It audiobook buzz is building fast as HBO/Max’s prequel series It: Welcome to Derry locks an October 2025 premiere window. Bill Skarsgård is back as Pennywise, early teasers are floating around social feeds, and Entertainment Weekly’s first-look coverage confirms the story digs into the novel’s 1962 “Black Spot” tragedy—catnip for constant readers and horror newcomers alike.[1][2][3] If you’ve never braved the legendary 44-hour, 55-minute unabridged recording (Steven Weber’s performance is a masterclass), this fall is your moment.[4] Below: what the show covers, what the audiobook gives you that TV can’t, and smart, wallet-friendly ways to get listening.

Why the Hype Now

• Premiere window set: It: Welcome to Derry debuts October 2025 on HBO and Max, with nine episodes in season one. Official teasers are already live. [1][2][3]

• Canon expansion: The series centers on Derry’s past—especially the Black Spot nightclub massacre introduced in King’s interlude chapters—plus fresh characters that tie directly into the novel’s broader mythology. [1][2]

• Skarsgård returns: Yes, Bill Skarsgård is Pennywise again. Fans who loved the 2017/2019 films get the same nightmare fuel in a longer-form story. [1][2]

• Discovery loop: Teasers → curiosity → samples on Apple Books/Audible → library holds → social chatter. Multiple U.S. library systems now show multi-week waits for the It audiobook. [8]

Translation: this is the perfect pre-game

As the show peels back Derry’s history, the audiobook’s interludes (Mike Hanlon’s oral history of the town) land with extra weight. Hearing them first turns trailer Easter eggs into “aha!” moments.

What the Show Will Cover (Without Spoilers)

• 1962 Derry: Season 1 is set around the early 1960s, tracking the city’s simmering bigotry, Cold War anxieties, and the supernatural rot beneath everyday life. [1][2]
• The Black Spot: Expect a dramatized version of the speakeasy’s burning, a key horror/history beat that King placed between the main narrative lines in the novel. [1]
• New faces, old terror: Cast includes Taylour Paige and Jovan Adepo, with Skarsgård’s Pennywise haunting the margins (and often the center). [1][2]

EW’s coverage describes a series that “expands the interludes” and leans into the town’s cyclical violence—exactly the part audiobook listeners always cite as most chilling. [1]

Why the It Audiobook Still Hits Harder in 2025

Length & depth (44h 55m): The unabridged recording (narrated by Steven Weber) preserves every thread—childhood, adulthood, and the interludes—so the pattern of Derry’s disasters becomes unmistakable. [4]

A single, unified voice: Weber switches effortlessly between the Losers’ Club as kids and adults, nails regional accents, and gives Pennywise a performance that slithers without going camp. If you sampled the movie first, hearing that voice in your headphones is its own horror show.

Interludes = the show’s roadmap: Many beats the series teases (the Black Spot, neighborhood rumors, Derry “accidents”) come straight from those oral-history chapters. The audio format makes them feel like late-night confessions you weren’t meant to hear.

Evergreen access: Apple’s listing now explicitly labels the book as an inspiration for It: Welcome to Derry, making it easy to find and sample. [5]

Should You Listen Before You Stream?

| If you… | Do this | Why | |---|---|---| | Want maximum lore | Listen first | You’ll catch the Black Spot/1962 context and dozens of Derry “incidents” the series will compress. | | Fear spoilers | Stream first | Then enjoy the audiobook as an expanded cut with inner monologues the camera can’t show. | | Need momentum | Alternate | Two episodes → equivalent chapters: perfect for commuting through spooky season. |

Either way, you’ll appreciate Skarsgård’s menace more when you’ve met the town as a character—the audiobook excels at that.

Quick Guide: Where to Start & How to Pace

• Start with the prologue + first interlude if you’re time-crunched. You’ll get Derry’s rules and a feel for how the town “forgets.”
• Aim for 90 minutes a day. That’s a chapter or two without numb ears; you’ll finish in about three weeks.
• Use bookmarks whenever an interlude drops a detail about prior cycles—it’ll pay off when teasers reference them.
• Pair with headphones. The whispers and breath work in Weber’s Pennywise are—that’s right—worse in the dark. Deliciously worse.

Budget Tips (So the Clown Doesn’t Eat Your Wallet)

1. Free sample first: Apple Books and Audible both offer generous previews—test the narrator fit before committing. [5][4]
2. Library angle: If your Libby/OverDrive system shows a long hold, place it now; some systems (Houston, for example) show ~6 weeks for the audiobook as hype builds. [8]
3. Watch deal calendars: King titles rotate through Daily Deal promos a few times a year—especially around Halloween.
4. Queue smarter: Long listen? Stack lighter podcasts on off days to avoid burnout; you’ll still be done before the premiere.

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Who Will Love This Listen

• Movie fans who want the full Derry backstory before the series expands it.
• Horror newcomers curious why this door-stopper is the modern epic.
• Commuters & gym-goers—the chapter cadence is great for 30–45-minute sessions.
• Re-readers who first tackled It in print years ago; Weber’s take feels like a new performance, not a rerun.

One More Thing About Expectations

It isn’t just a clown story. It’s childhood, memory, and the way places become complicit. The series will emphasize that through new viewpoints; the audiobook lets you live it—slowly, completely, and (occasionally) with every light on.

Ready to Listen?

Grab it on Audible → Start your nightmare tour here

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you.

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[1]: Entertainment Weekly, “When does Welcome to Derry come out?,” July 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
[2]: Entertainment Weekly, “Exclusive first look confirms the Black Spot and other horrors,” Nov 2024. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
[3]: Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom, “HBO Releases Official Teaser for IT: Welcome to Derry (debuts this fall),” May 20, 2025; plus HBO/Max teaser noting October 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
[4]: Amazon (Audible edition), “It — Listening Length 44h 55m; Narrator Steven Weber,” accessed Aug 8, 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
[5]: Apple Books listing, “It (Unabridged) — publisher description,” accessed Aug 8, 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
[6]: WhatToWatch, “Everything we know about the It prequel series,” July 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
[7]: TechRadar, “It: Welcome to Derry guide—release window, cast, and more,” July 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
[8]: Houston Public Library/OverDrive, “It — Audiobook — Wait list (~6 weeks),” accessed Aug 8, 2025. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}