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A group of six unlikely but doughty children fall into the path of a colossal and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some baddies. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are students at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, astute, and known for crushing those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the logbook of practitioner the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group read the journal, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with effortless ease between genres: as the friends endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we go from thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a part tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is primarily a tribute to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

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