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Six quirky but resilient children encounter the way of a colossal and dreadful paranormal evil that has entered our realm from the farthest reaches of darkness. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes fighting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Premise with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the ancient, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Lineage

The author began his writing journey striving diligently to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are scholars at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, solving ancient puzzles in his free moments; Colin, affluent, clever, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the journal of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). The intrepid group read the journal, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a different victim each year or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Range

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from page-turner to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to terror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Tapestry of Horror and Hope

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of courage and instances of terrible wickedness, both earthly and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a ode to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.