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A group of six oddball but doughty youngsters fall into the trail of a immense and terrible otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends summon the primordial, infinitely malicious dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Main Characters

Back to those friends: most are students at the made-up this academic setting in Maine. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; Colin, affluent, astute, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their group as they experiment, partly convinced, half not, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take rare books from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the diary of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a fresh offering every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with effortless ease between genres: as the companions strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we move between suspense to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a segment sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Canvas of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the creative spirit, and to devotion and companionship. “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 sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.