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A group of six unlikely but doughty children fall into the trail of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly darkness that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the struggle.

An Echoing Storyline with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Embracing a Literary Lineage

Joseph Hillström King started his career going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity 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 game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the fictional the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the logbook of adept the historical figure (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group read the journal, discover they could summon what the author references as a clever snake to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Creative Range

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Horror and Courage

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and scenes of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the creative spirit, 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 the wealthy student as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.