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Six oddball but doughty children encounter the trail of a vast and dreadful otherworldly malevolence that has entered our realm from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to devote their lives battling it, facing one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a New Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Authorial Heritage

The author launched his profession making great efforts to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: most are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, solving ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer rare books from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the diary of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “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 “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Fluidity and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the allies endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we go from page-turner to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Tapestry of Horror and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “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 companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.