Needful Things

De: Stephen King

Narrado por: Stephen King

Stephen King's number-one national best seller about a store where Leland Gaunt can sell you whatever your heart desires - sexual pleasure, wealth, power, or even more precious things - but not without exacting some price in return.

Leland Gaunt opens a new shop in Castle Rock called Needful Things. Anyone who enters his store finds the object of his or her lifelong dreams and desires: a prized baseball card, a healing amulet. In addition to a token payment, Gaunt requests that each person perform a little "deed", usually a seemingly innocent prank played on someone else from town. These practical jokes cascade out of control, and soon the entire town is doing battle with itself. Only Sheriff Alan Pangborn suspects that Gaunt is behind the population's increasingly violent behavior.

Praised as "tremendous...wonderful...one of King's best" (Kirkus Reviews).

©1991 Stephen King (P)1991 Penguin Highbridge Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A read in the tradition of The Stand." ( Booklist)

Amazing!

This book was phenomenal. The best depiction of human selfishness clouding reality. No one is spared the consequences of their selfish actions. Evil uses this to its advantage. Love this one. One of my favorite SK novels.

A World-Building Cornerstone

If you're a King fan, this one is a "must." As a story set in Castle Rock, it's nearly a cornerstone of the world King has built. There are plenty of fun easter eggs and references to other stories within the chapters, plus it gives you more of a base if you've been watching "Castle Rock" on Hulu. While this was not his greatest work, it's enjoyable from start to finish. King does a great job with the narration; it's always fun hearing a real New England accent in the narration.

What's up with....

....the awful synthesized "music" (and I use the term lightly) played off and on throughout? At best it was a distraction, at worst an awful nonsequitur

Enjoyable, long but sorry the time.

Needful things is a favourite of mine. Having read the book some years ago and remember the movie I was interested in the audible book read by Mr King himself. This is a long book and is well described, great characters and twists.

This had me listening for hours each day which to me is more than I would for many books. So that tells the book is interesting and teasing you to listen for what's next.

Mr. king's narration is good and I hear his eagerness to tell his story. So sit back, zone out and listen to how human nature desires what it wants but forgets the repercussions of their needs.

Great book!

I loved this book, it kept you wanting more. Mr. King is a great narrator, I could have done without the music and sound effects. They got really annoying and overpowering at times. Overall, great read.

Loved the story -- Sounds and Music almost ruined

I really did like this book but when the violence really kicked in it was very detailed and very violent. The book is long enough that you get to know several of the characters and their deaths hit you very hard and no one character is really safe in this book.

Leland Gaunt is one of the most intriguing of villains and I love the differences between him and Alan Pangborn, a simple small county sheriff. Stephen King not only created the small town of Castle Rock but was able to actually bring it to life in my mind. I could see the streets and buildings and how each of the scenes looked based on the descriptions in the book.

I know some reviewers have had issues with Stephen King’s narration but honestly it didn’t bother me at all. Granted, there wasn’t very much differentiation in the sounds of each character but with Mr. King it was all in the tone, speed and vocabulary of each character that helped me know the characters.

I’ve listened to a lot of audio books and in some the music and noises are a nuisance but nothing is as annoying as the music and sounds on this version. It sounds like a bad high school 80s rock cover band who only have synthesizers. The sound effects are too random and there is no consistency to when they are used and I admit I docked it a star because YES it is that annoying.

Book ok. Narrator very good. Weird music.

Narrator did a good job reading. The music was a bit unnecessary. The book was middle of the road; entertaining but not one that will stick with you.

If you like king

This story is a bit of a slow burner, there was a point where I put this down for a day or two just because I wasn’t feeling it, I’d say it gets really good on the back 1/6 of the book.

Exceptional and Perfect

Sai King spins the yarn, and tells the tale past perfection.
Great story! Worth a re-listen.

Needful King

Thought SK narrating was a mistake but he and the story was amazing. Great job.