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Six unlikely but doughty youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and terrible paranormal malevolence that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of shadow. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a New Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group invoke the ancient, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Celebrating a Family Legacy

The author started his career striving diligently to distance himself from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Back to those friends: most are scholars at the imagined this academic setting in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, studious and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, clever, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling publication: the logbook of adept the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Inventive Scope

Covering a generation, the author shifts with seamless grace between genres: as the companions attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to shadowy tale, covert operations to romance to fright. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Canvas of Horror and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a tribute 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 this character as the companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.