A group of six oddball but brave children fall into the way of a vast and dreadful supernatural evil that has invaded our realm from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must devote their lives confronting it, facing horror after horror in the process.
A Resonant Plot with a New Spin
This is the plot, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no debate). It similarly frames of King’s son Joe Hill’s new horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent dragon King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.
Celebrating a Family Legacy
Joe Hill launched his profession making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.
The Cast of the Central Figures
Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. There’s Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their group as they dabble, half believing, half not, in the occult.
The Fateful Ritual
Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and disturbing title: the logbook of practitioner the historical figure (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the binding is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and devote the remaining story enduring the repercussions. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a different victim each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”
Narrative Versatility and Creative Breadth
Covering a generation, the author shifts with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or seeking means to kill the dragon themselves, we move between suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to horror. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part infused with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.
A Detailed Mosaic of Dread and Courage
The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a tribute 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 this character as the friends sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their serpent into existence with the force of their minds.
According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.
