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A group of six quirky but resilient children confront the trail of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of darkness. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle confronting it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, deeply sinister beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a signature King element (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Returning to the group: most are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving ancient puzzles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Ceremony

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the journal of adept this enigmatic character (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease between genres: as the companions strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Tapestry of Fear and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. There are magical swords and betrayals, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is above all a paean to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust 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 into existence with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.