Six unlikely but brave kids confront the way of a colossal and dreadful otherworldly darkness that has invaded our existence from the outer limits of oblivion. They must devote their lives battling it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.
A Resonant Premise with a Fresh Approach
This describes the premise, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a close-knit group call forth the ancient, utterly malevolent beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some antagonists. Needless to say, their arcane ceremony backfires.
Acknowledging a Family Lineage
The author began his writing journey striving diligently to remain separate from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a striking resemblance to his parent). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a battle of wits). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.
Introducing the Central Figures
Back to those friends: most are students at the fictional this academic setting in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his spare time; another key figure, rich, sharp, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who remains outside their academic circle, but becomes a key part of their band as they toy, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.
The Fateful Ritual
Our hero becomes, due to circumstances beyond his control, compelled to pilfer rare books from his beloved college library by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (condemned “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what the author references as a cunning serpent to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is additional horrors.”
Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Scope
Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with seamless grace between genres: as the friends strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to shadowy tale, black-ops torture to love story to terror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section tinged by the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.
An Expansive Canvas of Horror and Optimism
The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and instances of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all 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 companions gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their serpent into being with the force of their minds.
As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.
