About The Novel

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Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
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All of King's stories are worth a read. I've read this one more than once. Maybe print off a list of characters from The Library...as there are numerous "main" characters as well as a host of minor characters...or don't, either way. I've said in another thread that this story...along with Tommyknockers...Mist...Dreamcatcher...others...they have some of the same kind of things happening in them. Don't know how much I can say w/o incurring the wrath of the Spoiler Police. Start a thread when you begin reading it...say what you like/dislike about the story. :)
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
I've never read Needful Things, but the book sounds pretty cool. Anyone have an opinion to dish out? Just wondering if it's worth reading?
I was a fan of Needful Things before I even knew it was a sK story. I loved the movie, for the acting of Ed Harris and the little boy, and for the amazing story concept. Then, once a CR, I discovered the novel and loved it, too. It'll always be one of my favorite books.
 

alligatoruk

Member
Jul 13, 2014
12
61
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I really must try to read this book - I think I bought it over 10 years ago and have started it a couple of times and not been able to get into it. Strange really, as the concept of it seems totally intriguing, so I don't know what keeps stopping me. That said, I did try to read Dreamcatcher a few times without success and then when I finally did read it properly (took it on holiday, a surefire way to put the time in when a book is hard to start with), I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down.
 

jkcrue

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2011
53
2
Calgary, Canada
I would recommend it, although not necessarily as a first book of King's to read. I would recommend to someone who's read any of: Cujo, Dead Zone, Sun Dog, The Body as there are characters from these stories in Needful Things and you'll appreciate the book more.
 

Machine's Way

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
Jul 13, 2009
671
2,877
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Baltimore
I see this post is old, so I have to ask, did you read "Needful things" (I almost said did you read it, then realized the confusion that might cause, lol) Needful things is one of my all time favorite SK books. Really love the story and the ideal is so relevant today, as people become some consumed and obsessed with material wealth.

I would be interested in your opinions on the book if you did indeed get around to reading it. (There I said it) haha
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
It was one that took a couple of readings for me. The first time, I thought it was just meh, but really enjoyed it the second time. Maybe it goes back to it being the right time, or maybe absorbing so many characters? At any rate, it reminded me quite a bit in tone of The Dark Half (and shares a character or two with that book).
 

Rrty

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2007
1,394
4,588
Spoilers may follow:

Like skimom, upon first reading, there is something that is a bit less-than with the book. Upon reflection, though, one finds that there are a lot of good ideas in it.

One thing that I sort of didn't like -- yet, I can't imagine King using any other device -- is the spider. I felt it was a bit "It" redux. However, I've decided that that is the wrong way to look at it. There is nothing inadvisable about using a spider throughout several stories.

I did wish for a bit more destruction with the town. As someone on the forums said before, it would have been great if the town had been destroyed in a similar way as Derry was.

I loved the artwork on the cover, by the way. And I think King should write another Castle Rock story. Maybe he should somehow have the city come back to life (and I'm talking about a reanimation of the darker parts of it).
 

Arkay Lynchpin

Preserve wildlife; pickle a squirrel.
Dec 4, 2015
1,648
8,854
56
Melbourne, Australia
Asking how an SK novel reads is much like asking what life smells like.

It’s a memory triggered by the whiff of a passerby’s perfume or Eau de Toilette, a bloated corpse floating in a bursting septic tank, the briny tang of the coast, the funk of loam and wood smoke in the fall (we call it Autumn in my latitude).

Sometimes it’s just the smell of an unwashed bod sitting in a pick-up with notes of fresh and stale cigarettes and a large plastic cup full of Château Cardboard ‘Premium’ Old Tawny (AU$20 for four litres).
 
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RandallHuff

Member
Feb 23, 2016
5
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I have 4 King novels left that I haven't read yet. I'm saving them for rainy days. I recently cracked and read Needful Things for the first time, which was one of those books. And wow, it was amazing. I never realized that King had killed off Castle Rock as a town. This book was glorious, and so full of great Easter Eggs, like Cujo's ghost. I loved this book!