Listen free for 30 days
-
Needful Things
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 25 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £19.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Dark Half
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sparrows are flying again. The idea - unbidden, inexplicable - haunts the edge of Thad Beaumont's mind. Thad should be happy. For years now it is his secret persona, George Stark, author of superviolent pulp thrillers, who has paid the family bills. But now Thad is writing seriously again under his own name, and his menacing pseudonym has been buried forever. And yet...the sparrows are flying again, and something is terribly wrong in Thad Beaumont's world.
-
-
great
- By Gambino on 27-08-16
-
Dreamcatcher
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 22 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suspenseful, frightening, and sometimes howlingly funny, a story of invasion and battle, survival and heroism. It is a story of how men remember ... and how they love. In Derry, Maine, four young boys once stood together and did a brave thing. Something that changed them in ways they hardly understand. A quarter of a century later, the boys are men who have gone their separate ways. Though they still get together once a year, to go hunting in the north woods of Maine.
-
-
Listen up
- By MsRanPan on 29-12-12
-
Firestarter
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"You're a firestarter honey.... just one big zippo lighter." A year ago, he was an upstanding instructor of English at Harrison State College. Now Andy is on the run with his daughter, a pigtailed girl named Charlie. A girl with an unimaginably terrifying gift. A gift which could be useful to corrupt authorities. Soon Charlie will be caught up in the menace of a fateful drug experiment and a sinister government ploy….
-
-
A little slow to start with.
- By Emma on 19-11-15
-
Insomnia
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Eli Wallach
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You'll lose a lot of sleep.... Ralph does. At first he starts waking up earlier. And earlier. Then the hallucinations start - the colours, shapes and strange auras. Not to mention the bald doctors who always turn up at the scene of a death. That's when Ralph begins to lose a lot more than sleep. When he begins to understand why his hitherto mild-mannered friend, Ed, is getting out of control - dangerously so. And why his hometown is about to become the new Armageddon....
-
-
Annoying music!
- By Puddytat purr on 11-10-16
-
The Talisman
- Talisman, Book 1
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 28 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a terrifying trip across America, young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise, and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.
-
-
Thoroughly enjoyable - 2nd Book Please!
- By Mrs H Spurr on 25-09-12
-
Christine
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christine was eating into his mind, burrowing into his unconscious. Christine, blood red, fat, and finned, was 20. Her promise lay all in her past. Greedy and big, she was Arnie's obsession, a '58 Plymouth Fury. Broken down but not finished. There was still power in her - a frightening power that leaked like sump oil, staining and corrupting. A malign power that corroded the mind and turned ownership into possession.
-
-
never gets stale
- By Ms Jane Feasey on 06-09-16
-
The Dark Half
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sparrows are flying again. The idea - unbidden, inexplicable - haunts the edge of Thad Beaumont's mind. Thad should be happy. For years now it is his secret persona, George Stark, author of superviolent pulp thrillers, who has paid the family bills. But now Thad is writing seriously again under his own name, and his menacing pseudonym has been buried forever. And yet...the sparrows are flying again, and something is terribly wrong in Thad Beaumont's world.
-
-
great
- By Gambino on 27-08-16
-
Dreamcatcher
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 22 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Suspenseful, frightening, and sometimes howlingly funny, a story of invasion and battle, survival and heroism. It is a story of how men remember ... and how they love. In Derry, Maine, four young boys once stood together and did a brave thing. Something that changed them in ways they hardly understand. A quarter of a century later, the boys are men who have gone their separate ways. Though they still get together once a year, to go hunting in the north woods of Maine.
-
-
Listen up
- By MsRanPan on 29-12-12
-
Firestarter
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"You're a firestarter honey.... just one big zippo lighter." A year ago, he was an upstanding instructor of English at Harrison State College. Now Andy is on the run with his daughter, a pigtailed girl named Charlie. A girl with an unimaginably terrifying gift. A gift which could be useful to corrupt authorities. Soon Charlie will be caught up in the menace of a fateful drug experiment and a sinister government ploy….
-
-
A little slow to start with.
