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A group of six quirky but doughty kids confront the trail of a vast and fearsome paranormal darkness that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes fighting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which a band of six summon the primordial, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

Joe Hill started his career going to great lengths to distance himself from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: most are scholars at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s made to take the collection’s foremost and disturbing publication: the diary of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Versatility and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a part tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, properly scary and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, breath-taking moments of courage and scenes of appalling malevolence, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is above all a tribute to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “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 sit around the table, preparing to summon their dragon into being with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.