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A group of six unlikely but doughty youngsters confront the trail of a vast and terrible paranormal evil that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, deeply sinister dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill began his writing journey striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his father). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a incident that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: the majority are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, solving Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling work: the journal of occultist the historical figure (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Inventive Range

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace between genres: as the allies endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and instances of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is above all a ode 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 allies assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into being with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.