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A group of six quirky but doughty youngsters confront the path of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle confronting it, experiencing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no arguments). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s new horror doorstopper, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

The author launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the fictional this academic setting in Maine. First is Arthur, studious and brilliant, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and disturbing title: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (put to death “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the author references as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to romance to terror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Courage

There are trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and expertly realized. There are magical swords and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the allies sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their dragon into being with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.