By Stephen King
Genre Adult Horror Suspense Fantasy
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
As kids they battled the evil that has haunted their town for hundreds of years. Now as adults it's happening again. Fulfilling an oath they took as kids they must return and destroy the evil once and for all.
First Sentence
The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years - if it ever did end- began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made with a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.
I love Stephen King's writing. I haven't read all his books, not even close, but I usually end up liking the ones I do read. I wanted to read this one because of the upcoming movie. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have picked it up. I'm so glad I did, though.
King claims he doesn't consider himself a horror writer and the more I read of his books the more I agree. I know, I know, just look at that cover. How can he claim to not write horror when he writes a story about an evil that appears as a clown (among other things) and kills children? But I really think his stories are much more fantasy and drama than horror. *shrugs*
Let's just get this out of the way. This one was Loooooong!!!! At fourteen hundred plus pages I knew I was in for the long haul. I feel like as I'm getting older I read slower too, so it took me forever to read this one. Still, it was a very fun read.
The way the past and present move seamlessly back and forth and coalesce at the end was amazing. The perfect way to tell a story of this magnitude. And those last 500 pages blew by. I stayed up late into the night to finish because it was just too exciting and I had to know how it all ended.
I adored the relationship these kids had. It was beyond mature and grown up, it was godly. Which of course explains why it wouldn't really last which made me so sad. Ah well. These characters and this story will stick with me for years, I'm sure of it.
I think this is one of King's masterpieces. It's not just a creepy little story about some kids and a clown. It's so, so, soooooo much more than that. It's an epic story so perfectly put together I feel privileged to have read it.
Should you read it
If you know it will give you nightmares then, no, don't read it, but if you've been curious then yes, read it.
I still need to read this one. It's such a time commitment though! I like King's writing, but I'll have to clear my bookish calendar before I start this one. Glad you enjoyed it! It gives me hope. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's a big one but so worth it!
DeleteI can't read horror, but it sounds like you are unfazed by it, or by typical horror. I'm sure to everyone else King writes horror because they feel the emotion of horror so much in his books. If you don't, then you'd have a different opinion, obviously.
ReplyDeleteI don't think King really writes horror but that's just me. Some of Koontz books are definitely horror and they creep me out a little.
DeleteI read It for the first time when I was in 6th grade, and then several times in high school. I related so much to the Loser's Club. I remember reading it as a kid and thinking how old the adult Loser's seemed, but then I did a re-read in my 30's and suddenly realized I was the age they were, and it was a cool perspective. I even love the lame tv miniseries (although, the adult casting was fairly horrible). This is a King book I return to most often (among a few others), and the Hubs and I are going to see the movie Friday night- so excited! So glad you read and enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I'll ever do a reread of this one but I really liked it. I'd imagine my perspective would change from read to read.
DeleteI'm still working through this one and I'm glad to hear the last 500 pages are a breeze! At first I found it hard to get into but now I'm seriously addicted. I just wish I had more continuous time to read it! Lovely review, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
Yeah, I thought those last 500 pages went fast. I hope they do for you too.
Delete1400 pages? Wow! I thought The Stand was long as 1200 pages. I'm still only a third of the way through that one and I'm not sure I'm going to continue, lol. Is it true this evil manifests itself every 27 years? If so, then you have to know that the first miniseries debuted in 1990 and the new movie is out this year 2017--27 years later! How cool is that?!
ReplyDeleteThat is cool. It's not exactly 27 years though. Its 27 years give or take a few years.
DeleteI really love this book. I agree - it is definitely one of his masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteRight?! I was impressed.
DeleteI don't think I've read this book, but I do remember watching the movie years ago; such a classic. Thanks for visiting my blog, Jenny! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the mini series. I think I'll just watch the new movie.
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