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Six quirky but doughty kids fall into the way of a vast and fearsome supernatural darkness that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Familiar Plot with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which six friends call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: most are pupils at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, clever, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their circle as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the journal of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a clever snake to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Dexterity and Imaginative Scope

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from thriller to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Mosaic of Fear and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and treacheries, breath-taking moments of courage and scenes of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, 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 friends sit around the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.