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A group of six unlikely but resilient kids encounter the way of a immense and terrible paranormal malevolence that has infiltrated our existence from the deepest abyss of shadow. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle battling it, enduring one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Twist

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Back to those friends: five of them are students at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving ancient puzzles in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering annually or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Scope

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace between genres: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a part tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and instances of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a ode to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust 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, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.