It

i'm not sure where to start with this book...(he covers a lot in nearly 1100 pages).

i think the first thing i want to say is that for years and years i've been telling people that stephen king is more than just some popular horror writer, that he's much more than that - firstly an amazing writer, possibly the best character developer out there, and secondly, i've been saying that he's not even that much a horror writer, that he's been boxed in. that his books aren't all that scary, that he does psychological thriller more than horror, and because they're so good everyone should read them. he's as good a writer as i remember, i reiterate everything i ever said about his writing and his character development. but, ooops. this book is show more really scary. really. fucking. scary.

this story goes back and forth between 1958 and 1985, when the characters are around 11 or 12, and then again when they're around 38 or 39. it was not lost on me that entirely randomly, the first time i read this book i was around 12 and now i'm pretty close to 38, reading it for the second time. so much of the story is about the imagination and resiliency of children, and how adults find it too hard to integrate some things into their view of reality. trying to remember how i read this around 25 years ago, i feel like my younger and older self really mirror so much of what he wrote. for me personally, this was really poignant. i don't remember being that scared by this book when i first read it. certainly he chilled me, but i didn't have to stop reading at a certain point (in the story or the evening) in order to be able to sleep at night (like i did this time). i don't remember reading this book and jumping at noises or having to put it down and take breaks to keep myself from getting overly agitated (like i did this time).

and what i found moderately scary last time was mostly not what i found actually really scary this time. (and what i found scary this time i'm sure went almost completely unnoticed the first time around.) and this is part of stephen king's brilliance (yep, that's right, i said it, brilliance) - this book is full of scary things that make up horror books and i'm sure that those are the things that gave me pause the first time around. but it's also full of things that adults *can* integrate into their view of reality, that are really, really scary (like domestic violence, like gay bashing, like bullies terrorizing kids, like child abuse). and he writes those things equally well. and so looking at it that way, there was *plenty* to be scared about while reading this book.

this book is really, really well written, as is typical for stephen king. he has done an amazing job capturing childhood and what it's like to be in the world at that age. and has brought that well into adulthood (amazing character development, as usual) for these characters. i'm always impressed with his writing and i love his style, and he uses it to full benefit in this book.

my only beef at all with it comes at the end and is probably why this book doesn't get more stars from me. first of all - and this isn't really a beef, it was just surprising - one of the things i like best about stephen king is that many of his books don't have this happy, let's wrap it all up nicely kind of ending. i was surprised when this one did. i thought it would have been very very easy for, even if bill killed -it- at the end, ben to have missed squashing an egg or two, and the evil could have lived on. i'm fine with a happy ending, i just didn't expect it from him in this story, since It had been there since the beginning of time. my real beef, though, is in the group sex scene the friends used as a method of bonding when they were young. seemed like there could have been a different way for them to bond at that point. even i could think of something, so i'm certain stephen king could have. and really, there wasn't even a reason for them to need to rebond together at that point, so it's like he threw that in just to enable the scene, which was so out of place anyway. and then - and this is not as big a deal for me - if they all forget what happened and derry and each other so quickly, how exactly are ben and bev supposed to be together? what shared past will they build their relationship on? what will they say when people asked how they met, since they won't remember? also, and again this isn't a big deal, but we're supposed to believe that this thing has been around since the inception of the entire world and this is the only time in its history that it has eggs, about to become offspring? how in the world is it possible for this creature to get knocked up? but if it's somehow possible, how is this the first time that it's happened?

but things i like, besides the great writing and amazing characterizations: the magic (literal magic and the power it has) of childhood and believing in things bigger than yourself. the idea and the rationale of eddie's mom giving him "medicine" that she knew he didn't need. the strength of friendship and what that can give a person. the very real portrayal of everything other than pennywise, which admittedly felt awfully real while reading. the list goes on and on. if you don't need to sleep for a few nights, take up this book! if you scare easily, though, be warned!

one of the many passages that struck me when reading as just lovely, and something most people wouldn't associate with stephen king:

"...in the heart of winter when the light outside seemed yellow-sleepy, like a cat curled up on a sofa..."

and a passage that made me sing inside because it showed me that stephen king understands even more than i thought he did about oppression (his books are full of characters who are homophobic, racist, sexist, etc which can make a reader a little uncomfortable - is this the character or the author talking??) and that puts those questions to rest for anyone who reads closely:

"Eventually they came, as she had known they would, and to her horror she saw that one of them was a nigger. Not that she had anything against niggers; she thought they had every right to ride where they wanted to on the buses down south, and eat at white lunch-counters, and should not be made to sit in nigger heaven at the movies unless they bothered white
(women)
people, but she also believed firmly in what she called the Bird Theory: Blackbirds flew with other blackbirds, not with the robins." show less

An epic of primal terror and bizarre cosmic visions. IT pierces to the heart of what it means to be afraid, and how fear changes (or doesn't change) as our youth "leaks out" of us, drop by drop, into adulthood.

