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A group of six unlikely but doughty children fall into the trail of a colossal and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of shadow. They are compelled to devote their lives battling it, enduring terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Twist

This describes the premise, broadly speaking, of the master of horror’s novel It (arguably his finest; undeniable). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent horror doorstopper, in which a close-knit group invoke the age-old, deeply sinister serpent the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some baddies. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession striving diligently to remain separate from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a King plot point (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: five of them are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in Maine. First is Arthur, bookish and intelligent, solving historical enigmas in his leisure hours; the character Colin, rich, clever, and known for crushing obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they experiment, somewhat credulous, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Pivotal Ritual

Arthur is, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This devastates his scholarly soul, especially when he’s compelled to seize the institution’s prized and disturbing publication: the logbook of adept the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, learn they can invoke what the occultist details as a armored demon” to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a fresh offering annually or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Stylistic Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with effortless ease between genres: as the friends strive to manage the circumstances they find themselves in by, variously, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to horror. One particularly memorable shift was to a quest story, deep in the caves under the English county, a segment sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of bravery and instances of terrible wickedness, both human and supernatural. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is chiefly a paean to the human inventiveness, and to devotion and companionship. “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 companions assemble around a surface, making preparations to call forth their beast to life with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “Hic sunt dracones”. Ensure you experience it.