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Six oddball but brave youngsters fall into the path of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has entered our world from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

An Echoing Plot with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which six friends summon the primordial, infinitely malicious beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill started his career going to great lengths to remain separate from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that evokes a signature King element (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, bookish and gifted, solving historical enigmas in his spare time; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their group as they dabble, partly convinced, half not, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing rare books from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the journal of adept the historical figure (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Creative Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a section infused with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Mosaic of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is primarily a tribute to the imagination, 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 friends assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their dragon into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.