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Six oddball but doughty children encounter the way of a vast and dreadful otherworldly evil that has entered our world from the outer limits of darkness. They must wage a lifelong battle fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group summon the ancient, deeply sinister serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Heritage

The author began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up this academic setting in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, solving Old English riddles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Critical Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Versatility and Creative Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Canvas of Dread and Optimism

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the human inventiveness, 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 companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.