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A group of six oddball but resilient kids encounter the way of a colossal and fearsome supernatural evil that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a New Twist

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; no debate). It parallels of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a band of six invoke the ancient, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill launched his profession striving diligently to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are students at the made-up this academic setting in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, astute, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their band as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the journal of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we go from suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to terror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a segment sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Optimism

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of valor and ones of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is above all a paean to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.