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Six oddball but doughty children fall into the trail of a vast and fearsome paranormal evil that has entered our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

An Echoing Premise with a Fresh Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group invoke the ancient, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to help them defeat some baddies. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, clever, and known for crushing those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, half believing, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and chilling work: the diary of practitioner Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Range

Covering a generation, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we move between page-turner to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to love story to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Mosaic of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book 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 friends gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.