Synopsis
A strange man opens a shop in the town of Castle Rock. He sells people the things that they think they most desire, but it comes with a very steep price.
History
First publication: Viking, 1991
Review
Overall a very good book. I wouldn’t call this one of King’s best, but don’t take that to mean that it isn’t really good. It is. It’s just that when you raise the bar as high as King did with books like The Shining, you can expect that some other books by him will not be quite that good. But what holds this book back are comparisons with other works that are a lot like this. Notably, Something Wicked This Way Comes, but also King’s own Salems Lot. Needful Things is different enough from those other works, but I had the others pop into my mind from time to time while reading this. The main difference here is the extreme gory descriptions of people getting killed or hurt. If you are squeamish about that be warned. That aspect is what really sets this apart. There were times when it just got crazy and intense but that was a good thing, at least if you like horror. The ending, without spoiling, felt a bit rushed and too easy. Overall, not a great book but recommended to anyone who likes horror and can stomach the gore.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
Needful Things, hardcover, Viking, 1991-00-00
All of the stories in the Castle Rock series:
Uncle Otto’s Truck
Gramma
Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut
The Sun Dog
The Dead Zone
Elevation
Cujo
The Body
Premium Harmony
Nona
The Dark Half
Needful Things
It Grows On You
