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Six unlikely but resilient youngsters fall into the trail of a vast and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our existence from the outer limits of shadow. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, deeply sinister dragon the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they toy, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Critical Summoning

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and disturbing work: the journal of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Imaginative Range

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of dreadful evil, both earthly and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is primarily a ode to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the companions gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into being with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.