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Six oddball but doughty kids confront the way of a immense and dreadful paranormal evil that has entered our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes fighting it, enduring terror upon terror in the struggle.

An Echoing Plot with a New Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six call forth the primordial, deeply sinister dragon King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Authorial Lineage

The author launched his profession making great efforts to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are students at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and intelligent, cracking ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ritual

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take valuable volumes from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the diary of occultist the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Fluidity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with seamless grace between genres: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to fright. One particularly memorable shift 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 Detailed Canvas of Horror and Optimism

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book 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 Colin as the companions gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.