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A group of six quirky but resilient kids encounter the way of a colossal and terrible otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our realm from the outer limits of shadow. They have no choice but to devote their lives fighting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

The author started his career making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the fictional the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, astute, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they toy, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Ceremony

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Imaginative Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace between genres: as the friends strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Optimism

There are trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and instances of dreadful evil, both human and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is above all a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent into being with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.