The Dragon's Curse by Joseph Hillstrom King Review – A Epic Supernatural Saga Is a Tour de Force

Six quirky but resilient youngsters encounter the trail of a vast and terrible paranormal evil that has infiltrated our existence from the outer limits of shadow. They must spend their lifetimes battling it, experiencing horror after horror in the ordeal.

An Echoing Plot with a New Approach

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s seminal work It (arguably his finest; no debate). It is also the plot of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest chilling tome, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, infinitely malicious dragon King Sorrow from the Endless Night to aid them in overcoming some villains. Needless to say, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Celebrating a Literary Lineage

The author began his writing journey making great efforts to remain separate from his famous father, publishing under the pen name he continues to employ and avoiding meeting his agent (he exhibits a uncanny likeness to his parent). However, in his newest work, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of his father’s iconic (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a moment that evokes a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his lineage, and readers share in the joy.

Meet the Central Figures

Returning to the group: most are scholars at the imagined this academic setting in Maine. There’s Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the stunning the lovely Allie. Additionally, Gwen appears, who isn’t their classmate, but becomes a key part of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Ritual

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take prized manuscripts from his beloved college library by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, notably because he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and chilling work: the logbook of adept the historical figure (executed “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the cover is made from his skin). Our Scooby gang examine the log, learn they can invoke what Crane describes as a “arrogant beast to assist Arthur with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or become his victim themselves. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Narrative Fluidity and Imaginative Range

Covering a generation, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the allies attempt to deal with the circumstances they find themselves in by, in different ways, selecting clearly malevolent individuals to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we go from suspense to grim fantasy, black-ops torture to affectionate subplot to fright. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface under the English county, a section infused with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

An Expansive Tapestry of Fear and Hope

The novel features trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and internet antagonists, truly terrifying and expertly realized. We see enchanted blades and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and ones of terrible wickedness, both human and extraterrestrial. It stands as a masterpiece: a frightening tale that is primarily a ode to the imagination, and to affection and camaraderie. “We required a narrative to trust and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the companions gather at the table, making preparations to call forth their serpent to life with the power of their thoughts.

As Hill puts it in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Don’t miss them.