- By Emma on 19-11-15
-
Insomnia
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Eli Wallach
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You'll lose a lot of sleep.... Ralph does. At first he starts waking up earlier. And earlier. Then the hallucinations start - the colours, shapes and strange auras. Not to mention the bald doctors who always turn up at the scene of a death. That's when Ralph begins to lose a lot more than sleep. When he begins to understand why his hitherto mild-mannered friend, Ed, is getting out of control - dangerously so. And why his hometown is about to become the new Armageddon....
-
-
Annoying music!
- By Puddytat purr on 11-10-16
-
The Talisman
- Talisman, Book 1
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 28 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a terrifying trip across America, young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise, and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape.
-
-
Thoroughly enjoyable - 2nd Book Please!
- By Mrs H Spurr on 25-09-12
-
Christine
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christine was eating into his mind, burrowing into his unconscious. Christine, blood red, fat, and finned, was 20. Her promise lay all in her past. Greedy and big, she was Arnie's obsession, a '58 Plymouth Fury. Broken down but not finished. There was still power in her - a frightening power that leaked like sump oil, staining and corrupting. A malign power that corroded the mind and turned ownership into possession.
-
-
never gets stale
- By Ms Jane Feasey on 06-09-16
-
Bag of Bones
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Stephen King
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mike Noonan's wife dies unexpectedly, the bestselling author suffers from writer's block. Until he is drawn to his summer home, the beautiful lakeside retreat called Sara Laughs. Here Mike finds the once familiar town in the tyrannical grip of millionaire Max Devore. Devore is hell-bent on getting custody of his deceased son's daughter and is twisting the fabric of the community to this purpose. Three year old Kyra and her young mother turn to Mike for help. And Mike finds them increasingly irresistible.
-
-
Perfect! Well read and a great story.
- By Paula on 17-09-16
-
'Salem's Lot
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A superb novel set in classic Stephen King territory - a small new England town about to be engulfed by terror. Turn off the television - in fact, why don't you turn off all the lights except for the one over your favourite chair? - and we'll talk about vampires here in the dim. I think I can make you believe in them. Stephen King, from the introduction. Salem's Lot is a small New England town with the usual quota of gossips, drinkers, weirdos and respectable folk.
-
-
Forgot just how good he is!
- By Anthony on 03-10-09
-
11.22.63
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if you could go back in time and change the course of history?11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless.... King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill who becomes the love of Jake's life.
-
-
Return to top form
- By John on 14-12-11
-
It
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Steven Weber
- Length: 44 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine, was just their hometown: familiar, well ordered for the most part. A good place to live. It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing....
-
-
Best Audio Book
- By Goldust22 on 17-07-19
-
Under the Dome
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Raul Esparza
- Length: 34 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Stephen King's mesmerizing new masterpiece - his biggest, most riveting novel since The Stand - a Maine town and its inhabitants are isolated from the world by an invisible, impenetrable dome. Celebrated storyteller Stephen King returns to his roots in this tour de force featuring more than 100 characters - some heroic, some diabolical - and a supernatural element as baffling and chilling as any he's ever conjured.
-
-
Absolutely Incredible Writing
- By oAjCo on 28-02-16
-
Cujo
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once upon a time, not so long ago, a monster came to the small town of Castle Rock, Maine.... He was not a werewolf, a vampire, a ghoul, or an unnameable creature from the enchanted forest or snow wastes; he was only a cop.... Cujo is a huge Saint Bernard dog, the best friend Brett Camber has ever had. Then one day Cujo chases a rabbit into a bolt-hole. Except it isn't a rabbit warren anymore. It is a cave inhabited by rabid bats. And Cujo falls sick. Very sick.
-
-
Mommy!!!!
- By Kindle Customer on 07-10-20
-
Different Seasons
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic collection of four novellas, the grand master takes you on irresistible journeys into the far reaches of horror, heartache and hope. 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' is the story of two men convicted of murder - one guilty, one innocent - who form the perfect partnership as they dream up a scheme to escape from prison. In 'Apt Pupil' a golden schoolboy entices an old man with a past to join in a dreadful union.
-
-
Excellent narrator
- By Cliente Amazon on 27-08-20
-
The Dead Zone
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Johnny Smith. A young man whose streak of luck ends dramatically in a major car crash. Followed by blackness. A long, long time in cold limbo. When he wakes up, life has been turned upside down. His fiancée has met someone else. And Johnny is cursed with the power to perceive evil in men's souls. He's had these hunches since he had an ice-skating accident as a child. Now he has an ability to see into the future. An ability which will bring him into a terrifying confrontation with a charismatic, power-hungry and dangerous man....
