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A group of six oddball but brave youngsters fall into the trail of a vast and terrible supernatural evil that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

An Echoing Storyline with a Fresh Twist

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Authorial 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 striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the journal of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the friends attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a section tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, 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 allies gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.