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A group of six quirky but resilient youngsters confront the path of a immense and fearsome paranormal evil that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They must wage a lifelong battle battling it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the ancient, utterly malevolent serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Embracing a Literary Lineage

The author began his writing journey making great efforts to avoid any connection from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Main Characters

Returning to the group: five of them are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; Colin, rich, astute, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they experiment, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling work: the journal of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities 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 Crane describes as a armored demon” to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Versatility and Creative Range

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we move between suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Tapestry of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a ode to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the allies gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their dragon to life with the force of their minds.

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