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A group of six oddball but resilient youngsters fall into the path of a vast and fearsome supernatural evil that has entered our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to wage a lifelong battle battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (his best; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the age-old, deeply sinister dragon the Dragon King from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some villains. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

The author started his career going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are students at the made-up this academic setting in Maine. There’s Arthur, academic and brilliant, deciphering ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; another key figure, rich, clever, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer rare books from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a different victim annually or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease between genres: as the allies attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to offer up, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we transition from suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to love story to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Courage

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is primarily a paean to the imagination, 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 the wealthy student as the companions assemble around a surface, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.