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A group of six oddball but doughty children confront the path of a immense and terrible paranormal malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the ancient, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in Maine. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, solving Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a new sacrifice annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Dexterity and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the companions strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Tapestry of Fear and Optimism

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the human inventiveness, 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 this character as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their dragon into being with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.