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Six unlikely but doughty children confront the trail of a colossal and terrible supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; no arguments). It similarly frames of King’s son Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends call forth the age-old, deeply sinister serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Family Legacy

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they experiment, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and chilling title: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to love story to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Optimism

There are trolls – the classic variety and online ones, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, 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 the wealthy student as the allies assemble around a surface, 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.