It

Rating:
Summary: Fear ITself
Review: "It" is not Stephen King's masterpiece, but it's a close call. However, "It" is Stephhen King's masterpiece about FEAR. During the whole novel, the reader is stuck with an uneasy, creepy, dark feeling, and I would not be surprised if I knew that most of the readers left lights on after reading the book.

Some say "It" is much longer than it needed to be. I disagree. The first 800 pages are there for a reason, and that's to set the atmosphere and let the reader get acquainted with the main characteres and, mostly, with the city of Derry, Maine. Stephen King's writing about Derry was so graphic that I was able to draw a very good picture of it in my mind, and I think that's important to enjoy the story further. Derry itself is one of the main characters in "It".

About the human characters, "It" is divided in two parts: 1958 and 1985. In 58 we know that Derry is one spooky place to live, when kids start to be murdered in gruesome ways. Then we're introduced to Bill Denbrough and his stuttering and leadership, to Richie Tozier and his Voices, to Ben Henscomb and his fatness, to pretty Bev Marsh, Eddie, Stan and Mike. They're the members of the Loosers Club, a bunch of common kids that get together to be outstanding among themselves. But they're not common at all, because together they are able to identify and fight the dark evil power lurking at the bottom of their city. And in 85 they are together again in Derry, trying to finish It forever.

Of course, there's much more to "It" than that, but it's best to read the whole book. Once again, Stephen King's children characters are awesome. SK's capacity to develop characters, even the minor ones, is amazing. Also, his style is to write about lots of situations, that sometimes are seeminlgy out of context, only to be tied up with the rest of the story in a few pages. And then, the 1985 characters are perfectly coherent to what they were when they were kids.

Atmosphere. That's why "It" is 1100 pages long, not 400. The story grabs the reader and won't let go. The final chapters (200 pages) are completely frantic and hallucynated, especially both confrontations with It. And there are some strange things too. At least, in one specific situation, I think Stephen King was a little wrong there. The kids would have to be older for that specific situation to happen as he describes it. Those who already read it will know what I'm talking about. Those who haven't, read it and see if you agree with me.

Grade 9.2/10

Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: When I started IT I was interested in the book, having heard of the movie. As soon as I was done with the first chapter I was hooked. This book grabs on and won't let you go until the heart touching finish. It affected me emotionally in so many ways, that I'm reading it for the second time. This book only slows down during the Interludes, but then quickely speeds up and gets you involved. Devided into five parts, It starts out scaring you, then you get wondering, you get more scared, and in part five you are the with the losers for the final showdown. The end is quite sad as well, but you feel good. Some people find the ending a dissapointment, but I found it better then I expected. Mr. King has done it again.

Rating:
Summary: Do you remember your childhood gang?
Review: I could say that this book made me afraid of empty houses while I was reading it, or that Henry Bowers is every bully I have ever met. But all I will say is this:

Mike Hanlon's last diary entry broke my heart. Which is what every good story is supposed to do.

Rating:
Summary: oh my god...
Review: This is probably the best book i have ever read. over 1000 pages of pure terror and thrills, and once this incredibly long novel is over, you still don't want it to end. too bad they made the mistake of making a movie out of it (what a piece of s***) but this book is amazing. The story is set in the typical town for most of king's novels: Derry, Maine. Children have been disappearing then turning up horribly mutilated by an unknown...thing. A group of 7 friends decide to combat the evil. After growing up and going their seperate ways, the thing returns and they must once again kill the thing known only as It. The characters are believable and diverse and king shows the parallels and diferences of the world through the eyes of a child and an adult remarkably. An amazing read.

Rating:
Summary: The best Stephen King book I have read!
Review: I read this book when I was a teenager--about 14 years ago--and I have read many Stephen King works before and since. And I must say, that this is my absolute favorite of King's novels. It is one of his most memorable books, with wonderful characters. And even though it is REALLY long, I was sad when I reached the last page; I did not want the story to end. I literally could not put IT down. I remember reading this instead of studying for a final exam, b/c I was so captivated by this work.

There are just so many great things about this book. It's really scary, but also very interesting. There are many lessons to learn from this book. This novel has the best opening of any book I've ever read--and I was a Secndary English Education major in college.

I must say, though, that I was a little disappointed by the ending. But this still did not detract from what a wonderful read IT is! If you like horror and/or Stpehen King works, this is MUST-READ!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Stephen King is at it again, with IT, a horror tale of 6 friends, who battle against Derry, Maines child mass-murderer Pennywise the Clown. Stephen King does and excellent job of disconfusing the facts that are from present to past. This book will scare you.
Trust me, it will scare you.
The scary discriptions of the murders and the Penneywise really make this book a great and addictive page turner and the characters child and grown up details are increadible, wich makes this book over 1,000 pages long. I got the book at the library 2 nights ago, and after the first night, I could barely walk the next day I was so tired for reasons A)I could not stop reading and B) I was scared [witless] thinking Pennywise was looking at me through the window.
The imagination of Stephen King is increadable. Increadable. This is a must own book for any hardcore reader. ( I just finished it 2 hours ago.)
If there is one complaint about the book, it would definetly be the mediocre editing. Highly recommended. (Especially for the older reader.)
A+

