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A group of six oddball but brave children fall into the path of a vast and terrible otherworldly evil that has entered our world from the deepest abyss of darkness. They must devote their lives battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Premise with a New Spin

This outlines the narrative, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (a standout in his career; undeniable). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which six friends call forth the age-old, utterly malevolent serpent the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to assist them in vanquishing some antagonists. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Authorial Lineage

The author started his career going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Several quotes that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a incident that evokes a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, the author rejoices in his family connection, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: most are pupils at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. First is Arthur, studious and brilliant, cracking historical enigmas in his leisure hours; Colin, wealthy, sharp, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their band as they experiment, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Pivotal Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and unsettling publication: the diary of practitioner this enigmatic character (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). Our Scooby gang peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a clever snake to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. The dragon will certainly eliminate those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. In the character’s own words: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with natural fluency through various literary forms: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, variously, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from page-turner to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section infused with the Lord of the Rings author that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Mosaic of Horror and Hope

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, truly terrifying and expertly realized. There are magical swords and betrayals, breath-taking moments of courage and ones of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a chilling book that is above all a tribute to the creative spirit, 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 Colin as the friends assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their serpent into existence with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.