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Six unlikely but resilient kids fall into the trail of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly evil that has infiltrated our existence from the outer limits of shadow. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, deeply sinister beast the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill began his writing journey striving diligently to remain separate from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Central Figures

Back to those friends: most are scholars at the imagined this academic setting in Maine. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; another key figure, wealthy, clever, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the journal of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a new sacrifice annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to shadowy tale, covert operations to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a part tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Fear and Courage

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is primarily a paean to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the companions gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into existence with the force of their minds.

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