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A review by mathman329
Needful Things by Stephen King
5.0
Those who know me and have spoken with me about books know that I am an unabashed Stephen King fan. I've found that more often than not I enjoy his work, and on those few occasions where I didn't enjoy his work, it was more that I didn't like it as much as his other works. Needful Things was a book that I had long wished to read, but for whatever reason it was constantly pushed aside and neglected. As it was getting close to my birthday month this year, I decided that my book for March had to be Needful Things. I needed to read something I felt sure I would enjoy, and I was not disappointed.
While Needful Things is the name of the book, it also happens to be the name of a new antiques store in King's familiar old Castle Rock, ME. One of the strongest points of Needful Things is the antagonist and Castle Rock's newest shop owner, Leland Gaunt. From the beginning, King steeps Gaunt in mystery as various townspeople come to the shop and describe falling into this blue/green/grey/etc. eyes during their first encounters. As the story builds, Gaunt's true nature is continuously hinted at but not finally revealed until the climax of the story, when all of his malevolence and character is on full display. Unlike some villains who you love to hate, it's easy to find yourself falling under Gaunt's trance much like the clientele of Needful Things before reminding yourself that the purveyor is ultimately evil.
Like many King novels before, this book kept me coming back just like Needful Things' shoppers because I needed more, to see what deals would be cut and what that in turn meant for the townspeople. It was a bit of a slow burn in the first portion of the novel, but when the customers start paying for their goods with the little "tricks" Gaunt requires in addition to the monetary cost, all literal Hell breaks loose. To me, King is at his best in moments like these, moments where I found myself saying "oh no, not that" and then what should happen? Yes, that.
But there is good in the novel, too, in the form of Sheriff Alan Pangborn, who I couldn't help but picture as Scott Glenn after watching Castle Rock on Hulu last summer. After watching the show, Pangborn felt like a familiar friend, even if he wasn't quite the same Pangborn from the show. From day one, Pangborn might be the only person in town skeptical of Gaunt and what he was actually selling to the people. Again, the slow burn before their first interactions pays off in the end.
In all fairness, some people may not like the end. Many of King's novels seem to take a left turn at the conclusion, adding in something completely different than what you expected. Without saying too much, I'm sure there are people who might find the ending of Needful Things to be something unexpected. But to me, it was one of my favorite King endings and for the first time in a long time, I found myself wishing there was more. In today's pop culture, it seems difficult to find media that isn't setting consumers up for a follow-up or a sequel, and in most of these cases the sequel may not be warranted or live up to the hype. Unfortunately, one of the few times I wished there was a sequel, I'm only left with this novel and desires that are - quite appropriately - needful things. For that, I give this book 5/5 antique stars.
While Needful Things is the name of the book, it also happens to be the name of a new antiques store in King's familiar old Castle Rock, ME. One of the strongest points of Needful Things is the antagonist and Castle Rock's newest shop owner, Leland Gaunt. From the beginning, King steeps Gaunt in mystery as various townspeople come to the shop and describe falling into this blue/green/grey/etc. eyes during their first encounters. As the story builds, Gaunt's true nature is continuously hinted at but not finally revealed until the climax of the story, when all of his malevolence and character is on full display. Unlike some villains who you love to hate, it's easy to find yourself falling under Gaunt's trance much like the clientele of Needful Things before reminding yourself that the purveyor is ultimately evil.
Like many King novels before, this book kept me coming back just like Needful Things' shoppers because I needed more, to see what deals would be cut and what that in turn meant for the townspeople. It was a bit of a slow burn in the first portion of the novel, but when the customers start paying for their goods with the little "tricks" Gaunt requires in addition to the monetary cost, all literal Hell breaks loose. To me, King is at his best in moments like these, moments where I found myself saying "oh no, not that" and then what should happen? Yes, that.
But there is good in the novel, too, in the form of Sheriff Alan Pangborn, who I couldn't help but picture as Scott Glenn after watching Castle Rock on Hulu last summer. After watching the show, Pangborn felt like a familiar friend, even if he wasn't quite the same Pangborn from the show. From day one, Pangborn might be the only person in town skeptical of Gaunt and what he was actually selling to the people. Again, the slow burn before their first interactions pays off in the end.
In all fairness, some people may not like the end. Many of King's novels seem to take a left turn at the conclusion, adding in something completely different than what you expected. Without saying too much, I'm sure there are people who might find the ending of Needful Things to be something unexpected. But to me, it was one of my favorite King endings and for the first time in a long time, I found myself wishing there was more. In today's pop culture, it seems difficult to find media that isn't setting consumers up for a follow-up or a sequel, and in most of these cases the sequel may not be warranted or live up to the hype. Unfortunately, one of the few times I wished there was a sequel, I'm only left with this novel and desires that are - quite appropriately - needful things. For that, I give this book 5/5 antique stars.