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A group of six quirky but resilient youngsters fall into the trail of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly malevolence that has entered our realm from the deepest abyss of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Twist

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s novel It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and brilliant, cracking Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, affluent, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their group as they dabble, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and chilling title: the journal of adept this enigmatic character (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators read the journal, learn they can invoke what the author references as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we move between page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and instances of appalling malevolence, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the creative spirit, and to devotion and companionship. “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, getting ready to invoke their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.