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Six oddball but doughty kids encounter the way of a immense and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Premise with a New Twist

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Celebrating a Family 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 steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). However, in his newest work, 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 moment that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and intelligent, deciphering ancient puzzles in his free moments; Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their group as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Critical Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling publication: the diary of adept the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a clever snake to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Scope

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the companions sit around the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.