- After the Flood (1957)
- After the Carnival (1984)
- Six Phone Calls (1985)
- Derry: The First Interlude
- Ben Hanscom Takes a Fall
- Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil (I)
- One of the Missing: A Tale From the Summer of '58
- The Dam In the Barrens
- Georgie's Room and the House On Neibolt Street
- Cleaning Up
- Derry: The Second Interlude
- The Reunion
- Walking Tours
- Three Uninvited Guests
- Derry: The Third Interlude
- The Apocalyptic Rockfight
- The Album
- The Smoke-Hole
- Eddie's Bad Break
- Another One of the Missing: The Death of Patrick Hockstetter
- The Bullseye
- Derry: The Fourth Interlude
- In the Watches of the Night
- The Circle Closes
- Under the City
- The Ritual of Chud
- Out
- Derry: The Final Interlude
- Epilogue: Bill Denbrough Beats the Devil (II)
The Circle Closes
We cut back to Tom and Audra for the first time in over three hundred pages! It seems hard to believe that it is the same day and only a few hours have passed, but that's the magic of non-linear storytelling!
Tom Rogan is dreaming of being Henry Bowers; he relives murdering Butch and being in the sewers, and begins to think in the style of Al Marsh. All these men have been possessed by Pennywise at some point or other, and it further cements the notion that all three of these are parallels of another...as well as of Butch and of Edward Corochan's stepfather. We also are offered some rare insight into Tom's life as we learn that his own father was abusive and committed suicide. Tom awakes and is almost immediately contacted by Pennywise. Without any questions, Tom does what he's told.
Audra awakes from a similar dream of being Young Beverly in the sewers. Scared and hearing voices, she calls The Derry Town House and, in a nice bit of humor, gets the same desk clerk who gets noticeably irritated at all these calls for Mr. Denbrough. After being unable to get through, Audra is attacked by various apparitions until she runs out of the hotel and into the parking lot, where she is captured by Tom.
Bill and Beverly arrive at Eddie's room and learn he has broken his arm (again) in the fight. Richie and Ben are summoned, but in trying to reach Mike, our heroes learn he is in the hospital and may not survive. Furthermore, Bill accurately concludes that trying to tell the police about Henry will only result in all of them getting arrested; Derry has a way of not seeing what's really going on. Fed up, our five remaining heroes decide to head to the Standpipe and confront It once more.
They drive in Eddie's limo as they are taunted over the radio, first by Pennywise's voice and then by George's. Eventually they reach the Barrens, only to learn that someone else has just been there and gone down the Standpipe, leaving Audra's purse behind. Bill recognizes it and somehow knows that Audra has been captured. And so they make their way down the Standpipe and into the sewers. Last time they were being chased by bullies; this time they are the ones chasing the bully.
I enjoy how this chapter's ending parallels the ending of the previous one. It was as if the adult storyline needed a little extra time to catch up to the children's one. Now it has, and the climax can really begin!
Tom Rogan is dreaming of being Henry Bowers; he relives murdering Butch and being in the sewers, and begins to think in the style of Al Marsh. All these men have been possessed by Pennywise at some point or other, and it further cements the notion that all three of these are parallels of another...as well as of Butch and of Edward Corochan's stepfather. We also are offered some rare insight into Tom's life as we learn that his own father was abusive and committed suicide. Tom awakes and is almost immediately contacted by Pennywise. Without any questions, Tom does what he's told.
Audra awakes from a similar dream of being Young Beverly in the sewers. Scared and hearing voices, she calls The Derry Town House and, in a nice bit of humor, gets the same desk clerk who gets noticeably irritated at all these calls for Mr. Denbrough. After being unable to get through, Audra is attacked by various apparitions until she runs out of the hotel and into the parking lot, where she is captured by Tom.
Bill and Beverly arrive at Eddie's room and learn he has broken his arm (again) in the fight. Richie and Ben are summoned, but in trying to reach Mike, our heroes learn he is in the hospital and may not survive. Furthermore, Bill accurately concludes that trying to tell the police about Henry will only result in all of them getting arrested; Derry has a way of not seeing what's really going on. Fed up, our five remaining heroes decide to head to the Standpipe and confront It once more.
They drive in Eddie's limo as they are taunted over the radio, first by Pennywise's voice and then by George's. Eventually they reach the Barrens, only to learn that someone else has just been there and gone down the Standpipe, leaving Audra's purse behind. Bill recognizes it and somehow knows that Audra has been captured. And so they make their way down the Standpipe and into the sewers. Last time they were being chased by bullies; this time they are the ones chasing the bully.
I enjoy how this chapter's ending parallels the ending of the previous one. It was as if the adult storyline needed a little extra time to catch up to the children's one. Now it has, and the climax can really begin!