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Six oddball but brave youngsters fall into the path of a vast and fearsome supernatural evil that has entered our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, experiencing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, utterly malevolent dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: most are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and chilling work: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a armored demon” to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Dexterity and Inventive Scope

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we transition from suspense to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Fear and Courage

There are trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of dreadful evil, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “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 friends gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

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