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A group of six quirky but doughty youngsters fall into the path of a colossal and fearsome supernatural darkness that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of darkness. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, experiencing terror upon terror in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious dragon the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Embracing a Family Heritage

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to avoid any connection from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, cracking ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, affluent, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the logbook of practitioner this enigmatic character (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the companions strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. There are magical swords and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, 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 Colin as the allies assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their beast to life with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.