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A group of six unlikely but brave kids encounter the path of a immense and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a New Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s novel It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It similarly frames of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Acknowledging a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are scholars at the imagined the esteemed institution in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and intelligent, deciphering ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, somewhat credulous, half not, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the companions endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a part infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of courage and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the allies gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.