Rating:
Summary: It's going to be hard putting IT into words
Review: all that i can say right now is wow. i mean seriously, this story is so multilayered, and so facinating that it's near impossible to put down, and it's something that will never be forgotten. it's not the horror of the story that makes it so memorable, it's how king describes these childrens, and adults lives. it's soo good, i mean you feel like you're part of their club. the movie is horribly cast, the people look nothing like they're described in the book. this book does contain many sex scenes, and a lot of foul language, but who cares, i mean if it's part of the story, then it's part of the story. altough at points the story does drag a little (like in descriptions of the town, and some of the interludes, like 2+3, but not 4+5) it still makes for an amazing story. king packs it with action. i would rate this as not only kings best work, but my favorite book of all time. read it, but put some time aside cause it took me half a summer.

Rating:
Summary: Do you believe?
Review: First of all, let me start out by contradicting the negative reviews...in my opinion, this is one of King's best, if not his absolute best novel.
The problem is, some people just don't understand it...
IT is about childhood...but not simply childhood. It is about the amazing capacity for belief that the child's mind posesses. It is about that world a child lives in where the magical co-exists with the tangible, and the transition from that world to the adult world. It is about imagination and the raw power it has.
The children in IT would have been IT's prey had they not come together through fate or the design of a higher power...the characters are all gifted with fertile imaginations. They are the 'losers'...and those of us who were 'losers' as children know that when you are ostracized, you survive because you posess the ability to go into another world in your mind...fantasy saved all of us 'nerds' out there.
The mind of a child and its ability to believe in something contradictory to what adults would call reality gives the monster in IT it's power. It becomes your worst fear. But the power of belief saves the children in IT...belief in monsters also conveys the power to believe in a method of destroying monsters...like garlic is said to stop a vampire in its tracks...what would happen if the victim didn't believe in the garlic?
King presents the character's childhoods in a very real manner. We feel, smell and hear everything his characters do...and its obvious to me that King remembers his own childhood...a time often relegated to the dusty corners in the backs of our minds...a time when there were monsters in the cellar, creeping out of the dank shaddows to catch our throats from behind with their sinewy fingers.
But lets not forget the other facet of IT. The town of Derry, Maine is IT, as much as the monster itself. This book is about the insular evil of small town America. People turn the other cheek, walk away from the bad things...and allow them to happen...Ostracism is rampant in a small town, as is the blind-eyed attitude of its inhabitants....and that can be just as frightening as any monster.
Adults are too banal to believe in monsters. They have lost the ability to tap into the great well of imagination. They are rarely IT's victims...they are IT's vectors...
Fans of Stephen King's other books will pick up on a few subtle tie-ins in this book (particularly the Dark Tower series, and even a tie-in to the Shining, another of King's best books).
If you were a 'loser' who ran from bullies, if you can remember your childhood and the raw power and fear that your imagination wraped around your preceptions of the world...if you grew up in a small town with small streets and small minds...And most of all, if you still BELIEVE, read this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of King
Review: I haven't read that many of King's books, but IT is definately the best one that I have read. IT is not a mere horror story; IT is also an enticing tale about childhood adventures and adult struggles. Truely, King marvels at his skill as a writer in this novel.

The novel is about a group of friends--Bill, Ben, Stan, Richie, Mike, Beverely, and Eddie--who are seen as outcasts in their youth and form a "loser's club." The group discovers an ancient evil only known as "IT", which appears again when they are adults. Adhereing to their childhood pact, the now-adults swear to destroy IT once and for all.

IT has quite an interesting structure. King makes time an important motiff in IT by alternating between the childhood and adulthood of the characters. He singles out each one in both stages of his or her life to give an in-depth analysis of his or her character, revealing certain fears and weaknesses. It is interesting to see that even though thirty years have passed, most of the characters still maintain their unique personalities.

If you want to read this book, you are in for a long journey--more than 1000 pages. It is true that this book could have recieved some editing before publication. About 200-300 pages (mostly about the town or characterization of unimportant characters) could have been deleted without much being lost from the overall story. I won't tell you to skip reading the interlude pages, but it is probably better to go through them quickly to get back to the story; some of them are rather boring and seem out of place. Still, they are worth slogging through to finish the novel. IT does have some faults (in my opinion) around the ending as well--I won't go into detail about them--but these are overshadowed by the marvelous story that constitutes the bulk of the novel.

Overall, reading IT was quite an adventure; IT was often quite interesting, sometime rather scary, and usually a page turner. IT remains the best King book that I have read and in my opinion it is much better than the Stand. IT is worth the many hours that you will put into reading it.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST Read
Review: I am not going to go into much depth beyond my title. I usually only read reviews of books with 1-3 stars, but in this case, i have read this book 2 times over, and have to say that most of the horrible ratings are from people who shouldn't be reading King in the first place.

From experience I can tell you a horror story is the most difficult to write and I assure you, this book will GRIP YOU, I stopped reading it before bed for a while because it was messing with my dreams. It is that powerful, you will be IN this book, you will become the characters and feel strong emotions. Yes the movie [was bad], but this is a must have. Work past the (minor) typo-s, obviously the publisher was a little preoccupied while reading this. Enjoy