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A group of six quirky but resilient children encounter the way of a colossal and dreadful supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a band of six invoke the ancient, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

The author launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the imagined this academic setting in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the diary of adept the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “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 assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.