🔗 Share this article

Six quirky but brave kids confront the trail of a colossal and terrible supernatural malevolence that has invaded our world from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle confronting it, facing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Resonant Plot with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group summon the age-old, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some villains. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Embracing a Authorial Legacy

Joe Hill launched his profession going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that brings to mind a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Returning to the group: the majority are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and chilling title: the logbook of occultist 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, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease between genres: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to grim fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Horror and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “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 companions gather at the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.