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Six quirky but doughty youngsters fall into the way of a immense and dreadful paranormal evil that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a New Approach

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which six friends summon the primordial, infinitely malicious dragon the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession striving diligently to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his father). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are scholars at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and brilliant, solving historical enigmas in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they experiment, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and unsettling title: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a different victim every twelve months or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we move between thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Dread and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and scenes of dreadful evil, both earthly and extraterrestrial. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is above all a tribute to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their dragon to life with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.