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It
It
It
Audiobook44 hours

It

Written by Stephen King

Narrated by Steven Weber

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Stephen King's classic #1 New York Times bestseller and the basis for the massively successful films It: Chapter One and It: Chapter Two as well as inspiration for HBO Max’s upcoming Welcome to Derry—about seven adults who return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they had first stumbled upon as teenagers...an evil without a name: It.

Welcome to Derry, Maine. It’s a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real.

They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made twenty-eight years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city’s children. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that terrifying summer return as they prepare to once again battle the monster lurking in Derry’s sewers.

Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis, and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.

“Stephen King’s most mature work” (St. Petersburg Times), “It will overwhelm you…to be read in a well-lit room only” (Los Angeles Times).

Editor's Note

Do you want a balloon?…

King captures the magic of childhood, and lifts the reader’s spirit high with his depiction of the shielding power of friendship in the face of evil for a group of grammar school kids. The book breaks your heart, too, floating to the surface the pain kids suffer as they grow aware of the failures of their would-be adult protectors. “It” will terrify you. But read it. It’s worth losing a couple nights of sleep.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 1, 2016
ISBN9781508217114
Author

Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. 

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Reviews for It

Rating: 4.166774178082192 out of 5 stars
4/5

7,738 ratings302 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are a bazillion reviews of this out there so I'm not going to get into what the book is about but rather my experience of re-reading the book. It took me the whole month of December to read as it's quite a tome. king's second longest book after "The Stand" I believe. I was 18 the first time I read this book and I've had fond memories of loving it. Since it's been so long since I red it, I kind of felt like I was just a step behind the plot, remembering things as they happened. I'vve been reading King in chronological order and this came at an aappropriate time for me as now I can watch the recent movie. This is King's first book that takes place in Derry, though it has been mentioned before. There are also a ton a references to his previous books up to this such as the mention of the crazy cop killer (Dead Zone) and guessing that someone's last name was Underwood (The Stand). In general this story is very similar to "The Body" (Stand By Me) only with monsters. I like this group of children better. It's more diverse; there is a Catholic, a Jew, a black kid and a girl included amongst the seven and I think they also are more of a comarison to the group of kids from "Stranger Things". I was surprised that the lown is not as major a part of the book as it is commonly thought to be by pop culture. I didn't find the story scary t all but there are a couple of classic King gross out scenes. Most of all though the book is a tremendous story of characters with a huge cast that King juggles to perfection, one of the things I like best about King. A great book, not his best, but up there and a must read for fans. This could also be a good introduction for first time readers if they don't mind the length, for a shorter intro to King I recommend "Pet Semetary".

