Needful Things
Needful Things is a 1991 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first novel King wrote after his rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addiction. It was made into a film of the same name in 1993 which was directed by Fraser C. Heston. The story focuses on a shop that sells collectibles and antiques, managed by Leland Gaunt, a new arrival to the town of Castle Rock, Maine, the setting of many King stories. Gaunt often asks customers to perform a prank or mysterious deed in exchange for the item they are drawn to. As time goes by, the many deeds and pranks lead to increasing aggression among the townspeople, as well as chaos and death. A protagonist of the book is Alan Pangborn, previously seen in Stephen King's novel [The Dark Half](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81620W).
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What you might want to know about Needful Things
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A new antique shop opens in Castle Rock, Maine, and the proprietor seems to have every customer's heart's desire on the shelf. Payment is in cash plus a small prank on a neighbor. The pranks compound very quickly.
Yes. Needful Things is set in Castle Rock, Maine, the same town as The Dark Half, Cujo, and several other King novels. The book closes a loose Castle Rock cycle, with the town largely destroyed by the end.
Yes. A 1993 film adaptation directed by Fraser Heston and starring Max von Sydow was released. The film cuts substantial material from the long novel and is generally considered weaker than the source.
Needful Things was written by Stephen King, published in 1991 by Pocket Books.
Needful Things is 698 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Needful Things takes most readers 10 to 15 hours to finish.
Needful Things is a standalone novel by Stephen King, not part of a series.
Needful Things is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
