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A group of six unlikely but resilient children fall into the trail of a vast and terrible supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our realm from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a band of six invoke the ancient, deeply sinister beast the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, 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). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a incident that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the fictional Rackham College in Maine. There’s Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; another key figure, rich, clever, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their band as they experiment, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing publication: the journal of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armored demon” to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the companions attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a part tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Hope

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, breath-taking moments of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a paean to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.