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A group of six oddball but resilient youngsters confront the trail of a colossal and fearsome paranormal evil that has invaded our realm from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to devote their lives fighting it, facing terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Lineage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Returning to the group: the majority are students at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they dabble, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling publication: the logbook of adept the historical figure (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice each year or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Imaginative Range

Covering a generation, the author shifts with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the allies strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to fright. A standout transition was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and ones of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a tribute 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 sit around the table, preparing to summon their dragon into being with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.