🔗 Share this article

Six quirky but doughty kids encounter the trail of a colossal and fearsome paranormal evil that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of shadow. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, experiencing terror upon terror in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a Fresh Spin

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s new massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Embracing a Literary Legacy

The author began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a battle of wits). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Central Figures

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, bookish and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but becomes a key part of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, half not, in the occult.

The Critical Ceremony

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes 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 work: the logbook of adept the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang examine the log, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a armoured devil” to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. King Sorrow will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Versatility and Creative Range

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the friends attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of valor and instances of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is chiefly a ode to the imagination, and to devotion and companionship. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the friends gather at the table, getting ready to invoke their beast into being with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.