It

How to rate.... I wouldn't call this book Horror. I'd call it Fiction with elements of fantasy and horror.

The book starts with adults, with memories of their childhood told through flashbacks. This made it easier to connect the adult to the children. That is a part I struggled with during the 1990s movie/mini series.

I loved the variety of characters and how they dealt with different issues. Beverley has an abusive father, Eddie has an overbearing mother, Bill deals with the guilt of his dead brother, Ben deals with obesity, Mike deals with racism, and Stanley deals with hatred towards Jews. Even the secondary and third characters have such complex backgrounds. I love how Mr. King mentions a character in the beginning, then ties back his character later on in the story. It may be a minor appearance, but essential to create the “small town” feel.

The horror is more gore and unknown. Yes, IT is scary, but the town bully, and Bev's father are much more frightening than the monster. They are monsters based in reality. Much more frightening.

IT, the novel, does a fantastic job recreating childhood emotions and desires. The desire to have fun. The fear or doing something wrong. Having people expect you to act one way or another. Now the controversial topic about Beverley. Mr. King has even expressed regret over this scene. The entire book emphasizes how she's just out to have fun with friends for the summer. Then her effort to save them from the monster, she crossed the line from child to adult. I knew it was coming, but didn't expect how it happened. One after the other? I found that a bit repulsive.

tldr; not as scary as I thought. More a reflection of childhood and standing up to your childhood monsters/demons.

First Stephen King novel I've read, and what a rollercoaster it was.

You will find yourself laughing and crying, exclaim in sheer magnificence at King's brilliance, and learn to jump at every shadow after finishing what I believe, is his magnum opus. It straddles a variety of genres (horror, mystery, comedy), and it does so with aplomb. The sheer scale of King's creation is unparalleled.

There is nothing more to be said about this work of art - it is simply one of the best works of art of our generation. Read, and be dazzled. Don't, and you will have missed out on so, so much.

Incredible story, incredible character development, beautiful writing.

The biggest detractor from this book is how uncomfortable the escape from Its lair was to read. It makes sense in the context of the book and justifies the inclusion of some earlier passages (Beverly's father/Mrs. Kersh), but I can't help but think there was a less disturbing way to do it.

Also, a significant chunk of the Patrick Hostetter story did nothing but make me uncomfortable.

Took an absurd amount of time to read, but I found it worth the investment.

This book is not perfect or near perfect; the 5 stars just reflect my enjoyment of it. This book has every good and bad writing tic that you might find in any Stephen King books, and it's way too long, and it has stuff in it that doesn't need to be there (anyone who's read it knows). But it's nevertheless beautiful, and if you like King (if you can see beyond his glaring flaws), then check this out.

That said. I'll never read/listen to this ever again (but that's just because of how long it is).

I hope to one day write something half as scary as this.

It took me long enough but this book is AMAZING. Stephen King made me cry like a baby and scared the living daylights out of me, all on the same page. The movie may be good, but this book is a journey all of its own. 1500 whopping pages of psychological drama, action, childhood memories and one of the scariest villains ever.
Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/stephen-king-it/

More of a 2.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous.

This could have been a damn good story if it had been....less. If I had been reading it rather than listening to it I doubt I would have made it to 30% (my cut-off point - if I'm not into a book by 30% I ain't gonna be). As it was, listening to it I drifted a lot.

“We all float down here.”

So, it is quite obvious that I LOVE this book. It is SO well written and I can really understand why this is a masterpiece, because it is.
Many, many people are talking about the fact that King used way too many words for this story, that he has passages in his book that aren't of any value to the story. For sure, it has lots and lots of information. But for me, it added to the story, to my thoughts about the book.

The characters
Since the very first time I read this book, and watched the movies, I adored Richie and Eddie. Eddie is my favourite. I love his method of thinking and I can kinda relate to some of his fears. The friendship between all of the members of the Losers club is amazing and wonderful to see.

