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Six quirky but resilient youngsters fall into the trail of a vast and fearsome paranormal malevolence that has entered our existence from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Plot with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s novel It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Acknowledging a Authorial Legacy

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his famous father, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: most are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Versatility and Inventive Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Fear and Optimism

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the allies gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their beast into being with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.