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A group of six oddball but resilient children fall into the way of a vast and dreadful supernatural evil that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes fighting it, experiencing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Plot with a Fresh Spin

This describes the premise, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s new chilling tome, in which a band of six call forth the ancient, deeply sinister serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Embracing a Family Heritage

Joseph Hillström King started his career striving diligently to distance himself from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Back to those friends: most are students at the made-up this academic setting in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, rich, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their group as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Critical Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing publication: the journal of practitioner the historical figure (put to death “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a different victim annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Versatility and Imaginative Range

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the friends attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from page-turner to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of dreadful evil, both earthly and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the creative spirit, 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 allies gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.