The citizens of Castle Rock thought they had been through tragedy before--dead bodies, rabid dogs, the occasional murderous doppelganger. But nothing could prepare them for a visit from a polite, quiet shopkeeper named Leland Guant.
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Stephen King's final Castle Rock tale, about the town tearing itself apart (albeit with a little help from the outside), is an impressive show of King's ability to juggle multiple plotlines and characters and keep them separate and interesting. At least for a good long time. While I usually disagree with critics who bemoan King's tendency to bouts of "diarrhea of the word processor," Needful Things is, I think, too long. I'm not making that criticism artibrarily, understand; the climactic battle, which needs to be tight and relatively short, just goes on and on, muting its effect. Still, Needful Things presents a great villain and is a thoughtful extension of the ideas put forth in works like Christina Rosetti's "Goblin Market" and Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. (Oct 21, 2000) | |
The last of King's Castle Rock stories--others include "The Body," Cujo, The Dark Half, and (partially) The Dead Zone.
Made into a 1993 movie directed by Fraser Clarke Heston and starring Ed Harris.
