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A group of six oddball but resilient youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and dreadful otherworldly darkness that has invaded our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing horror after horror in the process.

An Echoing Storyline with a Fresh Twist

This is the plot, in essence, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which a close-knit group summon the age-old, utterly malevolent beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation backfires.

Embracing a Literary Lineage

The author launched his profession striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a incident that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, Hill is delighting in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Back to those friends: five of them are pupils at the fictional Rackham College in Maine. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they dabble, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Ritual

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and chilling publication: the journal of adept the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). These young investigators peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they are required to pick a different victim every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As Arthur later puts it: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Versatility and Inventive Range

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with effortless ease between genres: as the friends attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we go from page-turner to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to terror. A standout transition was to a quest story, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

An Expansive Canvas of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and scenes of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a paean to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the allies assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.