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Six quirky but resilient children encounter the way of a vast and fearsome paranormal evil that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They must wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill launched his profession striving diligently to distance himself from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their band as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the journal of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, discover they could summon what the author references as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Tapestry of Horror and Hope

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is primarily 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 this character as the companions sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

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