The book is overlong and narratively fairly messy, but as with all King novels there is a simmering heart of morbid dread and gruesome novelty that kept me coming back page after page. It's by far the longest book I've read and I believe I read it at a faster rate than most novels I've enjoyed.

The characters are vivid and their inner monologues extremely interesting, and I liked the interweaving of each character's adult and child storylines.

The lore of Derry itself is extremely detailed, and although the concept of a prehistoric show more cosmic Evil living in the sewers of a small town in Maine is pretty silly, you still get a vivid sense of a place that is geographically evil: of a population unconsciously complacent in Its hauntedness. From the first chapters you have a sense that a town so fundamentally shitty could only be kept alive by something that needed it to be, and this is the shuddering undercurrent that really makes the story.

All in all, a monolithic work of disturbing vision with some batshit insane scenes. Yes, there are some weirdly graphic and probably unnecessary sequences in this book, but it would somehow be the lesser for their exclusion. Unlike anything I've read before. show less

This is one of the most special books I own; it was one of the last books my mom bought me before she passed, and she was so proud of herself for finally finding a copy. I usually end up rereading this book when I don't know what else to read or need to read a comfort book, and at this point, it's barely kept together. Considering my fear of clowns, I'm really not sure how this ended up as a comfort read, but I end up reading it at least once a year at this point. Each time I read it, I notice a detail I either forgot or didn't catch the last time I read it.

It is tied with The Green Mile for my favorite King book (at least for now.) There were very few parts that failed to hold my attention from start to end, excluding those scenes. show more This is one of the books that genuinely freak me out at times, which doesn't happen very often. I did get a bit frustrated with the length, especially considering I didn't have much time to read it with schoolwork, but it's definitely worth the time spent reading.

I have mixed feelings about the characters, but I will say the character development is great - for the most part. I didn't particularly like Beverly as a child, even less so after reading that scene, but I loved her as an adult. However, I preferred Bill as a child and despised him as an adult. Either way, he was my least favorite Loser. I do wish we saw more of Stan, as he's always been my favorite King character.

The plot itself was very entertaining and creepy, though some things felt completely unnecessary, particularly the sewer scene and the sexual scene between Henry and Patrick. Though it was uncomfortable to read, the violence Patrick showed did give the story more depth in my opinion; it showed how cruel he was, which I thought was a big part of his character.

There are some extremely dark and triggering themes in this book, including racism, homophobia, and rape, so if you plan on reading it, take that into consideration. If those things don't bother you too bad, I do highly recommend the book; it has been and always will be my favorite horror/King novel. It can be a bit intimidating, but it's so worth the effort of reading it. show less

Wow! What an incredible book! I have seen all the adaptations and came to the source material late. Astounding what got cut from the movies, the stuff that makes it really scary (also, that IT is female?) and what really communicates the themes of unity, friendship, and the power of belief. I teared up at the end as Big Bill takes Audra on Silver, and that Mike and Bill were the last ones. It had to end that way but it really tore at me! Richie's last call with Mike was also heartbreaking. But that's the way of childhood, right? Those kids went from ready to die for Big Bill -- and they did -- to not remembering his name. The things that united me with my friends as a child -- and now the ones I do remember, I can't draw their faces in show more my mind. Some of the details were almost flabbergasting, that he froze a slice of America perfectly in amber for eternity. The songs, the sounds, the soap smells. Loved that Bruce Springsteen was all over it. Just loved it. I can't commit to reading it every year, but I can commit to not taking it to the second hand bookstore for in store credit. I will revisit IT again, maybe in two years when I'm 38 like they are in 1984. What an accomplishment! show less

A Masterclass in Childhood Terror and Adult Dread

Stephen King's It is far more than a horror novel about a killer clown—it's an epic, deeply layered exploration of friendship, memory, and the monsters we carry with us into adulthood. At 1,104 pages, King takes his time, and that patience pays off. The novel alternates between two timelines: the Losers Club as children in 1958, confronting an ancient evil in the sewers of Derry, Maine, and their return as adults in 1985, forced to honor a blood oath they barely remember making. What elevates It beyond standard horror is King's profound understanding of childhood. The Losers aren't just victims; they're fully realized kids—bullied, abused, neglected, ignored—who find something rare show more in each other: genuine loyalty. Their bond feels authentic, messy, and deeply moving. King writes childhood fear with unsettling precision: the way terror shrinks your world, how adults seem willfully blind, and how the things that haunt you at ten never truly let go.

