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A group of six unlikely but resilient youngsters fall into the way of a colossal and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has entered our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They have no choice but to devote their lives fighting it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Twist

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no debate). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a band of six summon the ancient, deeply sinister dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some villains. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

The author launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: the majority are students at the fictional the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; Colin, affluent, clever, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the journal of occultist the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding 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 coercion issue – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Fluidity and Imaginative Range

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we go from page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Hope

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a tribute to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.