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Six quirky but brave youngsters confront the trail of a vast and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has entered our existence from the deepest abyss of darkness. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Resonant Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of King’s son Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in Maine. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and disturbing title: the journal of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Fluidity and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to shadowy tale, covert operations to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Optimism

There are trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of valor and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “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 companions sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into being with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.