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A group of six unlikely but resilient kids encounter the path of a vast and dreadful supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of shadow. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes confronting it, facing horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Plot with a New Twist

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, utterly malevolent dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some villains. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his father). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a incident that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Protagonists

Returning to the group: five of them are students at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the diary of occultist the historical figure (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a clever snake to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the allies attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, covert operations to love story to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a section tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Mosaic of Dread and Hope

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is primarily a paean to the imagination, 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 the wealthy student as the companions sit around the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the power of their thoughts.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.