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A group of six oddball but brave kids fall into the trail of a colossal and dreadful supernatural evil that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; no debate). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s recent chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the primordial, infinitely malicious dragon King Sorrow from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

The author launched his profession striving diligently to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“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, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Back to those friends: most are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, 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 forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice each year or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Dread and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the allies sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the strength of their collective will.

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