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Six quirky but brave kids encounter the path of a immense and fearsome otherworldly darkness that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a New Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a band of six call forth the primordial, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill started his career going to great lengths to distance himself from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are scholars at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and brilliant, cracking historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they toy, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling work: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice each year or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Optimism

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the force of their minds.

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