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A group of six quirky but doughty children encounter the way of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the ancient, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joe Hill began his writing journey striving diligently to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, rich, astute, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.

The Critical Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Versatility and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Optimism

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the allies gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon to life with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.