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an incredible book! Goes so deep into the characters and such an imaginative and scary story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book took me way too long to finish hahaha just because it's size was super demotivating. But I finnsly picked it up again afters yearrrrssss of collecting dust.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was alright, felt like it took too long to get to the goddamn point. I enjoyed it, but not enough to ever want to revisit it as either an audiobook or in print.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very good book!:) unique to its core and although it’s starts slow the second it starts moving fast it does not stop
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First I have to say that Steven Weber does not merely narrate this book—he PERFORMS the heck out of it! A truly great narrator makes all the difference when it comes to really getting into an audiobook, and Weber really nails it. He’s just perfect. This was my first time reading IT, and I loved it so much. King’s plots are always good, usually great, but his characters are what keep me coming back again and again. IT is no exception. I think for many people who haven’t read this one, it falls victim to the whole “judging a book by its cover” (or movie) thing. Before becoming a huge Stephen King fan, I always assumed this novel was about a scary clown who ate children and wreaked general, gory, Halloween-based havoc. It’s FAR from that. IT takes on various shapes and fills some really creepy shoes, but the heart of the story is this clubhouse gang of kids trying not only to defeat the story’s Big Bad Guy, but to defeat their own little demons as well, not least of which include the town bullies, prejudice, abusive or neglectful or even helicopter parents, and their own internal struggles. It’s a horror/dark fantasy novel, sure, but it’s also a mystery, an adventure, a coming-of-age story, and one that contains many forms of love (as well as many forms of hate). The Losers make up the perfect cast of characters. At face value, they’re just a bunch of semi-nerdy kids with run-of-the-mill, on-the-cusp-of-puberty, kid problems. But King’s characterizations take them so much deeper than that, and the story truly wouldn’t be the same if you took away any of them.
    I don’t always love narration that jumps back and forth between points of time (or points of view), because it sometimes feels like settling into the story and then being yanked out again. With IT, though, it wouldn’t work any other way. There are flashbacks and forward-jumps literally mid-sentence, but it works and flows perfectly. It both highlights the parallels and draws sharp contrasts between the Losers as kids and as adults. There were even a few times where the two seemed to blend seamlessly, and I forgot for a few seconds which time period the current scene was taking place in. When you’re gutted to be finished with a book, you know it’s a good one! Earlier this year I decided to read all of Stephen King’s books from the very beginning (not in chronological order originally, but certain cameos and tie-ins inspired me to switch to doing it that way). While 11.22.63 has been at the top for me so far, IT may be bumping it out of the “#1 top favorite” spot (thought not by a huge margin). Since I’ve read King novels that were written after this one, there were quite a few things I recognized. I was also excited to realize that there’s a pretty big cameo appearance in 11.22.63 from IT, and of course I knew all about Derry as a setting and what that entails. If you’re a fan of an epic tale, of “close-knit group of kids takes on a world of evil,” or just of a great story with memorable characters, definitely give this one a try!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An excellent King book with good character development. The audiobook was well read and produced. Good read all the way
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t watch the 2 new It movies. I saw the old one years ago and barely remember anything about it. I never got bored at any point in this book. I am a fan of King so if you are too, I recommend this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My first audio book. wont be my last. I hope all are as good!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is one of my favorites! The narrator was absolutely amazing and kept me entertained the entire time!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "It" it's an amazing book and the audiobook it's phenomenal
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Awesome book. The length is intimidating so start it when you’ve got some time to really strap in and get engrossed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great narrator and I love the storytelling king does in his novels.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Well written but drags. The plot has a lot of interesting mystery and as always with King it's a good solve as you go narrative, but there was a lot of unnecessary detail that really slowed the pace. Also weirdly sexualized the kids which was creepy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A spectacular journey you'll never forget. The narrator is perfection paired with an amazing story that will live on for more and more years to come. Don't think twice. Just do it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The reader was good not the book. It was trash.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this book so much I try to re read it every year tho I don’t tend to listen to audio books that much, I loved this narration
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book made me excited. This book made me scared. This book made me long for more, and I loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story / reader was really good! The only flaws were the lengthy runtime and the overuse of profanities.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I can't wait to start listening. The tv mini series was a big part of my childhood, hahahhaha. Seen it hundreds of times but never read the book. I hope the narrator does it justice!!! I hope it scares lots of people too!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Best narrated book I have ever heard ! Wow 5 Stars man !!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Good, long. Lol give it a chance. Audiobook is the only way to go
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely amazing book... it had me on edge for sure
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great back story for every character. Masterpiece in writing. A literary must!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I could imagine every scene and emotion that was being told in this book. Loved it! And the narration was incredible. This book was great, but the narration made it amazing!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    King can write and his descriptions are visceral. Unfortunately his pessimism and racial stereotypes have not aged well. The depth of horrid behaviours from most of the characters just makes you wish their whole universe would explode. For example was it necessary to add feces to the already torturous hole digging scene? The whole novel is just a long winded hate letter to human nature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What An absolute masterpiece and a privilege to partake in. I would call this one of the best audiobook experiences of my life. The narration is perfect in everyway, I couldn't have asked for more. The story is classic and leaves you satisfied. If you have ever thought about reading this, I would strongly suggest that you do. Thank you Stephen King for this epic tale. Thank you Steven Weber for reading it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just read The Stand then IT, WOW, I wouldn’t want to live in Mr. King’s Macroverse. Beep Beep, Richie!!!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it. The narrator was excellent. Really transported me to the story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Best book I have listened to yet. The writing is absolutely fantastic. Great character building.