🔗 Share this article

Six quirky but resilient kids encounter the path of a colossal and dreadful paranormal darkness that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They have no choice but to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.

A Resonant Premise with a Distinctive Twist

This is the plot, roughly, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It parallels of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six invoke the primordial, infinitely malicious serpent King Sorrow from the Long Dark to help them defeat some baddies. As one might expect, their arcane ceremony goes awry.

Acknowledging a Literary Legacy

The author launched his profession going to great lengths to remain separate from his well-known dad, publishing under the pen name he still uses today and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he exhibits a striking resemblance to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. There are lines that consciously reflect some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and we delight along with him.

Introducing the Main Characters

Back to those friends: the majority are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and brilliant, solving ancient puzzles in his leisure hours; Colin, affluent, sharp, and prone to trampling those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their band as they toy, somewhat credulous, partly skeptical, in the occult.

The Critical Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer rare books from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and chilling work: the logbook of adept the historical figure (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what the author references as a “proud worm to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they must select a new sacrifice each year or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Fluidity and Inventive Breadth

Moving through four decades, the author shifts with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the companions 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 go from suspense to dark fantasy, black-ops torture to romance to fright. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, within the subterranean depths below Cornwall, a part sprinkled with the fantasy maestro that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Mosaic of Horror and Courage

The novel features trolls – the classic variety and online ones, truly terrifying and perfectly brought to life. There are magical swords and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and scenes of appalling malevolence, both mortal and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the imagination, and to love and friendship. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says Colin as the companions assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their beast to life with the force of their minds.

As Hill puts it in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Don’t miss them.