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Six unlikely but resilient kids confront the trail of a immense and terrible paranormal malevolence that has invaded our world from the outer limits of oblivion. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the age-old, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that brings to mind a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Returning to the group: five of them are students at the imagined this academic setting in Maine. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering ancient puzzles in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their band as they experiment, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing title: the diary of adept the historical figure (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the allies attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or seeking means to destroy the entity 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 part infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Tapestry of Dread and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the allies assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

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