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Six unlikely but brave kids fall into the trail of a colossal and terrible supernatural evil that has invaded our world from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They must devote their lives fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no debate). It parallels of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the primordial, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Legacy

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Central Figures

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in the New England state. First is Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, rich, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the stunning the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their group as they dabble, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the diary of occultist the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Creative Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we go from page-turner to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Horror and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the allies sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent into being with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.