So, if you're a fan of Stephen King, you've been to Castle Rock before, although you might think you're in another King town, Salem's Lot. You know, creepy guy moves into town, opens up a little store. And Castle Rock's newest shop, Needful Things, and shopkeeper, Leland Gaunt, seem to have something for everyone. For a price, of course.
Gaunt's first customer is 11-year-old Brian Rusk, who finds exactly what he wants in Needful Things - a 1956 Topps baseball card of Sandy Koufax, signed. All Brian has to do is a little favor for Mr. Gaunt.
Before long, it seems that almost everyone in town has found something they can't live without in Needful Things. And the cost? A little favor for Mr. Gaunt, of course. But the prices are high, the highest in fact. His favors pit neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, spouse against spouse, to deadly conclusions.
Enter Sheriff Alan Pangborn, a strong force of good to confront the evil of Leland Gaunt and the hell on Earth that Castle Rock becomes. And what a confrontation it is. Stephen King builds to a finale that just cries out for Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic special effects division. Guts and blood and explosions, and a man/demon directing it all.
While there is no doubt that King is a master storyteller, "Needful Things" does drag in spots. The buildup to the grand showdown that we all know is coming seems to go on too long. Since this is King's last book set in Castle Rock, maybe he is reluctant to leave behind the fictional little Maine town that has been so good to him.
And King's view of mankind seems to be getting bleaker. His residents of Castle Rock, supposedly representative of Small Town, America, are so valueless, so easily swayed, so desperate in their own lives, that none who comes in contact with Leland Gaunt - save our hero Pangborn and his lady friend, Polly Chalmers - are able to resist the temptation to sell their souls for that one "needful thing." Let's hope Castle Rock is not representative of Small Town, America.
Yet, as usual, Stephen King entertains. And his legions of fans will want to add "Needful Things" to their collections.