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A group of six oddball but resilient youngsters confront the way of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly malevolence that has entered our world from the outer limits of darkness. They must devote their lives fighting it, enduring horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Resonant Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of King’s son Joe Hill’s new chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Acknowledging a Family Legacy

The author started his career making great efforts to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, 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 the New England state. We have Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his spare time; another key figure, affluent, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their group as they dabble, somewhat credulous, half not, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling publication: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Dexterity 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, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Hope

There are trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the friends assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.