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A group of six oddball but doughty youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our existence from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the ancient, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their arcane ceremony backfires.

Celebrating a Authorial Legacy

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey striving diligently to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Central Figures

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, studious and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; another key figure, affluent, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their band as they experiment, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, forced into stealing rare books from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and chilling work: the diary of practitioner the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, discover they could summon what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a part tinged by JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Courage

There are trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is above all a ode to the human inventiveness, and to love and friendship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the allies gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into existence with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.