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Six unlikely but brave children encounter the way of a colossal and fearsome paranormal malevolence that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, deciphering ancient puzzles in his free moments; another key figure, rich, clever, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they toy, half believing, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding 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 extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Fluidity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Horror and Hope

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of valor and instances of appalling malevolence, both earthly and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is chiefly 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 this character as the friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their beast into being with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.