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A group of six quirky but brave children confront the path of a vast and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has entered our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, facing terror upon terror in the process.

An Echoing Premise with a Fresh Approach

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges 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 battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the fictional this academic setting in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and brilliant, cracking Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their group as they experiment, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and unsettling work: the journal of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang examine the log, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a fresh offering annually or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Fluidity and Creative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a part tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Hope

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is primarily a paean to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We longed for a tale to embrace 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 beast into being with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.