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A group of six unlikely but brave kids fall into the way of a vast and dreadful paranormal darkness that has entered our realm from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They are compelled to devote their lives fighting it, facing horror after horror in the ordeal.

A Familiar Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent chilling tome, in which six friends invoke the age-old, infinitely malicious beast the Sorrowful Monarch from the Long Dark to help them defeat some villains. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Embracing a Authorial Heritage

Joseph Hillström King launched his profession striving diligently to distance himself from his well-known dad, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a scene that evokes a King plot point (a game of puzzles). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: the majority are scholars at the fictional Rackham College in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his free moments; Colin, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie. And there’s Gwen, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their band as they experiment, half believing, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Ritual

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his beloved college library 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 unsettling publication: the diary of occultist the historical figure (executed “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what the author references as a armored demon” to help Arthur out with his extortion dilemma – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a different victim every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Creative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the allies endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or searching for methods to destroy the entity themselves, we go from thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part infused with the fantasy maestro that was gloriously terrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Horror and Hope

We encounter trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of dreadful evil, both human and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, and to devotion and companionship. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the companions gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast to life with the strength of their collective will.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.