I've just (finally) finished IT, by Stephen King, and I have to say, "ehhhhh"... To elaborate, I just didnt like it as much as I thought I might. I didnt go in with an expectation one way or the other, having finished it though, I can't honestly say I'll ever read it again. I've always been a fan of the made-for-tv movie adaptation. A lot of screaming fanboys rant and rave about how great the novel is, and how shit the film is by comparison. Whatever. The film is not great, and suffers from a pretty damn woeful ending, and having read the book now, I can fully admit that the ending of the movie stinks even more. That's it? A fucking papier mache spider with some halogen globes in it's gut? After Tim Curry's fantastically creepy Pennywise, that was a giant letdown. It just failed miserably to capture the mood, style or substance of King's words. And yes, the acting is not fantastic either. But I enjoy the movie anyway, in a nostalgic kind of way, and it's a great way to pass a couple of idle weeknights, watching it as a "miniseries".

One thing that always strikes me about King's writing is how dead-on he nails childhood. It's obvious this guy relished his. He perfectly captures the "crush" mentality of Ben for Beverly, and likewise Beverly's feelings for Bill. In addition, the childhood games, pranks, and mischief kids that age get up to. Again, absolutely spot on. I was laughing hysterically at the bit where Henry and his pals eat the baked beans and go lighting their farts at the dump. Not that I ever did that. I'm just sayin...

The way he juxtaposes the adult "lucky seven" with the kids, paragraph by paragraph and chapter by chapter, is amazing. King is one damn talented writer. Definite shades of "The Body" (or Stand by Me) in the bits with the kids. The way he builds mood, fleshes out the story of Derry, Maine, and of "IT" itself, is again, wonderful writing. The way he depicts the inherent belief of childhood as opposed to the cynical non-belief, and indeed blindess of the adult townsfolk, again, magic.

Still, things annoyed me. For one thing, it's overlong, at times I found myself sighing in frustration, and muttering "fucking jeebus h christ, man, just get on with it..." and certain elements really got on my nerves, the most intrusive was Richie Tozier's "Voices"...although they play an integral role at the end, which I figured they would, when King would have him go on and on with them, I just found my eyes wandering off the page. If I knew a kid like that, I'd be slapping him upside the head. To King's credit, some of Richie's friends, on occasion, do just that.

Couple of things scared me, and were wonderfully creepy, Pennywise beckoning to little Georgie from the drain struck me with a cold shiver. The interrogation of the guys that throw the homosexual fella off the bridge, again, creepy, I paraphrase:

Kid: "I don't know who that guy under the bridge was though, I'd never seen him before."
Cop: "What guy?"
Kid: "The guy in the clown suit. The guy with the balloons."

Again...cold, cold shiver.

I found IT's manipulation of people fascinating, not just Henry Bowers, but the entire town. The part in Mike's history of Derry where the guy comes into the tavern and starts hacking those guys up with an axe was fantastic too. I enjoyed the book heaps, it was certainly a great, much-needed revelation as to what IT was, and how it was an integral part of the town itself, and I was grateful to learn a lot more about the lucky seven. The Turtle (completely absent from the film) was a great turn too, especially the "sicked up the universe" aspect...King has a wacky imagination.

Freaking hell, there I go again, getting all wordy, this wasnt supposed to be a review of the book, I'm just killing time on a very boring Friday the 13th afternoon at work.

All in all, my beginning comments were a tad harsh, I did enjoy the book, just wasnt floored by it. I actually have a favourite King novel, the oft-overlooked "Gerald's Game." It's a masterpiece, in my opinion. It's engrossing, fascinating, and above all, the third act is fucking terrifying.

Well, as I said, it's Friday the 13th today...I'm off to watch some horror movies...