It
Published: 15, September 1986
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Coming Of Age, Drama, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Media Tie-In, Shape Shifter, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Werewolf
Check the summary of this book here:
The Review
Stephen King's "It" is a terrifying horror tale. It was his 22nd novel and 17th written under his own name. The narrative follows the exploits of seven children as they are frightened by an evil creature that uses its victims' anxieties to conceal itself as it hunts its prey. To entice its favorite prey of young children, "It" takes the shape of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
These lines are actually written at the end of the review, but I'm including them here because I just want to say that I wrote a lot of stuff, but I still feel like I need to add more, but it won't be enough, and another reason is simple: I'm afraid to reveal anything that might spoil the book for new readers, and even if you've seen the movies, remember that you only saw a fraction of the actual masterpiece. So I'm telling you right now that the book is incredible in every way and that I wholeheartedly recommend it.
For a long time, I wanted to write "It" review, but something always stopped me, and I stopped after a few lines until now, either because of my hatred for this character or the nostalgia this book and the kids in it bring me.
But, at long last, I'm writing it, and I'm not sure if it's about how Stephen King wrote it; it's turning out exactly like I anticipated it would, and it's all about nostalgic memories.
The novel is told mostly in third-person omniscient form, with storylines rotating between two times. It explores themes that would later become King's mainstays, including the power of memory, childhood trauma and its repeating echoes in adulthood, the malevolence lying under the bucolic façade of the American small town, and the triumph of good over evil through mutual trust and sacrifice.
According to King, he originally had the idea for the narrative in 1978 and began writing it in 1981. In 1985, he finished writing the book.
He also said that the title character was initially intended to be a troll, similar to the one in the children's fable "Three Billy Goats Gruff," but one who lived in the local sewage system rather than simply the region beneath one bridge.
He also intended the plot to tie together the tales of youngsters and the people they grow up to be.
In 1987, the novel won the British Fantasy Award, and it was also nominated for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards.
It was named the best-selling hardcover fiction book in the United States by Publishers Weekly in 1986.
It was turned into a two-part miniseries directed by Tommy Lee Wallace in 1990, as well as a film duology directed by Andy Muschietti, with It Chapter One premiering in September 2017 and It Chapter Two in September 2019.
The first moment in the movie "It 1990" that has resonated with me is when a little boy is attempting to get his ship in the rain and is killed by the monster.
I used to despise "It" so much that I became incredibly protective of my younger brother, beating the heck out of anyone who even touched him or even thought about threatening him.
Basically, Stephen King wrote this devil so well that I will never forget him and others who were beaten by me will never forget me too, thanks to Stephen King's writing.
The gore and scare tactics in the movie were toned down from the novel, but I was still sad and angry at the same time, and I couldn't get over the kid's death.
I started with the movie and then moved on to the heavy-duty book. It may be a marathon for many readers to finish this book, but it was only a few hundred pages above thousand for me, and I loved it, not "It."
So, yes, I must warn casual readers that reading and actually finishing this book is a huge commitment to oneself, but I am confident that if you can finish it, it will stay in your mind for a long time.
When I read this book as a kid or a youngster of the same age as the losers' club, I could identify with the kids but not with the older version of them, but when I read it as an adult, I could connect with both age groups, and I must warn adult readers who are going to read it for the first or second time, be prepared for the nostalgia and flood of memories of those young times and friends and family.
These feelings can be really powerful, and I believe Stephen King understood exactly what he was doing when he wrote the book and detailed descriptions of those children's lives and activities.
I have a suggestion for you on this topic: whenever you feel nostalgic, phone your old school buddies because if you never left on a poor note, you can still be friends and chat to family members who you know are good; believe me, you and these people will like it.
This book is just stunning. This novel provided me with more than simply entertainment. It gave me hope and encouraged me to be more hopeful about my life.
Of course, the "horror" sequences are actually revolting and horrifying, and they might cause nightmares.
The major topic of the book, however, is about the specific talents and capabilities that children have that adults do not, and how we need to repair or seal the split that divides the kid (whom every one of us once was) from the adult (that we have become).
To defeat "It," the grownups must recollect their childhoods in order to "glue the present to the past" and rediscover who they once were.
It is about memory and transformation, and what makes each of us a "person" despite our constant transformations... for each human who grows to adulthood is a shape-shifter, just as "It" is a shape-shifter, and part of our power comes from this, but also from our twin abilities to remember and to forget and obliterate who we once were.
There is a section where something happens that can divide the readers, and new readers will understand what I mean when they read it because some will be disgusted and may think that Stephen King needs to go and get himself mentally evaluated, but for me and many others, it was a very clever metaphor he added for the next stage of life and no coming back plus unity and the doors that only open and have passage to one way.
I attempted to hide a lot of information in the previous few lines and used very few words to explain that portion, so just come back and read the lines after you read that point of the book and you'll understand what I stated in a few words as a riddle or jumbled words.
Final Thoughts
The writing is brilliant because Stephen King utilizes meanings themselves to create tales, braided almost smoothly into shades of context and colors of insinuation and occasionally vivid, clear splashes of emotion that startle you.
After all, that's how it works in real life. And in doing so, King manages to normalize seemingly improbable features such as "It's" supernatural nature and the link "It" has with the town of Derry and its citizens.
This may have occurred. It's entirely possible. And it's that esoteric horror that King skillfully wields. The ramifications and the options are endless.
This novel would not be the same without the Derry Interludes at the conclusion of each section.
In my perspective, the interludes are what made the novel so horrifying. They recount all of the historical tragedies that have occurred in Derry and have mostly gone unnoticed and forgotten.
This is where you can truly witness the actual wicked nature that It puts upon this community. I could read a whole novel based only on the history of Derry, Maine. It's both fascinating and terrifying.
It's true that Stephen King can ramble on and on when he gets going, and some readers enjoy it, but I know some don't so be advised that this book has some of those portions.
A couple of things will happen if this is your first time reading a Stephen King book. Specifically...
The term "journey" best characterizes this work. You have no clue what you're getting yourself into if you buy this novel because of a homicidal clown.
This novel will terrify you, and you will be astounded by author's attention to detail in character interactions.
This is a fantastic book that everyone should read at least once in their lives.
Synopsis
“Stephen King’s terrifying, classic #1 New York Times bestseller, “a landmark in American literature” (Chicago Sun-Times)—about seven adults who return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first stumbled on as teenagers…an evil without a name: It.
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.
They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that terrifying summer return as they prepare to once again battle the monster lurking in Derry’s sewers.
Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis, and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.
“Stephen King’s most mature work” (St. Petersburg Times), “It will overwhelm you…to be read in a well-lit room only” (Los Angeles Times).”
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Rating: 100/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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