Six unlikely but brave children fall into the path of a vast and terrible paranormal malevolence that has infiltrated our realm from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to devote their lives battling it, enduring terror upon terror in the ordeal.
This outlines the narrative, in essence, of the master of horror’s novel It (his best; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the ancient, deeply sinister beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation backfires.
Joseph Hillström King launched his profession making great efforts to remain separate from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a incident that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and we delight along with him.
Focusing on the companions: most are pupils at the made-up this academic setting in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and gifted, deciphering historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, affluent, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.
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, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and chilling work: the logbook of occultist the historical figure (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the author references as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”
Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to romance to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a section sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.
The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, genuinely frightening and expertly realized. There are magical swords and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of valor and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is primarily a ode to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “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 friends assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into being with the power of their thoughts.
According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.
