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Six unlikely but doughty kids encounter the way of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly evil that has invaded our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must devote their lives confronting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a New Spin

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which six friends call forth the ancient, infinitely malicious dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some villains. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill began his writing journey striving diligently to distance himself from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a incident that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the journal of adept the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a fresh offering each year or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the friends strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from page-turner to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a part sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both earthly and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is chiefly a ode to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.