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A group of six unlikely but doughty kids encounter the way of a immense and dreadful otherworldly malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to devote their lives confronting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Plot with a New Approach

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s novel It (his best; no debate). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends summon the age-old, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Literary Lineage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey making great efforts to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his parent). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: most are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, bookish and intelligent, solving Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their group as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a part infused with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the human inventiveness, 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, getting ready to invoke their dragon into being with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.