The Dragon's Curse by Joe Hill Analysis – An Dragon-Fired Supernatural Epic Is a Tour de Force

Six quirky but doughty children fall into the path of a vast and dreadful paranormal malevolence that has infiltrated our world from the outer limits of oblivion. They are compelled to spend their lifetimes battling it, facing terror upon terror in the struggle.

A Resonant Plot with a Fresh Spin

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s iconic book It (arguably his finest; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joe Hill’s latest massive horror novel, in which a band of six call forth the primordial, utterly malevolent beast the Dragon King from the Abyssal Void to help them defeat some baddies. Unsurprisingly, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Literary Lineage

The author launched his profession going to great lengths to distance himself from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he maintains to this day and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he possesses a uncanny likeness to his parent). But in this latest novel, he fully acknowledges it. Certain passages that consciously reflect some of the senior author’s well-known (that classic opening line); a moment that recalls a recurring theme in King’s works (a riddling contest). In this whopper of a novel, the author rejoices in his heritage, and the audience revels alongside.

Introducing the Protagonists

Returning to the group: most are pupils at the made-up Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, academic and gifted, cracking Old English riddles in his leisure hours; Colin, rich, clever, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; the twin siblings; the attractive Allie herself. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but emerges as crucial of their circle as they toy, partly convinced, half not, in the occult.

The Fateful Summoning

Arthur is, for reasons we don’t need to go into, obliged to take rare books from his cherished academic collection by a group of neighborhood thugs. This wounds his academic spirit, notably because he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and disturbing work: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is crafted from his flesh). These young investigators read the journal, discover they could summon what the occultist details as a cunning serpent to assist Arthur with his extortion dilemma – and devote the remaining story facing the fallout. The dragon will certainly eliminate those annoying regional antagonists, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice annually or fall prey to the beast. In the character’s own words: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is additional horrors.”

Stylistic Dexterity and Imaginative Breadth

Spanning forty years, Hill also moves with effortless ease across narrative styles: as the allies endeavor to address the situation they find themselves in by, variously, picking people who are obviously evil to immolate, or hunting down ways to slay the beast themselves, we go from suspense to dark fantasy, covert operations to romance to horror. A standout transition was to a adventure narrative, far beneath the surface below Cornwall, a segment infused with JRR Tolkien that was gloriously terrifying.

A Rich Mosaic of Horror and Optimism

We encounter trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and online ones, genuinely frightening and superbly depicted. We see enchanted blades and deceptions, pulse-pounding sequences of valor and instances of dreadful evil, both mortal and supernatural. It’s a tour de force: a chilling book that is chiefly 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 the wealthy student as the allies assemble around a surface, getting ready to invoke their beast into being with the strength of their collective will.

According to Joe Hill in his epigraph: “This is dragon territory”. Do not overlook this.