It

April 7, 2008 in Horror, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Stephen King

Genre: Horror

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:

It consists of two stories involving the same group of characters. The first story happens when they are children in Derry, Maine, in 1958. The second occurs in 1984, when most of them have moved away, and are highly successful in their careers. Both stories revolve around a monster known simply as “It.” It takes various forms, and can only be seen by children. To some of them, It looks like a clown, others see a werewolf or a giant bird. In almost all cases, the children who meet It are brutally killed.

It lies dormant for about 27 years at a time, then comes out of hibernation for a year or so to resume the slaughter. One of these active times occurs during the summer of 1958. Seven children narrowly escape the monster, and band together to fight It. They manage to force It back into hibernation, but not kill it. In 1984, they find out that the killings have started again, and they return to Derry from their various new homes to finish what they started as children.

King tells the two stories in parallel, switching between them so that neither one gets ahead of the other. As adults, the group has forgotten most of what happened before, and King follows the path of their recollection as they try to revive the magic they used the last time they fought the monster.

My Thoughts:

It is a powerful story. Stephen King takes a long time to tell his stories, but they are invariably worth the wait. He adds richness with detailed descriptions of characters, places and events. His characters have a compelling humanity to them. Even the bad guys are often human. As evil as they often are, King shows how they got that way.

Stephen King employs a clever literary device by telling two stories in parallel, revealing a little at a time in each one. This increases the suspense, and makes two fairly decent standalone stories into one fantastic story.