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A group of six oddball but brave youngsters confront the path of a immense and terrible paranormal evil that has entered our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes confronting it, enduring terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s new chilling tome, in which a close-knit group summon the primordial, utterly malevolent beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Embracing a Authorial Lineage

Joe Hill launched his profession going to great lengths to distance himself from his famous father, using the pseudonym he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Central Figures

Back to those friends: five of them are scholars at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, bookish and brilliant, deciphering ancient puzzles in his spare time; Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the beautiful Allie. And there’s Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they dabble, half believing, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Arthur is, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the collection’s foremost and chilling work: the journal of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators read the journal, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “arrogant beast to help Arthur out with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Fluidity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or searching for methods to slay the beast themselves, we move between page-turner to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a quest story, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a section tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Dread and Hope

We encounter trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, properly scary and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is chiefly a ode 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 allies sit around the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

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