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A group of six unlikely but brave kids fall into the way of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Twist

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the primordial, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some villains. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Central Figures

Returning to the group: five of them are students at the fictional the esteemed institution in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking ancient puzzles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they dabble, half believing, half not, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take rare books from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing publication: the diary of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a clever snake to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Range

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to horror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a section sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Fear and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of valor and ones of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a ode 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 this character as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.