Needful Things
Stephen King

With a demonic blend of malice and affection, Stephen King says goodbye to the town he put on the map - Castle Rock, Maine... where Polly Chalmers runs You Sew and Sew and Sheriff Alan Pangborn is in charge of keeping the peace. It's a small town, and Stephen King fans might think they know its secrets pretty well: they've been here before.
Leland Gaunt is a stranger - and he calls his shop Needful Things. Eleven year old Brian Rusk is his first customer, and Brian finds just what he wants most in all the world: a '56 Sandy Koufax baseball card. By the end of the week, Mr. Gaunt's business is fairly booming, and why not? At Needful Things, there's something for everyone.
And, of course, there is always a price. For Leland Gaunt, the pleasure of doing business lies chiefly in seeing how much people will pay for their most secret dreams and desires. And as Leland Gaunt always points out, at Needful Things, the prices are high indeed. Does that stop people from buying? Has it ever?
For Alan and Polly, this one week in autumn will be an awful test - a test of will, desire, and pain. Above all, it will be a test of their ability to grasp the true nature of their enemy. They may have a chance... but maybe not, because, as Mr. Gaunt knows, almost everything is for sale: love, hope, even the human soul.

First and foremost allow me to say that if you have ever seen the movie - please completely ignore it. This is a 690 page novel. Most movies are 90-120 pages. Got an idea of how much was changed and cut out? Yup. Besides, the movie was very poorly done. If it had been done as a mini series like The Stand was, perhaps it might have worked. But it did not work in the least. So, ignore the movie and read the book. And if you haven't seen the movie? Trust me, you're missing nothing.

This book is one of the many that highlights just how amazing of an author King really is. Much like the song The Hall of the Mountain King (which was featured in the film), it starts out slowly and then begins to build upon itself. It's a slow build at first, then it gets quicker, and then, before you know what hit you, it spirals completely out of control. Any author to be able to pull this style of plot off without losing the integrity of their characters or confusing their readers is an amazing writer indeed.

While this is the end of Castle Rock, King makes sure it goes out with a bang.

What price would you pay for the one thing you want the most in the world? Especially if it came for cheap when it came to the dollars? Sure, you can afford it - if you're willing to play a "trick" on someone. A "trick" that when combined with others will spiral into a deadly swarm of anger and murder. Would you also give your soul up in the deal? If you play that one tiny little "trick" you will. And you can be assured that someone is also playing one on you.

Some people want material things, such as a rare baseball card. Some want relief from the agonizing physical pain they face every single day. No matter what someone wants, no matter what someone needs, it can be found in Gaunt's shop.

Caveat Emptor.

I highly recommend this novel.

My rating: Five out of five snails.