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A group of six oddball but brave youngsters confront the path of a vast and terrible paranormal evil that has entered our world from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a New Twist

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent King Sorrow from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill began his writing journey striving diligently to distance himself from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a incident that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Main Characters

Returning to the group: most are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing rare books from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and unsettling work: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Inventive Range

Covering a generation, the author shifts with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a part infused with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is primarily a paean 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 Colin as the companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.