-
-
First King book for me and I loved it
- By Science geek on 02-02-18
-
Everything's Eventual
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Arliss Howard, Becky Ann Baker, Boyd Gaines, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this eerie, enchanting compilation, Stephen King takes listeners down a road less travelled (for good reason) in the gripping 'Riding the Bullet'. Terror becomes déjà vu all over again when you get 'That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French'. 'LT's Theory of Pets' will make you stop and think before giving a dog to a loved one. And there are 11 more stories that will keep you awake until dawn.
-
-
amazing book!!!
- By Claudia Khatri on 06-05-17
-
Duma Key
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: John Slattery
- Length: 21 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A man discovers an incredible talent for painting after a freak accident in which he loses an arm. He moves to a "new life" in Duma Key, off Florida's West Coast - a deserted strip, part beach, part weed-tangled reef, owned by a patroness of the arts whose twin sisters went missing in the 1920s. Here, Freemantle is inspired to paint the amazing sunsets. But soon the paintings become predictive, even dangerous.
-
-
Duma
- By Seamus on 15-10-08
-
The Tommyknockers
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 27 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everything is familiar. But everything has changed. Coming back to the little community is like walking into a nightmare for Jim Gardener, poet, drunk, potential suicide. It all looks the same: the house; the furniture; Jim's friend, Bobbi; her beagle (though ageing); even the woods out at the back. But it was in the woods that Bobbi stumbled over the odd, part-buried object and felt a peculiar tingle as she brushed the soft earth away. Everything is familiar. But everything is about to change.
-
-
This book is awful, but don't take my word for it.
- By Amazon Customer on 08-11-20
-
The Stand
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 47 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First came the days of the plague. Then came the dreams. Dark dreams that warned of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of Evil. His time is at hand. His empire grows in the west and the Apocalypse looms. For hundreds of thousands of fans who read The Stand in its original version and wanted more, this new edition is Stephen King's gift.
-
-
a key Stephen King title
- By karen on 13-08-12
Summary
There was a new shop in town. Run by a stranger. Needful Things, the sign said. The oddest name. A name that caused some gossip and speculation among the good folks of Castle Rock, Maine, while they waited for opening day. Eleven-year-old Brian Rusk was the first customer and he got just what he wanted, a very rare 1956 Sandy Koufax baseball card. Signed. Cyndi Rose Martin was next. A Lalique vase. A perfect match for her living room decor. Something for everyone. Something you really had to have. And always at a price you could just about afford. The cash price that is. Because there was another price. There always is when your heart's most secret, true desire is for sale.
Critic reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about Needful Things
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Benjamin Wearden
- 22-08-20
The music ruins it massively.
Overall, Needful Things is a fantastic book. Hell, it’s SK, what more can we expect? However, the one thing that lets this audiobook down is the excessive use of music during the opening scenes.
There have been times when I’ve actually been unable to hear the story because for some reason, there is ‘atmospheric’ music playing in the background. If the music played for 10/15 seconds at the most, it’d be bearable. But no, you’re talking about 5 minutes of music playing OVER the narration.
Why? Please someone, why?
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- T. Norman
- 19-09-12
On the whole, good...
I have nearly finished this story, and have to say how good it has been. It's really enjoyable to hear the author reading the characters, as they will use the accents they imagined at the point of writing.
But, the music and sound effects interspersed throughout the reading are very off putting and don't really add anything to the atmosphere, but rather puncture it just at a point where I'd found myself lost in the importance of the events.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr B Foy
- 20-06-20
why ?
the music was terrible there was even a slow xmas carol at 1 point . and during a gruesome scene when there was knifes and a cleaver involved u couldn't hear the narration for the stupid music. there was static noises throughout the recording aswell
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike from Bury
- 21-07-17
Narrated by the author
Perfect! Stephen King knows his characters and their inner voices better than anyone else could! You get the full 3D version here!!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- sarahmoose2000
- 15-11-12
Naff ending
Reminiscent of Salem's Lot in that an old guy opens a shop in a quaint town and is not all he seems. The residents find themselves buying items they feel they 'need' and go to extremes to keep them.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Debbie
- 26-10-12
Very engrossing
This was my second Stephen King novel and I am now a fan of his. This story is creepy and kept you wondering what each character was up to but to me the best thing about the novel was the way commercialism is portrayed. What would you do for the object you have always wanted? If you are a character in this novel the answer is a lot.
