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Six oddball but brave children confront the trail of a colossal and dreadful paranormal darkness that has invaded our world from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes fighting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a Fresh Twist

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (a standout in his career; no debate). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which six friends call forth the ancient, infinitely malicious beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to help them defeat some villains. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

The author began his writing journey going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his parent). However, in his newest work, he embraces it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that brings to mind a King plot point (a battle of wits). In this epic story, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Introducing the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are scholars at the imagined Rackham College in Maine. We have Arthur, bookish and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his free moments; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and known for crushing those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, half believing, half not, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and unsettling publication: the logbook of adept the historical figure (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “proud worm to help Arthur out with his coercion issue – and spend the rest of the novel reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will indeed rid them of those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Range

Spanning forty years, Joe Hill transitions with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the companions strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to immolate, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from page-turner to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to romance to terror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment tinged by the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Mosaic of Dread and Courage

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, breath-taking moments of bravery and scenes of dreadful evil, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is primarily a tribute to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the friends assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast into being with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “Here be dragons”. Ensure you experience it.