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Six oddball but brave youngsters fall into the trail of a vast and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has entered our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Plot with a New Spin

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s recent horror doorstopper, in which six friends summon the ancient, infinitely malicious beast King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Embracing a Literary Legacy

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his parent). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Back to those friends: most are pupils at the fictional the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his spare time; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their band as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the journal of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the allies endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from page-turner to grim fantasy, covert operations to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a segment infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Fear and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the allies gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.