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A group of six oddball but resilient kids fall into the path of a immense and terrible paranormal evil that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, facing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Approach

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; no arguments). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some villains. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, 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 brings to mind a signature King element (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and intelligent, cracking historical enigmas in his leisure hours; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, half believing, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a fresh offering each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Dexterity and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we transition from page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is primarily a paean to the human inventiveness, 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 friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their beast into being with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.