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Six oddball but doughty children fall into the path of a immense and dreadful paranormal malevolence that has infiltrated our realm from the outer limits of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, experiencing terror upon terror in the struggle.

An Echoing Premise with a Distinctive Twist

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

Joe Hill started his career going to great lengths to remain separate from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their band as they toy, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (put to death “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove 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 further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Courage

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.