Reading Stephen King's IT
 

Hey forum friends!

Due to the fact that I'm totally geeking out over the September release of the film, I'm about to embark on a re-read of the novel, IT.

I was wondering if anyone else is going to revisit it, or read it for the first time, prior to seeing the film. Any one out there going to check out the source material before hitting the cinema?

Maybe we can have an ultra Horror nerd book group discussion as we progress.

I'll have to see if I can find the book

I am 7/8 of the way through my revisit. I forgot how intense and mentally mesmerizing it is. That said, I am listening to it this time in Audiobook form. Stephen Weber of Wings, and iZombie along with hundred of other movies, is narrating it. He is killing it, a different voice for each character both adult and child. A creepy as fuck Pennywise voice. And he kills the stutter.

I'll have to dig mine out. That's top priority tomorrow morn.

Well I am in for discussions once you dig back in. The Tim Curry mini series was so good, I forgot how far off of the book it was.

BEEP BEEP Jakey!

That made me smile.

The audio book sounds intriguing. I mean, I'll be reading a hard
copy, no question, but I do like that option.

I prefer to read hard copies too, but I have a hard time finding time. Lately the only real time I have to read is while I am using the Poop Closet, as my wife calls it.

That said, I listen to audiobooks the entire time I am in the car for my commute. I haven't listened to music in years. This is probably the best narration I have heard in a long time. I would suggest trying it out. He kills the conversations with just enough inflection changes to separate everyone. Its really good and I think adds to the story.

I like the idea of a horror book club! ::smile::

Have trouble focusing to read though, so I love Jake's idea of audiobooks. Where did you get your version, Jake? It sounds good!

I'm considering listening too. I will read the book, but I'm a fast reader so I'm thinking about looking for the audio edition Jake is championing, for after the hard copy.

Definitely find it, its pretty intense. I love getting to still imagine every scene my way, but having an excellent actor voicing it to me. I borrowed my copy from my local library. Thats where I would suggest looking.

My oldest son is a huge reader, hes 10 going on 11 next month. He reads into college level, he just finished The Gunslinger and is starting the second book in the Dark Tower series. He recently discovered audiobooks (thanks to me) but he doesnt just listen to them. He puts his headphones on and reads along while they are reading it. Its expanding the shit out of his vocabulary because he hears the words pronounced appropriately while he is reading them.

Haven't read it again, but it's still the best book i've ever read and it deserves a movie that's at least 3 hours long.

Well, the first half of the new on is 2 hours and 15 minutes. If the second half is the same, your getting a 4 1/2 hour movie. Cant beat that.

I found the audiobook on YouTube! 8)
Guess I'll get to have the book experience before the movie comes out after all.

part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeQQ...g&spfreload=10

part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wikbrCv_ac


After starting:
...Jesus this thing has as many false starts as The Lord of the Rings does endings.

Older version, different narrator. But Im sure it will still be awesome. It gets a little crazy because in movie form its kids, then adults. In the book it flips back and forth through the whole thing. Follow closely. Lol.

Splitting it into two films is a perfect approach. The book is an absolute classic of Horror lit AND it's 7,000 pages long. Right, not that long but you guys know what I mean. There is simply too much meat in the book for a two hour film to respectfully cover.

I got in chapter 1, and I'm confused how Gorgie died. It sounded like he lost an arm and bled to death, but it was pretty quick if that's the case. ::confused::

Yeah, IT likes people to know. IT ripped his arm off and left him to die. IT doesn't actually feed on people really. You'll find out more. In the movie he was yanked into the sewer and gone. I think this is more brutal, also I saw it in my mind as he wouldn't really fit into the sewer so IT just yanked until IT got some.

I just finished IT again today. Im sad faced that its over.

I wasn't aware it was going to be a two parts movie. Great.

Yeah, they are doing it the same way as the mini series. It will be the losers as kids in the first movie and their return as adults in the second movie. And the director is now in talks to do Pet Cemetery if this goes well.

Not even a minute into chapter 2:

"He was just a queer."

Oh this is going to be a fun chapter.

Either way they gave us way too much time on Gorgie. I felt sad when he died.

...But the gore was refreshing considering how vanilla the movie was.

