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Six unlikely but resilient kids confront the way of a vast and terrible supernatural darkness that has invaded our world from the farthest reaches of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which six friends call forth the primordial, infinitely malicious dragon King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Embracing a Family Lineage

Joseph Hillström King started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a incident that recalls a King plot point (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: the majority are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and brilliant, deciphering historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and chilling publication: the diary of practitioner Enoch Crane (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a fresh offering each year or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Inventive Breadth

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment infused with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Tapestry of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.