 1970 and has sat unpublished and only accessible by written permission from King himself, in the special collections archive in the University of Maine at Orono.


Harry M. Pitts from Scribner states: “At over 150,000 words and 485 pages, this work by King has been long sought after, and we are proud to publish it. Additionally plans are in place to produce a signed limited edition that we feel will eclipse any previous book production ever done for a King novel. The lettered edition will be bound in faux human skin with special ‘piercings’. We look forward with great anticipation to releasing the book one year from today-April 1, 2019”.


Book synopsis: Arnie's life is torn apart when his pregnant sister commits suicide, and his mother dies of a brain tumour. He eventually seeks a relationship with the saucy Kit Longtin after being rejected by Janet Cross. Marcus Slade, a black activist lawyer arrives in town, and after an incident at Harding High School where he is speaking, the riot erupts, and the town burns!


Fuelled by gangs like the Dock Street Socializers, the Markham Avenue Chieftains, and the Turner Street Trades, the riot shows the evil side of human nature.