🔗 Share this article

Six oddball but doughty children encounter the trail of a immense and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has invaded our realm from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must devote their lives fighting it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a New Spin

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s recent chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill launched his profession going to great lengths to remain separate from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Main Characters

Returning to the group: the majority are pupils at the fictional this academic setting in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; another key figure, affluent, clever, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, half believing, half not, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized 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). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a different victim each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Creative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to fright. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Canvas of Horror and Courage

There are trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and expertly realized. There are magical swords and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and ones of dreadful evil, both human and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.