Needful Things
Needful Things is a 1991 horror novel by Stephen King. It takes readers to Maine and Castle Rock in Xian dai. It features Cujo, Garfield and Raider. Key subjects include city and town life, specialty stores, good and evil and retail trade.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.2 out of 5 from 32 ratings, and 609 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 67 editions across 11 languages.
It runs to roughly 698 pages — 12–13 hours of reading at an average pace.
About 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).
Awards & lists
- ✦Locus Awards 1992 — Best Horror Novel (nominee)
- ✦Bram Stoker Awards 1991 — Novel (nominee)
Quick answers
Who wrote Needful Things?
Needful Things was written by Stephen King and first published in 1991.
What genre is Needful Things?
It is usually shelved as Horror.
How long is Needful Things?
The median edition has 698 pages, about 12–13 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to Needful Things?
Readers who like it often enjoy Dark Forces, Look for Me by Moonlight and Fahrenheit 451.
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