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Six oddball but brave children confront the way of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must devote their lives battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, deeply sinister dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Embracing a Family Heritage

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Back to those friends: most are students at the made-up the esteemed institution in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their group as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the diary of occultist the historical figure (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what the author references as a “arrogant beast to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. The dragon will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Creative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we go from page-turner to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to fright. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, breath-taking moments of courage and scenes of dreadful evil, both human and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into being with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.