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A group of six oddball but resilient children fall into the path of a colossal and dreadful paranormal evil that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.

A Resonant Plot with a Fresh Approach

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It similarly frames of King’s son Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the primordial, deeply sinister dragon the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

The author started his career striving diligently to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his dad). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. There’s Arthur, academic and intelligent, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their group as they dabble, somewhat credulous, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing title: the logbook of adept the historical figure (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a different victim every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Breadth

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace between genres: as the companions endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to horror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a segment infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and expertly realized. There are magical swords and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a paean to the imagination, 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 the wealthy student as the allies gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into being with the force of their minds.

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