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Six unlikely but doughty children confront the way of a colossal and dreadful paranormal darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle battling it, enduring one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six summon the primordial, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Acknowledging a Literary Heritage

The author began his writing journey striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Main Characters

Back to those friends: most are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their band as they toy, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and chilling title: the logbook of adept the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim annually or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from page-turner to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to love story to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a part sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Canvas of Horror and Optimism

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of valor and ones of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the imagination, 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 friends assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their serpent into being with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.