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Six unlikely but doughty youngsters confront the trail of a immense and terrible supernatural malevolence that has invaded our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They have no choice but to devote their lives confronting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six summon the age-old, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Legacy

The author started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Central Figures

Back to those friends: the majority are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking ancient puzzles in his free moments; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Fateful Ceremony

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and unsettling work: the diary of practitioner this enigmatic character (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the friends endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a segment infused with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Horror and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and betrayals, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “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 gather at the table, preparing to summon their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.