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Six quirky but doughty youngsters confront the way of a colossal and fearsome paranormal darkness that has entered our realm from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes fighting it, facing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Twist

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious beast King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are students at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his free moments; another key figure, rich, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing rare books from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and unsettling publication: the journal of adept the historical figure (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group read the journal, discover they could summon what the author references as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering each year or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Versatility and Creative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the friends attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a paean to the creative spirit, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

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