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A group of six quirky but brave kids fall into the way of a immense and terrible supernatural malevolence that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Premise with a Fresh Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It parallels of King’s son Joe Hill’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Embracing a Family Heritage

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in Maine. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, deciphering Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and unsettling title: the logbook of practitioner Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Creative Range

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we transition from suspense to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a part infused with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Optimism

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a tribute 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 the wealthy student as the allies gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.