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Six quirky but resilient youngsters confront the path of a immense and dreadful paranormal darkness that has invaded our realm from the outer limits of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes confronting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the struggle.

An Echoing Premise with a New Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the age-old, utterly malevolent beast the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Embracing a Family Lineage

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to remain separate from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: five of them are pupils at the imagined this academic setting in this northeastern locale. First is Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they experiment, half believing, half not, in the occult.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and chilling work: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. The dragon will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering 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 Creative Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease between genres: as the companions strive to manage the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between page-turner to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a part tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Canvas of Fear and Optimism

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is chiefly a ode 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 this character as the allies sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon into being with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.