A group of six quirky but doughty children encounter the way of a colossal and dreadful paranormal darkness that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle battling it, facing one nightmare after another in the process.
An Echoing Storyline with a New Twist
This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; undeniable). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group invoke the ancient, deeply sinister serpent King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.
Embracing a Authorial Heritage
Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his father). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.
The Cast of the Central Figures
Back to those friends: most are students at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. We have Arthur, bookish and brilliant, deciphering historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, half believing, partly skeptical, in the occult.
The Critical Ritual
Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”
Stylistic Versatility and Inventive Scope
Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the friends endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.
A Rich Canvas of Horror and Courage
We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and ones of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is primarily a paean 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 Colin as the friends sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.
In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.
