One of my favorite reads from Stephen King is “It”. It plays on your deepest fears, but I love it mostly because of the way the story is told and the relationships within the story. This is the first recommended stop on your journey to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.

The story begins in the 1950’s when future horror writer Bill Denbrough’s little brother George takes a paper boat on its maiden voyage along the flooded streets of Derry, Maine. It is here that little Georgie meets the omnipotent demonic entity known as “Pennywise the Dancing Clown”. His boat gets lost in the sewer and Pennywise coaxes him to reach in to get it, Pennywise tears off his arm and kills the youngster.

The next summer, stammer-suffering Bill and his friend the asthmatic Eddie Kaspbrak meet up with overweight Ben Hanscom. Ben is being chased by the local bullies the Henry Bowers gang. They immediately befriend Ben and later meet up with and befriend other outcasts of their peer group. They are, Richie Tozier, Stan Uris, Beverly Marsh and Mike Hanlon. They dub themselves the “Loser’s Club” after they win a rock fight against Bower’s gang.

During this time, It, is killing and eating children all over Derry. Eventually, it is up to the “Loser’s Club” to put their wills together and try to defeat It. Which they do and they make a blood pact to return if It ever comes back.

It is the 1980’s and after a grisly murder of a young gay man, another killing spree begins. It has awakened and is feeding on the town once again.

The Losers club are all successful adults now. Mike Hanlon is the only member who stayed in Derry as the town’s librarian and is the one to call them all home. Most don’t remember what happened back then, the only other one that does kills himself and writes “It” in his own blood before he dies. The rest of the Loser’s come home for a final show down with the monsters from their childhood.

I loved this story so much that I bought the new release of the 25^th Anniversary edition. This edition, put out by Cemetery Dance is a hard cover edition with a new introduction and afterword by the author. It is also filled with illustrations and paintings by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells with a masterful cover by Glen Orbik. This edition is not available any more and I was one of the lucky few to purchase it.