The Stephen King Master Thread

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by LeftHandedGuitarist

Been distracted reading lots of other things, but I've also gotten back to my King readthrough at last! Sad to say that I didn't totally love this one, though...

It (1986)
Beep beep, King.

One of his best novels? Nah, not for me. I do wonder if the status of It as a classic is more down to the 1990 TV miniseries, as that's where it's story managed to grab so many of us when we were young (myself included).

Frankly, It is a mess. Often a fun mess, but it's length and its storytelling methods are so bloated, so overindulgent, that I found it difficult to ever truly engage with. I didn't connect with the characters despite spending the past 5 months with them, because they never felt real to me. King's writing is so detached from anything true at this point in his career, no doubt thanks to the horrible addictions he had at the time. The dialogue, especially for the children, is bizarre.

But the book has quite a lot of good stuff too. Just the central story about a group of people having to face a monstrous entity, first as kids and then as adults, is compelling. His love for a 1950s childhood comes through. The town of Derry is fleshed out well and King makes it feel much more real than any of the characters. He creates an entire history for it which is spread throughout the novel and it works beautifully.

My favourite parts ended up being the larger mythology which is hinted at. The origins behind IT and the depictions of other forces out there are the kind of thing which tick boxes for me and set my imagination going. In that regard, much of the book's ending came out as my favourite sections and allowed me to finish the story on a high. With the notable exception of the infamous

[Show spoiler]child gangbang

which is so utterly deranged, out of place and inappropriate and should never have gotten past the editing stage.

Another strong point is the sections dealing with the bullies. While these are over the top, they are startling in how horrific they can be. King is able to depict more mundane daily horrors such as bigotry and abuse remarkably well, and it often has the desired effect of leaving me disturbed and uneasy. The writing here becomes wonderfully powerful and this seems to be King's real strength.

If I had to come down to one solid reason as to why I ultimately struggled, then it's the book's length. The Stand is long - and I criticised that - but manages to justify its size for the most part, where as It could be less than half the length and be just as effective. It WASTES time consistently. Scenes are unending and take forever to reach their point. There are entire subplots which are totally unnecessary, with so much time spent on them that I was fooled into thinking they were relevant.

I'm a little sad that I didn't find It to be the classic many people see it as. But I also feel strangely glad to have read it and explored its depths. It's a story about the loss of innocence and how important our childhoods and our imaginations are. There IS a powerful book hidden in here, and I wish we had been given that version of the story. In that respect, I'll stick with the various film adaptations to enjoy it again in the future.

I am glad you did not approach this book with reverence, like many that read this book first among King’s books because of the film and hold it dear to their heart.

There are definitely some flaws that you pointed out. Interesting that you enjoyed the ending; a lot of readers felt it was inconsistent and odd. I personally, as yourself, enjoyed it. The

[Show spoiler]spider and turtle motifs are ancient creation myths. The turtle holding up the universe and the spider a spinner of tales, Anansi trickster

. The Derry interludes are a nice touch, one of my favorite parts of the book.

Great review!

[Rich1983]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

I am glad you did not approach this book with reverence, like many that read this book first among King’s books because of the film and hold it dear to their heart.

There are definitely some flaws that you pointed out. Interesting that you enjoyed the ending; a lot of readers felt it was inconsistent and odd. I personally, as yourself, enjoyed it. The

[Show spoiler]spider and turtle motifs are ancient creation myths. The turtle holding up the universe and the spider a spinner of tales, Anansi trickster

. The Derry interludes are a nice touch, one of my favorite parts of the book.

Great review!

I read as a kid and absolutely loved it! It is definitely one of his classics. I need to reread it at some point.