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Six quirky but resilient kids fall into the trail of a colossal and dreadful supernatural evil that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring terror upon terror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Spin

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which six friends summon the primordial, deeply sinister serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

The author started his career striving diligently to distance himself from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that evokes a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are students at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, clever, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they dabble, half believing, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the diary of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a fresh offering every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies 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 go from suspense to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Horror and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is above all a ode 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 the wealthy student as the friends gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their beast to life with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.