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Six quirky but brave youngsters fall into the way of a immense and terrible supernatural evil that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They must devote their lives fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the process.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s new massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the age-old, deeply sinister beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: most are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; Colin, rich, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their group as they toy, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and disturbing title: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim 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 Fluidity and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the companions strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we go from thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a part sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Dread and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, 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 companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.