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A group of six quirky but brave kids fall into the path of a immense and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our world from the farthest reaches of shadow. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes confronting it, experiencing horror after horror in the struggle.

An Echoing Plot with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the ancient, infinitely malicious dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Family Legacy

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that brings to mind a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are students at the imagined Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Summoning

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the logbook of practitioner this enigmatic character (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Creative Range

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to love story to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a segment sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Tapestry of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – the classic variety and online ones, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, breath-taking moments of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.