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A group of six quirky but doughty kids confront the trail of a colossal and dreadful supernatural evil that has invaded our existence from the farthest reaches of darkness. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing terror upon terror in the process.

A Resonant Storyline with a Fresh Approach

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no debate). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s new chilling tome, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Heritage

Joseph Hillström King started his career striving diligently to remain separate from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that intentionally mirror some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a incident that brings to mind a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: the majority are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking ancient puzzles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, clever, and prone to trampling obstacles in his path; twins Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but assumes a vital role of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Pivotal Ritual

Our hero becomes, as a result of external pressures, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This devastates his scholarly soul, particularly as he’s compelled to seize the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the logbook of occultist Enoch Crane (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. King Sorrow will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a fresh offering every twelve months or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You sow dragon’s teeth, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Creative Breadth

Covering a generation, Hill also moves with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions endeavor to address the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to offer up, or hunting down ways to kill the dragon themselves, we move between suspense to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves under the English county, a section tinged by JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Detailed Tapestry of Dread and Optimism

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, genuinely frightening and perfectly brought to life. The story includes mystic weapons and betrayals, heart-stopping scenes of valor and ones of appalling malevolence, both earthly and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is above all a ode 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 allies sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.