With over 1.3 million hardcover copies in print, It boasts over five months on all nationwide bestseller lists.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
It
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Amazon Review
Stephen King's idea for It came from a favorite childhood image: the entire cast of the Bugs Bunny Show coming on at the beginning. He thought of bringing on all the monsters, one last time: Dracula, Frankenstein's creature, the Werewolf, the Crawling Eye, Rodan, It Came from Outer Space.
It is about a group of adults who were once troubled children in the late '50s--"The Losers." One of them is a best selling horror writer much like Stephen King (or his friend and collaborator Peter Straub). In order to defeat the protean "It" that threatens their hometown, they have to go back- -not only to the town itself, but deep into their childhood memories, to regain the talent for magic they once had. King says It is for "the buried child in us, but I'm writing for the grown-up, too. I want grown-ups to look at the child long enough to be able to give him up."
This huge, baggy beast of a novel is a favorite of Stephen King fans--second in popularity only to The Stand. Perhaps longtime fans develop mental filters for King's sloppy storytelling to tune out the repetitions and silliness. King is like the pointillist painter Seurat: if you stand too close to the little dots, the picture falls apart, and it looks meaningless. That's why he makes the storyscape so big--to take you up to that macro-level where you like the book in spite of its flaws. --Fiona Webster --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
One of the greatest storytellers of our time (Guardian)
A writer of excellence . . . King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel. (The Sunday Times) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
A writer of excellence . . . King is one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel. (The Sunday Times) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did end-began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years-if it ever did end-began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
First of all, I would like to point out that I am neither an avid Stephen King nor a horror fan. I've read some of his books, and found them all fairly enjoyable. "It" is the only one of his books that enthralled, captivated, and mesmerized me. It is his absolute masterpiece and stands by itself. The story has already been abundantly described by other reviewers, so I won't go into it anymore. What most reviews (particularly the unfavorable ones) seem to miss, though, is that this is so much more than just a horror story. Sure, there is an evil monster killing children, but that is only one aspect. This aspect of the story could indeed have been told with 200 to 500 pages less, as many reviews state. But King does so much more. Not only does he present us with seven incredibly detailed and believable main characters, he also elaborates on the secondary characters, such as Henry Bowers, Tom Rogan, and even Patty Uris. Knowing their history and motivation makes these characters come to life in our minds, even though it might not be essential for the main plot. The same is true for the Derry Interludes. They give the city a face, a character, and a 200-year history. What would Derry be without the fire at the Black Spot, the explosion of the Kitchener Ironworks, or the lynching of the Bradley Gang, but just another bland exchangeable Maine town? After 700 pages you can see Derry and its inhabitants before you. They live and thrive, both in 1958 and in 1985, in images few other books can conjure up. At the end of the book you inevitably cry, not because of what happened, but simply because there is no more to read. An entire world has just winked out of existence for the reader.... Read more ›
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By P. Bessant
Format:Paperback
I first got hooked on Stephen King after seeing an advert in the paper for 'Pet Sematary', 'a new book by Stephen King' and bought it because I liked the cover!!, well that did it - 'Firestarter', 'Christine', 'Salems Lot' etc I soon caught up with EVERYTHING he'd written previously and loved every second of them and now 20 odd years later I still look forward to the 'NEW STEPHEN KING BOOK' but I can still remember the first time 'IT' arrived and even after all these years it (no pun intended) remains my favourite all time book. I've now read it 5 times and dig it out every 5 years or so for another go! In my opinion this is the finest thing SK has ever written and can highly recommend it. If you like Stephen King and don't have this in your collection then you're not a Stephen King fan, simple as that.
A Brilliant book.
5 out of 5
A Brilliant book.
