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A group of six unlikely but resilient children encounter the way of a immense and fearsome supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing terror upon terror in the process.

A Familiar Premise with a Fresh Twist

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some villains. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

The author launched his profession making great efforts to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, cracking historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer rare books from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and chilling work: the diary of practitioner the historical figure (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Versatility and Inventive Breadth

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the companions strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface under the English county, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, breath-taking moments of bravery and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the friends assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.