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A group of six oddball but resilient children fall into the path of a vast and terrible otherworldly malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

An Echoing Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which six friends summon the primordial, deeply sinister dragon the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Celebrating a Family Legacy

The author launched his profession going to great lengths to remain separate from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a incident that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and intelligent, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; Colin, rich, astute, and known for crushing anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, half believing, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his treasured institution’s archives by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and unsettling work: the logbook of adept the historical figure (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). These young investigators read the journal, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Narrative Versatility and Imaginative Breadth

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the friends attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between suspense to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to terror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves below Cornwall, a part sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Canvas of Horror and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is chiefly a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the companions gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon to life with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Don’t miss them.