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A group of six quirky but resilient children fall into the way of a colossal and terrible supernatural evil that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They have no choice but to devote their lives confronting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious serpent King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a signature King element (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: five of them are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, bookish and brilliant, solving ancient puzzles in his free moments; another key figure, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they experiment, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and disturbing title: the diary of adept the historical figure (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, discover they could summon what the author references as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering each year or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Dexterity and Inventive Breadth

Covering a generation, the author shifts with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to shadowy tale, covert operations to romance to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a part sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Hope

There are trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.