It

Rating:
Summary: One of King's Greatest Works, but Still Not My Favorite...
Review: The epic King classic, It, is among his greatest works, surpassed only by The Dark Tower and The Stand. It seamlessly chronicles the events in the lives of seven children who faced down a great evil in their youths, only to be called back to face it again to It's final death 27 years later. But this is a condensed summary of a plot so intricate that it would require at least a 2 page essay to really explain, in terms of its underlying messages and themes, as well as its complex plot structure (for instance, there are often flashbacks of flashbacks). The monster is really only a part of what this story entails. If it was the main idea, the 1100 pages of the book wouldn't have been justified. The theme that seems to strike most home with me is the magic that is possible in the eyes of children, and how that changes so much as we age. I came away from this book feeling so wistful and nostalgic, that I was tempted to go riding full speed on my bike, never afraid of the consequences that I might fall and break something. It made me stop and think about how much more complex our fears become as we become "grownups".

In terms of the book's lengthy content, I will say that I was initially put-off. King tends to take a character so far back into his past events that one sometimes begins to question the relavence of such an action. But I realize that without such intricate weaving of character and plot, we would not have been given such richness. We would not as closely identify the characters, care for them, or even think about them when the book is closed. But every time I close It or any other King novel, I find that this is what I do. I can't wait to pick the book back up again, to make sure everyone is okay. King carries this off so well in this novel that I was almost afraid to keep reading because I dreaded anything bad happening to the people I'd invested so much time into caring about.

That being said, in terms of King's epic novels, It still doesn't rank as #1 for me. It took me a lot of time to warm up to this book. I was about 300 pages into it before I really started to feel attached to it. The Dark Tower and The Stand had me roped long before that, and it was only because of my intense appreciation for King's work that kept me reading beyond my cut-off limit. I held on and had faith that all of it would come together and make sense.

If there is any evidence people need to prove that Stephen King deserves to have an indellibe impression in the literary world- not just as a mainstream horror peddler, but a true literary talent- one need only pick up this book. I can only think of a good handful of authors who are so good at pulling the reader into the story, and they all happen to be classic literary authors- Steinback, Twain, Dickens. Nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting take on what growing up means
Review: The first time I read "It," I was maybe 16, and was scared silly by the idea of a monster that feeds on our fears. I was then, and am now, amazed at how much King made me care about his characters, and how fleshed out they were. Then I grew up. Got an education, got married, had kids. Having children was for me, at age 27, a wake-up call to my own mortality, and that our lives are precious and short, and sadly non-magical.

A belief in (metaphorical or real) Magic, like that Our Players use and are manipulated by, is in awfully short supply as we grow older, and the characters struggle to recapture their belief in Magic (Why do you think Harry Potter is so popular amongst adults anyway?).

When I finished the book at age 16, I was relieved that the heroes had whupped It and set things right. At 27, I was struck by a sense of loss, both vicarious and personal. What effect does forgetting our childhood (as many of us do) have on adulthood? King's apparent thesis is that it makes being an adult no damned fun - we become constricted with the obligations of adulthood and lose our sense of wonder and longing, and forget how to dream.

While King challenges us to remember the beauty of childhood, there is a caution as well, as the main characters struggle to conquer the demons of childhood. In a literal sense, It pulls them back for a confrontation with Itself, as well as the evil personage of Henry Bowers. Metaphorically, they must face the scars of their own childhoods which continue to plague them; abuse, emotional coldness, death of a brother, being The Fat Kid, being a hypochondriac weakling, being a target of bigotry - in short, being different. Their success comes at a high price, though.

My only real criticisms of this book are the fact that it is bloody long, and although the adolescent sex scene didn't really offend me, it did confuse me - I'm still not entirely sure of its function in the book, besides as a bookend to Bill and Beverly's shagging. Maybe it's a way of pointing out that when the Magic leaves, all we have left are Love and Desire, and we'd better hold on to those for all we're worth. As adults, it certainly seems that those two things are often all we do have.

Also, I was disappointed that in the end, the characters begin to forget again - it seems to defy King's admonition to remember the magic of childhood. The ending was not entirely satisfactory, but you can't have everything. In Real Life, endings are rarely totally satisfactory, and fiction is not required to differ in that regard.

All told, this is an interesting, emotional, absorbing read, and certainly King's magnum opus. I highly recommend that younger readers (like under 22 or so) wait 6 or 8 years before reading the book again, until they've seen a bit more of life. Doing so will certainly change your perspective on "It".

Rating:
Summary: The storie of "It"
Review: This book is, simply put, awesome. Although it takes a little while (okay, okay - a long while, like 500 pages) to get into, the rest of it is totally worth it. & even though the first part you're not all the way into it there are still enough exciting scenes & suspense to be good. I finished the book last night & it is just amazing. It all kind of ties together & there are keys to understand the rest of it (Eddie's aspirator). It is more than worth the money spent on it & the time it takes to read it (it took me a little less than three months).

THE VERDICT: Go out and buy it now!!