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Six unlikely but brave children encounter the path of a immense and terrible otherworldly evil that has entered our realm from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s recent massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some villains. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that brings to mind a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, studious and gifted, solving Old English riddles in his free moments; another key figure, rich, astute, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and disturbing title: the logbook of practitioner the historical figure (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang read the journal, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Fluidity and Creative Breadth

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the friends endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of terrible wickedness, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a paean to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their beast to life with the force of their minds.

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