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A group of six quirky but brave children encounter the trail of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, enduring terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the age-old, deeply sinister beast King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

Joe Hill began his writing journey going to great lengths to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the logbook of adept this enigmatic character (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Creative Range

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a section infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Dread and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the creative spirit, 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 this character as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.