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 to 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.
Stephen King’s IT: Horror Novels Book Review Blog
Because of the upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King‘s IT, I had the “itch” to get back into reading more. Specifically, I wanted to dive into IT, as well as a few other King books. I have been a fan of King’s since I was a kid, not because of his books but, rather, because of his films! I know, I know – most of the novel adaptations do not live up to their literary predecessors but, I was a kid, and anyone deemed the master of horror gets a thumbs up from me all (most) of the time! Besides, can we say that all the adaptations were subpar? What with Salem’s Lot, The Langoliers, Pet Sematary, Carrie, Christine, Firestarter, The Mist, Silver Bullet, Thinner, The Stand, and The Shining (although Kubrick certainly took liberties)? I guess the answer to this question can be an astounding, Yes! Except for Joyland, On Writing, and Nightshift, which featured probably my favorite Stephen King short, “The Boogyman“, (none of which had feature film adaptations except a fan short-film adaptation of The Boogyman ) I can’t say much to the film/TV adaptations compared to the novel/novella. These are the only King books that I’ve read despite the paperback versions of Blaze, Joyland, The Colorado Kid, Salem’s Lot, Night Shift, Different Seasons, and Pet Sematary sitting on my shelf (or in a box) for years! All that is about to change.
The task, of getting through IT, was more than an accomplishment, and, by God, I did it (pats self on the back)! The answer to the unasked, but inevitable question that one may get is, was it worth it? Absolutely! I’m not even going to give a review of this one as there is a lot to digest… A LOT! And, I will say that, while it was a pleasant read, it was not an easy one. Again, over 1100 pages! Add to that, a plethora of well-written characters as well as different timelines. To say too much about the story is teetering into “spoiler” territory, so I will not even entertain it.
The 90’s TV adaptation does not even really come close to touching the intricacies of this novel as there is so much depth to the characters as well as to the story of IT. Sure, there are some rather memorable scenes depicted on film that sort of do justice in its depiction on-screen, i.e., Georgie running after the S.S. Georgie on that fateful morning/evening that pits him face to face with Pennywise. But, even ABC’s adaptation is a watered-down version, understandably so. The on-screen depiction of Henry Bowers’ character makes him more of your run-of-the-mill bully compared to the epitome of evil as written in the novel. On film, he was more of a nuisance. In the book, he was truly a force to be feared, and that emotion came across, without a doubt.
I attempted to rewatch the two-part miniseries, and I simply could not finish it. Having read the novel, I had a deeper understanding and appreciation for this body of work. And while the TV adaptation was not horrible, it was not that good aside from a good performance by Tim Curry and a couple of scenes embedded in my cerebellum that, come to think of it, played more on my nostalgia of the time when it was released.
IT is so much more than what pop culture has led us to believe. IT has become synonymous with both Tim Curry and the personification of the terrifying clown. While it is true that IT’s preferred form is Pennywise the Clown, it is only one of many forms taken by IT. A concept that I did not fully grasp having watched the mini-series in 1990 at nine years old.
I knew nothing of the novel at the time and remembered being sorely disappointed at the conclusion of the mini-series. I had lost all interest in IT. It took me 27 years to revisit the story, what with the hype of the upcoming film in September of 2017, so that I may get a better grasp as to what it is all about. And, frankly, I am still trying to digest all of it a few days after finishing it. To say that the book had a profound effect on me would be an understatement. I had the same feeling after I finished reading King’s On Writing which resonates with me to this day. It is with King’s words, emotions, and experiences as told in On Writing that I hold dear and close as if the author were speaking to me. To an extent, I can say the same with IT. Bill, Bev, Ben, Eddie, Rich, and Mike all left an impact on me as I felt that these were characters that I could relate to one way or another. They were the kind of chums I would have hung out with and be a part of when I was a kid – “The Loser’s Club.” They were my friends!
Despite not being too familiar with the works of Mr. King, only having read a few of his books and stories, what I have read has had a profound impact on me, and that is a sign of a great writer (not that it changed my life or anything). Sure there were things that I could have done without in IT. In particular, an “intimate” scene that occurred in the sewers (if you read the book then you know what I’m talking about). There were more than a few pages that served as fluff, in my opinion, and maybe even could have been trimmed down some, omitting a few pages here and there.
Still, IT was, indeed, for lack of a better word, a King “masterpiece” and one that, I’m sure, will resonate with me for quite some time. I’m sure that I will continue to peruse the internet to read different perspectives and takeaways that I may have missed on my first reading of the novel.