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A group of six oddball but doughty youngsters fall into the path of a vast and terrible paranormal evil that has invaded our realm from the farthest reaches of shadow. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Literary Legacy

The author launched his profession striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his father). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are students at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, astute, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they experiment, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take valuable volumes from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling title: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we move between page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface under the English county, a segment sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is above all a ode to the imagination, 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 companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.