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

A group of six quirky but brave youngsters encounter the way of a colossal and fearsome supernatural malevolence that has infiltrated our realm from the deepest abyss of shadow. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes fighting it, facing horror after horror in the struggle.

An Echoing Premise with a Fresh Approach

This describes the premise, roughly, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (his best; no arguments). It parallels of Stephen King’s offspring Joe Hill’s latest horror doorstopper, in which six friends invoke the ancient, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to assist them in vanquishing some baddies. As one might expect, their otherworldly invocation has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Family Heritage

Joseph Hillström King started his career going to great lengths to avoid any connection from his renowned parent, using the pseudonym he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his father). Yet with this recent release, he leans into it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of King’s most famous (the famous Dark Tower introduction); a scene that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a game of puzzles). Throughout this massive book, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his heritage, and we delight along with him.

Meet the Main Characters

Returning to the group: the majority are pupils at the fictional this academic setting in this northeastern locale. There’s Arthur, academic and intelligent, solving Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, rich, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the attractive the lovely Allie. Then we have Gwen, who doesn’t study with them, but emerges as crucial of their band as they dabble, half believing, partly skeptical, in supernatural practices.

The Critical Summoning

Our hero becomes, for reasons we don’t need to go into, compelled to pilfer valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a set of regional villains. This tears at his bookish heart, particularly as he’s made to take the collection’s foremost and chilling publication: the diary of adept Enoch Crane (put to death “for conspiring with dark forces in 1703”; the binding is made from his skin). These young investigators examine the log, realize they are able to call forth what Crane describes as a “proud worm to aid our hero with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story reaping the consequences. The dragon will undoubtedly remove those troublesome local drug dealers, but they must select a new sacrifice every twelve months or fall prey to the beast. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Fluidity and Creative Scope

Moving through four decades, Joe Hill transitions with natural fluency across narrative styles: as the friends attempt to deal with the situation they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or seeking means to slay the beast themselves, we move between thriller to grim fantasy, covert operations to love story to horror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, deep in the caves under the English county, a section tinged by the Lord of the Rings author that was wonderfully frightening.

A Rich Tapestry of Fear and Optimism

There are trolls – those living under bridges and digital trolls, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. The story includes mystic weapons and deceptions, breath-taking moments of valor and instances of terrible wickedness, both earthly and otherworldly. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is above all a ode to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We longed for a tale to embrace and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says the wealthy student as the friends gather at the table, preparing to summon their dragon to life with the power of their thoughts.

In the author’s own words in his opening statement: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.