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A group of six unlikely but brave children encounter the path of a colossal and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our world from the outer limits of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, deeply sinister beast King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Central Figures

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the fictional the esteemed institution in Maine. There’s Arthur, bookish and intelligent, deciphering ancient puzzles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they experiment, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ceremony

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take valuable volumes from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the journal of occultist the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). The intrepid group read the journal, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Inventive Breadth

Covering a generation, the author shifts with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a part infused with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Mosaic of Dread and Courage

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.