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Six oddball but resilient youngsters fall into the way of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly evil that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of darkness. They must devote their lives fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the ordeal.

An Echoing Plot with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the age-old, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

Joseph Hillström King started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that brings to mind a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are pupils at the fictional the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, bookish and intelligent, solving ancient puzzles in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, half believing, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the diary of practitioner Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the allies attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is chiefly a tribute to the imagination, 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 assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their dragon to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.