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A group of six oddball but resilient children confront the way of a immense and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes fighting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s new massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group invoke the primordial, deeply sinister dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

The author began his writing journey making great efforts to distance himself from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that brings to mind a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Central Figures

Back to those friends: most are pupils at the fictional the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, cracking historical enigmas in his spare time; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, half believing, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering annually or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Breadth

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the friends endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a segment infused with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Mosaic of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of courage and ones of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is above all a tribute to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast to life with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.