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Six oddball but resilient kids encounter the trail of a vast and terrible supernatural darkness that has entered our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives confronting it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s novel It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

The author started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, clever, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing title: the journal of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice each year or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Range

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment infused with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Tapestry of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of dreadful evil, both human and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the allies gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.

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