I'd highly recommend this novel if only to question if anything you own is "needful".
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carrie
- 15-02-14
Mr King is not an actor
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I think this book should have been read by an actor as Stephen Kings voice is enough to send you to sleep. A real shame as I love his books.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Drone drone drone
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jules T
- 19-04-17
Really enjoyed
As it is read by the author you know the story is being told as intended to be.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mrsmcnair
- 10-02-17
Rereading an old favourite
Rereading in a fashion, as this is the first time I've listened to the audio version. An added bonus was that it is read by the author, and that gives it a special feeling. There's nothing not to enjoy about this book.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Hobbs
- 05-11-20
Amazing story of how paranoia can affect everyone
Overall i loved the story and Stephen King is a genius when it comes to horror/thriller stories. The only issues I had were, the audio was quite hollow and didn't sound like it had been recorded in a studio and there were noises in the background which were not part of the story.
But it is a great story..
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nikki
- 25-01-14
Why ?
What did you like best about Needful Things? What did you like least?
What is WITH the random music ? I'm really not liking it !
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
No loud unexpected music !
What aspect of Stephen King’s performance would you have changed?
The music
Was Needful Things worth the listening time?
I'm sure the story is worthy of the master wordsmith that is Stephen King but I just can't concentrate on it.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Billy
- 20-04-16
Great Book and narration
Great story and wonderful narration from the author. The only thing out of place is the music. Totally unnecessary. Still worth a listen though!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Toni
- 09-10-12
Hang in there.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Not bad, at first it took some time for me to get used to Stephen King's raspy voice, I am not always a fan of Authors reading their own work, just because you can write dosn't mean you should read it. However, once through that it was ok.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The characters, I always like Kings mix of busy characters coming and going and their individual lives within the story. As usual I am finding all this effort goes into the story and characters yet the ends don't seem to hold or produce the impact I expected.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The use of Raul Esparza [Narrator for Under the Dome] may have been a better choice than the Author himself.
Could you see Needful Things being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
This book was made into a movie in the 80's I believe.
Any additional comments?
All in all an ok book to listen to, just allow yourself to get beyond Mr King's rough voice.
Enjoy.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Celana
- 07-05-22
Absolute Enjoyment of an old favorite
What a journey. And Stephen King's narration was superb! I absolutely loved it! Five Stars.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lara
- 09-10-21
Just as good as I remembered
It’s been a while since I read this, it’s still my favourite. Read so well and makes you go cold with menace and drama.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- sally earl
- 23-09-20
Another spell binder from mr king
I read lots of reviews before listening to this book and was a bit worried about the comments on the music. Have no fear. The music is appropriate and fits in wonderfully. As for Mr King narrating the book. I love it. He does it best of all. The story was very clever and I enjoyed every bit of this book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Suzanne Beacroft
- 26-05-20
Rivetting!!
This is a " can't put it down" kind of book. Fast moving plot with believable characters. Great read.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Utilisateur anonyme
- 20-09-19
Superb
Superb book. No one knows a book like it’s author, Stephen Kings delivery is excellent.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Karl
- 26-03-19
Simply great
While Mr King might arguably not have the best voice for audiobook narration, there’s something very special (to me any way) hearing the author read his own tale. More so, Mr King’s voice, particularly when narrating Leland Gaunt, took on a slight Vincent Price tone, which I loved.
I devoured this book, finding reasons to keep my headphones in for longer each day.
Some reviews also lambasted the music, though I found it helped the story - each key character had his own theme - which helped me keep track as to who was being featured, particularly when the story jumped from character to character.
After giving this a listen, my next step is to look up the movie version, with Ed Harris.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Fen
- 17-03-16
Typical early King quality, poor performance
Why did King narrate this himself? How on earth has he been allowed to narrate 3 (that I know of) of his books? He really needs to stick to the writing, at which he's brilliant. As a narrator... Let's just say I don't think he'd make a living if that was his day job. Good story, but perhaps not up to the awesome standard of most of the work he's produced in the last few years, but hard to recommend in terms of this recording because of his boring, toneless and dreary delivery.