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A group of six oddball but brave kids fall into the way of a colossal and fearsome otherworldly malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of darkness. They have no choice but to devote their lives battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a New Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which six friends call forth the ancient, infinitely malicious serpent the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Lineage

The author launched his profession striving diligently to avoid any connection from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he leans into it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Returning to the group: most are scholars at the imagined this academic setting in Maine. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, cracking ancient puzzles in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Pivotal Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and unsettling publication: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). The intrepid group read the journal, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Genre Fluidity and Inventive Scope

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the companions attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, far beneath the surface beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Horror and Optimism

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a horror novel that is above all a ode to the creative spirit, 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 serpent into existence with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.