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Six quirky but resilient youngsters encounter the way of a colossal and terrible supernatural malevolence that has entered our realm from the deepest abyss of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives confronting it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the ancient, utterly malevolent dragon King Sorrow from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to distance himself from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, solving Old English riddles in his leisure hours; Colin, affluent, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the diary of practitioner this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a armored demon” to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Creative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a segment sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, and to devotion and companionship. “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 friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.