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Six oddball but doughty children fall into the path of a vast and fearsome paranormal malevolence that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They are compelled to devote their lives confronting it, facing one nightmare after another in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a band of six summon the ancient, utterly malevolent beast King Sorrow from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Family Heritage

Joe Hill launched his profession striving diligently to remain separate from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: the majority are scholars at the made-up this academic setting in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and intelligent, solving ancient puzzles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they toy, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s made to take the library’s most valuable and unsettling work: the logbook of practitioner this enigmatic character (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). The intrepid group peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a clever snake to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they must select a fresh offering every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Fluidity and Creative Scope

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to dark fantasy, covert operations to love story to terror. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Courage

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is chiefly 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 companions sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their beast to life with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.