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A group of six quirky but brave youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and terrible supernatural evil that has entered our world from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which a band of six summon the age-old, utterly malevolent dragon the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

Joseph Hillström King began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Main Characters

Returning to the group: the majority are students at the fictional this academic setting in the New England state. First is Arthur, bookish and brilliant, deciphering Old English riddles in his free moments; the character Colin, rich, clever, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their band as they experiment, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and chilling work: the journal of practitioner Enoch Crane (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim each year or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Versatility and Inventive Range

Covering a generation, the author shifts with natural fluency between genres: as the companions endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we transition from thriller to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, 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 Colin as the allies sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent to life with the strength of their collective will.

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