Pennywise, the dancing clown, is iconic for good reason. But the true horror of Derry lies in the town itself—a place where cruelty festers and bystanders look away. The supernatural elements work because they're grounded in real human evil: domestic violence, homophobia, racism, and apathy. King suggests that It doesn't create Derry's darkness; it feeds on what's already there. The novel isn't flawless—some passages meander, and certain scenes test the reader's comfort—but the emotional core remains powerful and earned. It is ultimately a story about memory and courage. The children fight because they must; the adults return because they promised. In King's universe, that's enough. That belief—that love and loyalty can stand against ancient evil—is what makes this more than horror. It's a dark, sprawling, occasionally messy masterpiece about growing up and refusing to let the monsters win. show less

"The smell was worse underneath- booze and sweat and the dark brown perfume of decaying leaves. The old leaves didn't even crackle under his hands and knees. They and the old newspapers only sighed.
I'm a hobo, Eddie thought incoherently. I'm a hobo and I ride the rails. That's what I do. Ain't got no money, ain't got no home, but got me a bottle and a dollar and a place to sleep. I'll pick apples this week and potatoes the week after that when the frost locks up the ground like money inside a bank vault, why I'll hop a GS&WM box that smells of sugar-beets and I'll sit in the corner and pull some hay over me if there is some and I'll drink me a little drink and chew me a little chew and sooner or later I'll get to Portland or Beantown, show more and if I don't get busted by a railroad security dick I'll hop one of those 'Bama Star boxes and head down south and when I get there I'll pick lemons or limes or oranges."

Stephen King is not much of a stylist. His strengths lie in his plotting - I imagine an intricate diagram of the interweaving characters and the flashbacks and flashforwards from 1958 to 1985 and back again. However, like many genre fiction writers, he lets plot supersede language - the pleasure in this novel has very little to do with his writing and more with finding out what happens next.

Unfortunately, despite a promising first 800 or so pages, he does not stick the landing. Generic writing can perhaps be forgiven if the reader is taken somewhere interesting. However, he lets his ideas get ahead of his execution. The ending is more confusing than edifying- there is some sort of malevolent spirit in the universe that orchestrates all of the story's mayhem. It goes from a fairly gripping horror story to landing in Lord of the Rings territory, complete with a half-baked mythos, and a giant spider to boot. There is a scene towards the end where the only female character takes turns having sex with all of the main male characters, ostensibly to cement the protagonists' group's bond. Any thoughtful reader will find this scene offensive and pointless. King should stay away from writing sex scenes, as they can be as unintentionally creepy as the killer clowns in sewer drains.

Someone pointed out to me that this novel is as long as _War and Peace_ - if you are going to read a 1200 page novel, go with Tolstoy. show less

IT was my first horror book, and it remains my favorite book, period. Part of my fascination and love for it is rooted in that teenage nostalgia. I spent so much of my childhood looking up at my mom's bookshelf, running my small fingers along her King paperbacks, living in fear of their horrific covers, that when my time came to pick up my first King book and read through it, it was something of a revelation.

Now, reading it for the umpteenth time (I try to read it annually if I can), I've come to respect and adore it on a different level. The final 20 pages or so, where King discusses the fleeting beauty of childhood, and the melancholy relinquishing of that innocence for something as burdensome, but equally profound, as adulthood, show more nearly brings me to tears every time. It feels like a swan song in a lot of ways, and as I get older I understand that melancholy more.

"Not all boats which sail into darkness never find the sun again, or the hand of another child; if life teaches anything at all, it teaches that there are so many happy endings that man who believes there is no God needs his rationality called into serious question."

That's my favorite line in this mammoth tome (yes, even with its lighthearted jab at my heathen soul), and I think it drives at the heart of why I love IT so much.

IT hasn't aged immaculately. I do skip a certain section of the book every time (those who have read it know which part I mean) and I think a case could be made that, even if honest and truthful for the time, the racial and homophobic slurs give the book a certain cutting edge that makes it hard to approach in 2022. All the same, the story here -- the characters, the horror, the fear, the hope, and, ultimately, the bittersweet tang it leaves the reader with -- is why I return to it, and why I don't think I'll ever shake it. Because, in many ways, picking it up makes me feel like that 14-year-old again, in his high school library, discovering something profound and lifechanging. show less