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I know alot of people say this is not one of Kings best books but, this will be the 2nd or 3rd time I've read this. I absolutely love the set up of this book. I can't give away everything but I don't believe I'll be play any pranks on anyone soon!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
One of my very favorite books. Not in too bad condition. The deal breaker is it had not dust cover. It is for my collection, and I can't use it now.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Even though I am a true Mainer and love Stephen King...(I am usually too chicken to read his scary stories!). However, "Needful Things" sounded more intriguing so...I gathered up my courage and read it. The author writes of a small ficticous town in Western Maine nestled between South Paris and Oxford. Of which I am VERY familiar since I used to live in Oxford county. I felt like SK was writing this tale just for me! As the story unfolds the reader will get caught up in the suspense of the "new store" opening up in the town and of the shopkeeper himself. From very early on one senses some dread and doom approaching the town...but, you just can't put your finger on it. SK is a master story weaver as he writes short chapters, but at a fast pace. How he manages to keep track of all the town's characters: Pangborn (the Sheriff), Norris (deputy), Polly, Nettie, Brian, Wilma, Ace, Buster, Mr.Gaunt, etc. and braids a thoroughly precise timeline from every angle of the story is mind-blowing! As one meets the evil shopkeeper-Leland Gaunt and how he conducts business (ie: "Oh you can have that baseball card for $1.85, and a "service" for me by playing a harmless prank on your neighbor"...), the reader realizes early on that the shopkeeper is the Devil himself. I really loved how the Sheriff solved the puzzle as to why the whole town was going crazy. The ending was brilliant and all the loose ends tied in a neat little bow. Even a "scardy-cat" like me loved it! 5 stars*****Read full review
As a devoted Stephen King reader, I have read almost every book he has written. In my opinion, all his best works were written BA [before his accident] and Needful Things thankfully is among them. The book open in Castle Rock, no surprise there, but as it says on the cover it is the last Castle Rock based story. The story opens with a mysterious stranger opening up a store in downtown Castle Rock. No one in town is exactly sure what the shop sells, and even those who have been inside emerge in a sort of trance, usually unable or unwilling to remember the exact nature of their conversation with the proprietor. In a small town like Castle Rock, everyone knows everyone and soon the town is abuzz with the news of the mysterious new shop and its unusual business hours. Soon after the shop opens, strange things start happening in this normally quiet suburb. There are several cases of hate mail, tire slashings and broken windows. The sherrif soon realizes that the new shop is more then it appears to be, and decides to investigate further. The owner of the new shop, an elderly man named Leland Gaunt, does not like people prying into his business and soon devises a plan to keep the sherrif busy--and well out of his hair. In this novel, King incorporates a generous amount of offbeat characters as well as a good amount of small town local color. The book will hook you in the very first chapter and will keep you reeled in all the way to the climax. Along the way, be prepared for alot of mayhem and bloodshed, in the true BA King form. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :-)Read full review
I love this book. Small differences from the movie - there are more characters in the book, and naturally more supernatural effects in the book. One difference was in the book, the items bought from Mr. Gaunt were shiny and new (even though they were antiquities - like the spinter from the true cross, etc..) and when the customers caught on to Leland's act, the items were old and ratty. Sheriff Pangborn (alan) could see the items were rotting and nasty and not authentic right at the start (like the baseball card). The ending of the book was very good as well.. made him more satan-like than in the movie. in the book he flew away, in the movie he drove away and disappeared. Very good. Took me three - four days to read it, i could not get enough of it. All the characters were very in depth.Read full review
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