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A group of six unlikely but brave kids fall into the trail of a colossal and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, experiencing horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which six friends call forth the primordial, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

The author started his career striving diligently to distance himself from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are scholars at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, half believing, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and disturbing publication: the logbook of practitioner the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of dreadful evil, both earthly and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is chiefly a tribute to the imagination, 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 friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.