Monologues cause I have nothing else better to do than waste your time:

Lordy even for just listening to someone else read the book it's so BORING at times. Like is it entirely necessary to tell us EVERYTHING in Eddy's medicine cabinet?? I thought I was going to grow old and die before we got to the end of the list!

I did however enjoy Ben's introduction in the book MUCH better than in the (original) movie. The concern expressed from the bartender really adds to the fear you're supposed to feel for this character and realize just how horrified he is to go home again. Not like in the movie where he was drunk with some broad who got turned on by hearing about his little boy fat rolls.

LOL! Stephen King has always been to descriptive. Its a fault. It would be the reason my oldest son gave up on The Gunslinger two chapters in. He was like "When is something going to happen, I've already heard too much about the desert." You just gotta allow it to really build an image in your head and enjoy it. His level of description is the reason he almost never get a good film adaptation. Its hard to adapt something that the King has already built such a vivid image of in peoples minds.

I wouldn't say a fault per-say. It's probably just harder for someone with ADD to focus on the same thing for so long. It's likely a good thing to be so descriptive, especially when adapting to a movie. The whole thing is written out RIGHT THERE, there's no excuse for getting everything so wrong! Unlike in a book where you have to take a lot of time to read all the details, movies have the benefit of showing everything in one frame. You experience the environment as the characters interact with it, saving time that King dedicates so much of in written words. The book is certainly giving me some more respect for King because of that.

Right, but because of how descriptive it is, there is little you can do to develop it. In other words, movies that are less descriptive leave the film maker the ability to adapt it in a way that suites more people. With King, we have an exact vision of what happened in the book and if it varies even slightly the die hards will point it out. If it isnt adapted exactly it becomes a point of frustration. The trouble is with direct adaptations, there really isnt enough material. Think about this, you spent twenty minutes listening to the description of what was in Eddies medicine cabinet, but in a movie, that is literally a 20 second scene. If you compress all of those details in scenes into what they actually mean on screen, you end up with a very short movie. These scenes need to be drug out, or there needs to be some addition in order to stretch it to movie length. See what Im saying. Think Richie at the bar before he leaves for Maine as an adult. The deal with snorting to lime juice, what is damn near a chapter, would play out on screen in 5 minutes.

LOL! The last few posts have been a very amusing read!
King is long winded and descriptive beyond what is needed and it drives me crazy sometimes. I unashamedly admit to just scanning a paragraph or two when it's obvious he's going to spend 590 words describing a shoe, or the type of glue someone used to seal their asshole shut. That said, what remains after that is simply exceptional. I can handle the babbling on, because the rest pays off so well.

I'm halfway through the hard cover and I just picked up the audio book, which I'm planning to listen to about a week after I finish the novel.

My thoughts on this re-read...

I'm happily recalling how much I loved The Losers Club when I first read this book years ago. As these vulnerable, sweet and lonely kids all band together I feel more and more dread at the Evil they are coming up against, and will continue to encounter. I hate seeing them in peril but I celebrate every one of their victories.

Either way I'm anxious to see how the new movie will adapt all these descriptive scenes. As is it's hard to motivate myself to just continue on with the story when I know I'm not even to the flashbacks yet. So many more medicine cabinets to be described, someone send help. ::EEK!::

Just finished it for the first time. My biggest issue with the book is the rough pacing. I honestly just skimmed a few sections because..well for example when Stans wife discovers him in the beginning. That part was so drawn out and the descriptions were unnecessary. The gang bang, the diary, the town at the end were some other parts that weren't well done.

That being said I loved the "coming of age" tale of the losers club. Those kids were a cool group. I also would have enjoyed more perspective from Pennywise as well. Now I gotta re-watch It in prep for the redo.

EDIT- looks like Im not alone in the long winded descriptions :)

His long winded descriptions are part of his writing, it happens in most everything he writes. I like it. I love getting to see exactly what King wants us to see in his head.

So in the book Bev has an orgy with all the boys to bring them together? Pretty sure that won't make it into the film.

Nope! Lol
I'm having such a hard time getting into the book because of it, I highly doubt I'll be finishing it before I see the movie tomorrow.

I like this book but it is too long. Ashworth as a novelist have you read his "On Writing"?

I'm reading the book right now. I'm on chapter 2. If anyone like to discuss the book with me: feel free to pm me. :)