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A group of six unlikely but doughty kids encounter the trail of a vast and dreadful paranormal evil that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a band of six summon the primordial, infinitely malicious beast King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Acknowledging a Literary Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, rich, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take rare books from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing title: the diary of adept the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Range

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the companions attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a segment infused with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of dreadful evil, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode 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 friends sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into being with the strength of their collective will.

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