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

A group of six quirky but brave kids fall into the path of a vast and terrible supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the deepest abyss of oblivion. They are compelled to wage a lifelong battle fighting it, facing one nightmare after another in the process.

A Resonant Storyline with a Distinctive Spin

This is the plot, broadly speaking, of Stephen King’s novel It (arguably his finest; no debate). It similarly frames of King’s son Joseph Hillstrom King’s latest horror doorstopper, in which a band of six call forth the age-old, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Endless Night to help them defeat some antagonists. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual goes awry.

Embracing a Authorial Legacy

Joe Hill began his writing journey making great efforts to avoid any connection from his famous father, adopting the nom de plume he still uses today and avoiding meeting his agent (he bears a uncanny likeness to his father). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Certain passages that intentionally mirror some of King’s most famous (“The man in black fled across the desert …”); a scene that recalls a King plot point (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, the author rejoices in his lineage, and the audience revels alongside.

Meet the Central Figures

Returning to the group: five of them are pupils at the imagined the esteemed institution in Maine. First is Arthur, studious and gifted, cracking ancient puzzles in his free moments; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze anyone who stands in his way; twins Donna and Donovan; the attractive Allie herself. Additionally, Gwen appears, who doesn’t study with them, but assumes a vital role of their band as they experiment, half believing, somewhat doubtful, in arcane arts.

The Fateful Summoning

The protagonist finds himself, for reasons we don’t need to go into, forced into stealing prized manuscripts from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the institution’s prized and unsettling publication: the diary of practitioner this enigmatic character (executed “for dealing with infernal entities in 1703”; the cover is crafted from his flesh). The intrepid group examine the log, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to assist Arthur with his coercion issue – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. This ancient entity will indeed rid them of those annoying regional antagonists, but they are required to pick a different victim each year or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You plant seeds of destruction, all you get is additional horrors.”

Genre Dexterity and Imaginative Range

Moving through four decades, Hill also moves with seamless grace through various literary forms: as the companions attempt to deal with the predicament they find themselves in by, through diverse methods, choosing undeniably wicked targets to sacrifice, or hunting down ways to destroy the entity themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, clandestine torment to love story to horror. My favorite genre switch was to a heroic journey, deep in the caves beneath this UK region, a section sprinkled with JRR Tolkien that was magnificently horrifying.

A Detailed Canvas of Dread and Courage

The novel features trolls – those living under bridges and internet antagonists, properly scary and expertly realized. There are magical swords and betrayals, pulse-pounding sequences of courage and instances of dreadful evil, both mortal and supernatural. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is above all a paean to the creative spirit, and to love and friendship. “We required a narrative to trust 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 serpent into existence with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his opening statement: “Hic sunt dracones”. Do not overlook this.