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A group of six unlikely but doughty children encounter the trail of a vast and dreadful otherworldly malevolence that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends summon the primordial, infinitely malicious serpent the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some villains. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Embracing a Literary Lineage

The author started his career striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: most are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, solving Old English riddles in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their group as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and chilling work: the journal of occultist this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a clever snake to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim each year or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Dexterity and Inventive Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Fear and Courage

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a paean to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.