🔗 Share this article

A group of six oddball but doughty kids fall into the trail of a vast and fearsome otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our existence from the farthest reaches of oblivion. They must wage a lifelong battle fighting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the process.

An Echoing Premise with a Distinctive Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of Stephen King’s novel It (a standout in his career; no debate). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which a close-knit group call forth the age-old, deeply sinister dragon the Dragon King from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual backfires.

Embracing a Literary Legacy

The author began his writing journey striving diligently to avoid any connection from his famous father, using the pseudonym he continues to employ and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Hill is delighting in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

The Cast of the Main Characters

Focusing on the companions: the majority are students at the made-up the esteemed institution in this northeastern locale. We have Arthur, studious and brilliant, solving Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, wealthy, astute, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but emerges as crucial of their band as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Critical Ceremony

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the library’s most valuable and disturbing work: the logbook of occultist this enigmatic character (condemned “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators peruse the diary, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “arrogant beast to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and occupy the subsequent narrative reaping the consequences. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those problematic neighborhood criminals, but they are required to pick a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with seamless grace between genres: as the allies strive to manage the situation they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or seeking means to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to dark fantasy, clandestine torment to affectionate subplot to terror. A standout transition was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths under the English county, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Canvas of Dread and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and online ones, properly scary and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and scenes of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, and to affection and camaraderie. “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 sit around the table, making preparations to call forth their dragon to life with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his epigraph: “Here be dragons”. Do not overlook this.