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Reread August 2020: decided to challenge myself and read this bad boy in 24 hours! NAILED IT. Starting time: August 1st, 12:15pm. Finished: August 2nd, 09:10 am

i love the it movies and the loser's club so much so going into this book i was wary because ik stephen overwrites and uses tons of racism and homophobia in his books which i still couldn't stand. i had a good time reading this book but i do think the movies are better for me personally with the timeline splitup and with the actual time periods and because i constantly am comparing this to the movies and thinking how the movies are better, i couldn't full enjoy this and i don't think that's the books fault but i still had a good time as i said it just wasn't my favorite book every because of those elements and i don't always click with stephen kings writing and characterization all the way 

I enjoyed IT but unfortunately I was still left a little disappointed. This was probably due to having seen the great mini-series, which unlike other adaptations of Stephen Kings books was pretty true to the book leaving me wanting it to speed up a bit and get to the culmination a lot quicker. If I came to this book fresh I can imagine I'd be gripped throughout but even knowing the end the last act was still pretty amazing.

I'd been waiting to read this since I was a kid of about 11, and now I'm 38 and I've finally read it. Isn't that funny?

This book shows Stephen King to be more than the “master of horror,” as this book goes way beyond a simple monster tale, but a rich fantasy in a complex, familiar and yet puzzling world. It is a tale of the power of children, their beliefs, their bravery and so much more, as the cast of characters get to the root of the evil below their town in Maine. This book is told in an omniscient voice that has a classic monster story sound, but goes deep into the characters' lives. As this book can be enjoyed on so many levels, I can't not recommend it. Yes, it's long, but every page is filled with anticipation.

Eh. I decided to give this a try because I heard the audiobook was amazing, and I started it around Halloween so I was looking for something spooky. I had just finished Misery which I thought was great, and revitalized my interest in Stephen King novels.

On the plus side, the narrator is great! But also, the audiobook is 40 hours long! So you really have to be committed, or like me, scale the speed to 1.75. There was a lot I enjoyed about the novel, the main characters are wonderful. I enjoyed the way the adult and child perspectives coincided throughout the novel, as opposed to parts one and two of the movie where they are separate. The themes of friendship and banding together against adversary were wonderful.

IT's many personifications were appropriately terrifying, but gets a little repetitive. Here's another reference to a giant bird, or eyeballs, or leprotic hobos. Henry Bowers, budding psychopath, was terrifying. But by far the award for the scariest thing in the book goes to Eddie's mother. The one who tells him he's frail and has asthma even though his aspirator is full of water. The way the narrator does her voice is chilling.

And yeah, the notorious child orgy scene was weird, unnecessary and gross.

Also, does Stephen King really think women are hyper aware of their nipples at all times? You shouldn't described Beverly's emotional state by describing what her nipples are doing.

I'm one of those who didn't read the book before the movies. I'm glad I finished them on the order I did. I fear, had I been a fan of the book going into the movies, I would have detested them. As it is, the book has made me appreciate the films even more, what they were able to distill from the book and capture on screen. I thought the final confrontation in the movie was a mess, and I was worried about reading the nonsense on the page, but I'm pleased to find it read much better than it looked. Hats off to Bill Skarsgård for becoming the embodiment of Pennywise. I feel as if the image of him as the character was an improvement over what was written on the page as well.

I loved the vast majority of this book. It wasn't really about a killer clown, it was about childhood and friendship and adventure. It was about facing your fears and retaining your innocence. The magic is real.

It would have been five stars if not for a really disturbing and totally unnecessary part near the end - the way out (if you have read it you will know of which I speak).

It was such a treat to listen to the Audible version of this. Steven Weber reads it as well as I've heard anything's being read before. Outstanding performance.

And so to the book - for all its flaws, it still completely draws me in and moves in emotionally as I connect to my younger self as I was when I first read this at the age of 19 and again at the age of 26. I'm now 48. It gives me something different each time, but the constant is the connection to childhood that King writes about so well, and the depiction of childhood love that I can relate to so well. (apart from that scene - you know the one if you've read it.)