Six unlikely but resilient kids fall into the trail of a vast and fearsome otherworldly evil that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, enduring horror after horror in the struggle.
This outlines the narrative, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (his best; no arguments). It parallels of King’s son Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the ancient, deeply sinister beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to help them defeat some villains. Unsurprisingly, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.
The author launched his profession striving diligently to distance himself from his renowned parent, 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). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.
Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the made-up the esteemed institution in the New England state. First is Arthur, academic and brilliant, cracking ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.
Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, notably because he’s made to take the collection’s foremost and chilling publication: the diary of occultist Enoch Crane (condemned “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the occultist details as a “arrogant beast to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”
Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency between genres: as the companions attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to offer up, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from page-turner to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to fright. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, within the subterranean depths beneath this UK region, a segment sprinkled with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.
There are trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, truly terrifying and expertly realized. The story includes mystic weapons and treacheries, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the imagination, 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 this character as the friends assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their dragon to life with the power of their thoughts.
According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.
