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A group of six quirky but doughty youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and terrible paranormal malevolence that has entered our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They must devote their lives battling it, experiencing terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Embracing a Family Lineage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Back to those friends: five of them are students at the fictional the esteemed institution in Maine. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they experiment, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and disturbing publication: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the allies strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we transition from page-turner to shadowy tale, covert operations to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “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 companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.