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Six oddball but brave children confront the path of a vast and dreadful supernatural evil that has entered our realm from the outer limits of shadow. They must devote their lives confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent dragon the Dragon King from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Legacy

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to remain separate from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that evokes a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, academic and intelligent, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in the occult.

The Critical Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and unsettling work: the journal of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a different victim every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Versatility and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, deep in the caves under the English county, a section sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.