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A group of six oddball but doughty children fall into the path of a colossal and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has invaded our realm from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (his best; no debate). It parallels of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group summon the ancient, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Embracing a Literary Heritage

Joseph Hillström King started his career making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the made-up this academic setting in Maine. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; another key figure, rich, sharp, and known for crushing those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and disturbing publication: the journal of practitioner the historical figure (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a different victim each year or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Range

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a part sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is chiefly a ode 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 companions gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their beast to life with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.