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A group of six oddball but doughty children encounter the way of a colossal and fearsome paranormal darkness that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no debate). It parallels of King’s son Joe Hill’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the primordial, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Lineage

Joe Hill launched his profession going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the fictional this academic setting in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, half believing, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling publication: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang examine the log, discover they could summon what the author references as a armored demon” to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Tapestry of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a ode to the creative spirit, 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 the wealthy student as the companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.