🔗 Share this article

Six unlikely but resilient kids confront the trail of a vast and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has invaded our existence from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

An Echoing Plot with a New Approach

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which six friends call forth the ancient, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Embracing a Authorial Legacy

Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the fictional this academic setting in Maine. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, solving ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, affluent, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they dabble, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ceremony

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and unsettling work: the journal of practitioner this enigmatic character (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering each year or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the friends strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part tinged by the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Fear and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a tribute to the creative spirit, and to affection and camaraderie. “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 gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their dragon into existence with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.