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A group of six quirky but brave kids confront the path of a vast and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our world from the outer limits of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, facing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Resonant Storyline with a New Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the primordial, utterly malevolent beast the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Family Lineage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: the majority are students at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, solving Old English riddles in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their band as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing publication: the logbook of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators read the journal, learn they can invoke what the author references as a armoured devil” to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the companions strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we go from thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a part infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.