Needful Things (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Stephen King
- First Published: 1991
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: Unspecified; presumably the late 1980’s or early 1990’s
- Setting: The fictitious town of Castle Rock, Maine
- Principal Characters: Leland Gaunt, Alan Pangborn, Norris Ridgewick, Polly Chalmers, Danforth “Buster” Keeton III, Brian Rusk, Ace Merrill
- Genres: Long fiction, Horror literature, Magical and occult fantasy
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Suicide, Murder or homicide, Dreams, Death or dying, Fantasy, Devils or demons, Paranoia, Collecting or collectors, Satan or Satanism, Hypnotism
- Locales: Castle Rock, ME
Stephen King has set many of his novels in the mythical town of Castle Rock, Maine, including The Dead Zone (1979), Cujo (1981), The Tommyknockers (1987), and The Dark Half (1989). In Needful Things, ominously billed as “The Last Castle Rock Story,” he virtually wipes his mythical town off the mythical map. It is hard to keep track of the number of deaths that occur by murder and suicide after the complicated story finally gets into high gear, and the amount of property damage by fires and explosions is horrendous. King often displays a disdain for...
[The entire page is 2057 words long]
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