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Six unlikely but resilient children fall into the path of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has entered our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They must wage a lifelong battle battling it, facing horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Premise with a Fresh Twist

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the primordial, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Authorial Heritage

Joseph Hillström King started his career going to great lengths to remain separate from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his father). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Central Figures

Returning to the group: most are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in Maine. We have Arthur, bookish and gifted, deciphering ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and unsettling publication: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a clever snake to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative enduring the repercussions. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Horror and Courage

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, breath-taking moments of bravery and ones of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the creative spirit, and to devotion and companionship. “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 gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast to life with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.