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Six quirky but resilient kids encounter the path of a colossal and terrible paranormal malevolence that has invaded our world from the outer limits of darkness. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, experiencing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the primordial, deeply sinister serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

The author started his career striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: the majority are students at the made-up this academic setting in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Versatility and Creative Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the companions attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of terrible wickedness, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, 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 friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent into being with the strength of their collective will.

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