DERRYA literary atlas of Stephen King’s IT · reconstructed from the novel
A spoiler-light reading path

Stephen King books set in Derry, Maine

Derry is best known as the setting of IT, but King returns to the city in other work. Sometimes Derry is the full stage; elsewhere it supplies an important passage or a connection within his larger fictional universe.

Open the map of Derry92 places, drawn from the novel
On this page · 5 sections

Books and stories in which Derry is a principal setting

1986
The central Derry novel

IT

The fullest portrait of the city. Two principal periods reveal streets, homes, schools, the Barrens, civic buildings and underground infrastructure, while historical interludes give Derry a memory extending far beyond the main story. This is the sole literary source used for the map on this site.

1994
Derry after IT

Insomnia

The novel makes Derry a full setting again, now viewed through an older protagonist and in a later period. The city remains recognizable while the story and cast stand on their own. It is the natural next book for exploring Derry, but it is not a direct plot sequel to IT.

2010
A Derry short story

Fair Extension

This short work, collected in Full Dark, No Stars, brings a new story to Derry. In his inspiration note, King connects a real road in Bangor with his decision to use the fictional city again. It is a compact example of how Derry works beyond its best-known characters.

Books that return to Derry

2001
The characters’ past is tied to the city

Dreamcatcher

Most of the present-day story unfolds elsewhere, but Derry belongs to the central characters’ shared childhood. The city becomes part of their memory and personal history. Choose this book not for an extended tour of familiar streets, but for another treatment of friendship, growing up and the persistence of the past.

2011
A significant passage

11/22/63

King’s time-travel novel briefly enters Derry in the late 1950s. The passage is recognizable to a reader of IT, yet it does not require a detailed memory of that plot or turn the whole book into a Derry story. It is a purposeful return to one period and mood of the city.

More distant connections

1998
A link in the wider geography

Bag of Bones

The main action takes place at a lake in western Maine, not in Derry. Derry belongs to the book’s wider geography and biographical connections. This is not the next choice for a reader seeking a detailed city portrait, but it shows how King’s invented places coexist in a larger world.

2022
A late connection

Gwendy’s Final Task

Stephen King and Richard Chizmar’s novel connects several familiar points in the fictional universe, including Derry. The city is not the book’s main subject, making this a route for readers following cross-connections rather than a continuation of the city portrait established in IT.

What order should you read them in?

  1. IT — the original and most extensive version of Derry.
  2. Insomnia — a new, self-contained story in the same city.
  3. Dreamcatcher or 11/22/63 — a return through memory or travel.
  4. Fair Extension — a shorter, later story for another glimpse.
  5. Bag of Bones and Gwendy’s Final Task — looser connections across the shared universe.

Sources and official book pages

  1. Simon & Schuster — books connected to Derry
  2. StephenKing.com — IT
  3. StephenKing.com — Insomnia
  4. StephenKing.com — Dreamcatcher
  5. StephenKing.com — 11/22/63
  6. StephenKing.com — Fair Extension
  7. StephenKing.com — Bag of Bones
  8. StephenKing.com — Gwendy’s Final Task