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As an avid reader and a sucker for coming-of-age novels about a group of outcasts, it sort of goes without saying that I’m a massive Stephen King fan. The funny thing, though, is that I absolutely hate the horror genre. And yet, the author who has been crowned the king of horror is one of my absolute favorite writers of all time.
Additionally, my favorite novel of his just so happens to be his scariest book of all, IT . But in my opinion, the horrifying killer clown is just background noise, getting in the way of the true heart of the story: a group of friends who overcome all odds together.
Here's what King has to say about his most successful novel.
Why is IT Stephen King’s Most Successful Novel All These Decades Later?
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It’s practically common knowledge at this point that IT is the most popular novel from the king of spooks. Still, the reason people keep flocking to the book all these years later has less to do with the eerie jump scares and bloody bathroom sinks and more to do with the unbreakable bond between the Losers Club. It’s fascinating to see Bill Denbrough, Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh, and co. as the novel time-jumps between their lives as preteens to their late 30s.
We get to see how the group of friends evolves, and as it turns out, little has changed between them. While they may have drifted apart and live their own lives in adulthood, their unbreakable bond is still strong enough for them to all return to Derry upon receiving Mike Hanlon’s phone call.
What Are Fans Expecting?
IMDB
Stephen King understands better than anyone that you can’t create a proper horror story unless you, as the reader, care deeply about the lead characters. He executes this philosophy with the utmost perfection in his epic horror novel, which seamlessly blends the scary elements with a heartfelt coming-of-age story about friendship and sacrifice.
Fans cling to this combo because most horror stories suffer from an overall cold atmosphere, with stock characters who feel more like props than people. Meanwhile, this epic is brimming with warmth, which is why fans keep coming back to Derry all these decades later.
Stephen King Is Too Scared To Write A Sequel
IMDB
The book is undeniably in vogue these days, following the release of the two blockbuster smash hits, IT Chapter 1 and IT Chapter 2, in 2017 and 2019. Additionally, Welcome To Derry is making serious waves on HBO Max, so fans can’t help but wonder if King will expand on the current comeback of his ‘80s best seller. But according to the author, he’s all good leaving it as it is. “I don’t think I could bear to deal with Pennywise again,” he said. “Too scary, even for me.”
Honestly, as much as I adore the novel, I’m just fine with him leaving it as it is. We already get to see the evolution of the Losers Club that spans 27 years. What more is there to say?
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