5 out of 5
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By "agreves"
Format:Paperback
Where to start? 'It' is King's finest to date. After a shakey start (this book is over 1100 pages, of course it will take a while to get going") this book is a real effort to put down, a rare trait in a book of such a size. The plot is a masterpiece by King seond only to the character development, interwoven between two timelines; now (well 1985) and the summer of 1958. If I tried to explain it the explanation would start something like this: Well there's this murderous monster clown invisible to adults who feeds on children in a small Maine town... So I'll stop now and you'll have to trust me this book is good. Childhood is a recurring theme in all King's work (as it is in Bill Denborough's) and It is no exception, the description of the children's lives is a joy to read even when there are no werewolves or lepers to get in the way. Perhaps the children are a bit too mature for their age but this is easily overlooked, it makes up for all the times they are (wrongly?) potrayed as immature idiots. Suprisingly for a book with so many main characters the reader soon knows all seven's first names, sirnames, parents and interests (and is interested!). There is so much to praise here but this is still really a book for people who like horror. King just can't wait to add in little details about supporting characters somewhere along the lines of: John Smith (who would lose both his legs 5 years later after a motorcycle accident). Then there is the story of Patrick Hockstetter and his fridge; not for the faint hearted. There are many little details that people have picked upon, but very few books are perfect and all the fantastic work makes these very minor indeed. The ending is good but not as good as the rest of the book and I feel that this is the reason it stands out so much.... Read more ›
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Tre
Format:Paperback
This book is just sheer brilliance.
I had watched the film when i was younger and it scared the hell out of me. It has been one of my favourite films ever since. But the book is so much better.
It delves much deeper into the characters and unlike the film it makes you feel as though you know them.
I like the way in which he brings in everyday real life problems and mixes them in with terryfying fiction such as bullying, domestic violence and racism.
You feel so much sorrow for the 'losers' because its like no matter what they do they can't escape the suffering.
Take Bill for instance, not only does he have to put up with his younger brother being murdered, he also has to deal with his ever infuriating stutter and the bullying he recieves as a result of this stutter. All thats bad enough for a kid and that's without mentioning the fact that there is a shape shifting, demonic, child eating clown roaming around town and it's up to him and his friends to stop it.
If you have young teenage children make them read this and suddenly the thought of getting acne won't seem that big a deal to them.
I urge anybody who has'nt read this book to do so, whether you're a king fan or not.
Watch the movie as well, its not as good as the book but superb none the less.
And remember, They all float....
I had watched the film when i was younger and it scared the hell out of me. It has been one of my favourite films ever since. But the book is so much better.
It delves much deeper into the characters and unlike the film it makes you feel as though you know them.
I like the way in which he brings in everyday real life problems and mixes them in with terryfying fiction such as bullying, domestic violence and racism.
You feel so much sorrow for the 'losers' because its like no matter what they do they can't escape the suffering.
Take Bill for instance, not only does he have to put up with his younger brother being murdered, he also has to deal with his ever infuriating stutter and the bullying he recieves as a result of this stutter. All thats bad enough for a kid and that's without mentioning the fact that there is a shape shifting, demonic, child eating clown roaming around town and it's up to him and his friends to stop it.
If you have young teenage children make them read this and suddenly the thought of getting acne won't seem that big a deal to them.
I urge anybody who has'nt read this book to do so, whether you're a king fan or not.
Watch the movie as well, its not as good as the book but superb none the less.
And remember, They all float....
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A journey back to childhood
I first read IT over twenty years ago and thought it was time to pick it up again to see if it was still as good as I remembered. It was. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jamesoconnell
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic story
I read this story first when I was about 12-13 years old and have read it already 2-3 times after that. Read more
Published 1 month ago by laros76
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointing
I have tried so hard to like this book.
Friends whose literary appreciation I respect told me that this was Stephen King's best. Read more
Friends whose literary appreciation I respect told me that this was Stephen King's best. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J.P. Fishwick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
This is a good book, i thoroughly enjoyed it. The friendship of the group, i found, was pretty saddening :(
Published 1 month ago by Gwion Borland
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic horror
A classic from my teen years - I loved this at the time, and wanted to re-read now in my middle age. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David M Mavers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book!
I was dubious at first about reading this; I'm not a fan of scary and I had heard so this was a risk! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Miss K. Blaylock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spooky!
I read this book years ago and it had a massive impact on me,so much so that he has some books I'd read again and 'IT' is on that list. Read more
Published 2 months ago by charlie k
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Book
Big King fan here. King has written some fabulous books (see The Stand, or Insomnia), but in my view IT is his masterpiece. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ash
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book
All that I expected it to be, this book kept me rivited until the very end and a couldn't put down read.
Published 2 months ago by bandit1
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
Once again a brilliant book by Stephen king. Touching, creepy, funny and thought provoking. A million miles better than the film. Excellent.
Published 2 months ago by E. Bartholomew
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