Stephen King Book Reviews:
BLACK HOUSE
BAG OF BONES
CARRIE
CUJO
CELL
CHRISTINE
DIFFERENT SEASONS
DREAMCATCHER
DRAWING OF THE THREE
FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT
INSOMNIA
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
IT
MISERY
Stephen King Book Reviews:
RAGE
REGULATORS
SALEM'S LOT
Needful Things
Taking place in Castle Rock, Needful Things is yet another volume in the saga of the fictional town. Both The Dead Zone and The Dark Half took place in the small Maine town that has been touched by evil. However, unlike The Dead Zone and The Dark Half in which a small number of people were affected by the evil within the borders of Castle Rock, in Needful Things, the entire town lay in the balance.
The fun begins when a new shop opens in the town. The shop, appropriately named “Needful Things,” instantly incites the curiosity of the townspeople. When people visit the shop, they find that the shop contains one item that they simply must have. Perhaps it’s a tin horse racing set that predicts the winner of future horse races or a Mickey Mantle baseball card that just so happens to be autographed and dedicated to the shopper. Readers will instantly feel the dread developing in the pit of their stomach that the characters themselves just can’t seem to grasp.
The store itself is run by an old, seemingly harmless man by the name of Leland Gaunt, who appropriately hangs a sign in the store reading, “Caveat Emptor” or Buyer Beware. Unfortunately for the characters, but fortunately for the reader, no one seems to pay heed to the warning.
The inhabitants of Castle Rock are all in love with the new shop with the exception of one man, Sheriff Alan Pangborn, who begins to suspect that Leland is not what he seems. As Leland uses his power to make the inhabitants of Castle Rock turn against each other, Alan realizes that what he has on his hands is actually the devil himself.
As the town of Castle Rock seems to collapse from within as town member is pitted against town member and Sheriff Pangborn’s girlfriend, Polly, begins to fall into the hands of Leland, Sheriff Pangborn will attempt to become a savior as he remains the only townsperson not to fall under Leland’s spell.
Needful Things is a play on the darker side of small town America, reaching into the soul of the townspeople and exposing them for what they really are. After all, who could resist having their greatest desire manifested before them? Could you?
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