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A group of six unlikely but brave youngsters fall into the way of a colossal and dreadful supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a New Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; no arguments). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a band of six summon the ancient, utterly malevolent beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Embracing a Family Heritage

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in the New England state. First is Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering ancient puzzles in his free moments; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, 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 forced to acquire the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the diary of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Creative Scope

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Horror and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and online ones, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and instances of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is primarily a tribute to the human inventiveness, 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 this character as the friends assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.