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A group of six quirky but brave children fall into the way of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our world from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to devote their lives battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a New Approach

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (his best; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, deeply sinister beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to help them defeat some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Literary Lineage

Joe Hill started his career striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the journal of occultist the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang read the journal, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a clever snake to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a fresh offering every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Versatility and Creative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a part infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and instances of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a tribute to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the companions gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

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