IT is the ultimate monster story, and takes the place as King's greatest novel for me (yes, I've read The Stand and 11/22/63 ). The truth is, IT is one of the greatest novels to be written in our lifetime. I'll stand by that. I believe it has one of the greatest opening scenes of any book. I'll share the first sentence.
"The Terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years--if it ever did end--began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain."
How better to tell a story than to establish precisely what the next 1500 pages are going to be about in the very first sentence? A terror that lasted over 28 years? And perhaps even at the end of that long cycle had still not been put to bed?
This is the apotheosis of monster stories. If you like suspense, horror, scary things, or even just stories that bring a group of friends together to conquer a common enemy--this is a must read.