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Six unlikely but resilient children encounter the path of a vast and terrible otherworldly darkness that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of shadow. They must wage a lifelong battle confronting it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Familiar Storyline with a New Twist

This is the plot, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six summon the ancient, deeply sinister dragon the Sorrowful Monarch from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation goes awry.

Celebrating a Literary Legacy

The author began his writing journey striving diligently to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and steering clear of encounters with his agent (he possesses a striking resemblance to his dad). But in this latest novel, he embraces it. There are lines that deliberately echo some of the senior author’s well-known (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. There’s Arthur, bookish and gifted, cracking historical enigmas in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and prone to trampling anyone who stands in his way; the twin siblings; the beautiful Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their group as they dabble, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, as a result of external pressures, compelled to pilfer prized manuscripts from his treasured institution’s archives by a bunch of local criminals. This tears at his bookish heart, especially when he’s made to take the institution’s prized and disturbing work: the diary of adept this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators examine the log, discover they could summon what the author references as a “arrogant beast to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and occupy the subsequent narrative facing the fallout. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a fresh offering annually or fall prey to the beast. As Arthur later puts it: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is more dragons.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Scope

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with effortless ease through various literary forms: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, choosing undeniably wicked targets to immolate, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to love story to fright. A standout transition was to a quest story, deep in the caves under the English county, a section tinged by JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Mosaic of Dread and Hope

There are trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and superbly depicted. There are magical swords and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and scenes of terrible wickedness, both mortal and otherworldly. This is a remarkable achievement: a chilling book that is above all a tribute to the human inventiveness, 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 Colin as the allies gather at the table, preparing to summon their beast into existence with the strength of their collective will.

In the author’s own words in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.