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Six unlikely but brave kids encounter the path of a colossal and fearsome supernatural darkness that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must devote their lives battling it, enduring horror after horror in the process.

A Familiar Premise with a New Twist

This describes the premise, in essence, of Stephen King’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some villains. As one might expect, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Family Legacy

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to distance himself from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a strong similarity to his father). However, in his newest work, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a signature King element (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Returning to the group: the majority are scholars at the made-up this academic setting in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; Colin, rich, astute, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the stunning the lovely Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they dabble, partly convinced, partly skeptical, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing title: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a clever snake to aid our hero with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those problematic neighborhood criminals, 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 further monstrosities.”

Narrative Fluidity and Creative Range

Covering a generation, the author shifts with seamless grace across narrative styles: as the friends endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we move between thriller to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to love story to fright. One particularly memorable shift was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface under the English county, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Optimism

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, properly scary and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of bravery and ones of terrible wickedness, both mortal and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a frightening tale that is chiefly a ode to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “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 friends gather at the table, preparing to summon their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.