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A group of six unlikely but resilient youngsters encounter the way of a immense and terrible paranormal evil that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must devote their lives confronting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the process.

An Echoing Plot with a Fresh Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which six friends invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to help them defeat some baddies. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

The author started his career making great efforts to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (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 lineage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Back to those friends: most are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his spare time; Colin, rich, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they experiment, half believing, half not, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and unsettling work: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “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 companions gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon to life with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.