🔗 Share this article

Six quirky but doughty youngsters confront the way of a immense and dreadful supernatural evil that has entered our realm from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Plot with a Distinctive Twist

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, infinitely malicious serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: the majority are students at the made-up this academic setting in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; another key figure, affluent, clever, and known for crushing those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing title: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the author references as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Imaginative Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface under the English county, a segment infused with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and ones of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the allies sit around the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.