Stephen King and Minnesota Author Ben Percy Expand The End Times Into a Full-Length Novel

Minnesota author Benjamin Percy and horror icon Stephen King are expanding their collaborative project “The End Times” into a hardcover book, “The End Times: Volume One,” set for release in early 2027 from Bad Hand Books.

The story first appeared as a limited-run newspaper serial—an unusual format Percy discussed in our previous Q&A with him about the project’s origins and its focus on journalism, misinformation, and rebuilding community after catastrophe. Set in a post-pandemic Minnesota, the story follows Mary Poole, who revives an abandoned printing press and begins publishing a small-town newspaper as society slowly rebuilds.

Artwork by Matt Bowers

Now, for the first time, the entire serial will be collected into a single hardcover volume, with additional material not included in the original newspaper installments.

The project also has a real-world connection to Minneapolis. One dollar from every copy purchased directly through the publisher will benefit the grassroots organization Neighbors Helping Neighbors, supporting community recovery efforts following recent immigration enforcement activity in the city.

Courtesy of Fangoria

Originally printed through a small-town press in Ortonville, Minnesota, “The End Times” blends post-apocalyptic storytelling with a love of local journalism—a theme Percy emphasized when we spoke with him last fall about the project.

“The End Times: Volume One” is available now for preorder and is expected to ship in early 2027.