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Six oddball but doughty children fall into the path of a vast and dreadful otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of darkness. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle confronting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Storyline with a New Twist

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; no arguments). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group summon the age-old, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the made-up this academic setting in Maine. We have Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling title: the diary of occultist the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a armored demon” to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a new sacrifice each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with natural fluency between genres: as the companions strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, deep in the caves under the English county, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, properly scary and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and instances of terrible wickedness, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a ode to the creative spirit, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.