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Six oddball but doughty kids confront the way of a colossal and fearsome paranormal darkness that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of darkness. They must devote their lives confronting it, enduring one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This outlines the narrative, roughly, 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 recent massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the primordial, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his father). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, bookish and intelligent, cracking ancient puzzles in his free moments; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their circle as they experiment, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in supernatural practices.

The Fateful Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a ode to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “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, making preparations to call forth their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.