vondav's review against another edition
5.0
I was first introduced to this author’s work when I read Devourer of Souls, since then I have purchased quite a few of his work books.
Things You Need is the 4th in Clifton Heights series but as they are all stand alone, you do not have to read them in order. As you may know is Clifton Heights on the surface is a regular town but scratch the surface and there is something sinister in the town. The main story tells the tale of a travelling salesman who travels around selling magazine subscriptions. Turning up in Clifton Heights, he starts making sales, but feeling unsettled he ends up at Handy’s Pawn and Thrift shop. A place where they have things you need.
What was unusual with this story was that there were 8 short stories in the main story to help tell the tale. Triggering the stories was the handling of an item sold in the shop.
The Way of Ah-Tzenul- Following the farmer as he went about trying to grow the best crop ever. He had a no nonsence attitude. Following the precise instructions showed how determined he was when he never once questioned his actions
The Office- John was in his refuge, his den, the room where he kept all his treasured belongings. This story had an eerie feel to it, items kept getting moved and John could not explain why. A sad ending when the real reasons were revealed.
Out of field theory- A photographer wanted to capture the perfect picture. Brian comes across a derelict house, with its crumbling walls and peeling wallpaper, Brian knew he had found the perfect subject. Reading this I was expecting something to jump out on him, it had the feeling that there was something there just out of the field of vision. A quick read that kept you guessing.
Scavenging. To make ends meet an ex teacher takes to salvaging scrap metal and junk. Whilst following him round, we get to learn the story behind his sacking. This was uncomfortable to read at times and I felt that he had not suffered enough.
A place for broken and discarded things- Save-A-Bunch, a discounted furniture store where you can lose yourself. Shane and Amanda came across this store when recently moving to try and help them forget. This was a story about lose, as a mom, my heart went out to this couple and I would not know what they were going through. This story was full of atmosphere, and you could feel the fear when Shane was wandering about the store.
The black pyramid- Reverend Akley comes across this pyramid that test his faith. This was a dark story, and with the introduction of this ancient religion, you pity any one who went to the food bank.
When we all meet at the Ofrenda. I loved this story when I read it in Gutted, and re-reading it loved it even more. A tale about grief, beautifully written.
Almost Home- This story was full of despair. A young mom fleeing with her son, driving with nowhere to go. With only a few dollars in change, a Gameboy and .38 revolver. Whilst you are reading it from the mom’s POV, it has feels more like you watching it like a old back and white flickering film. Whilst you know what she is going to do there is a small amount of hope that she has second thoughts.
This was a great collection of stories, and made it feel that you were watching episodes of Tales of the Unexpected. Different stories all interlinked with one thing in common What do you need.
Things You Need is the 4th in Clifton Heights series but as they are all stand alone, you do not have to read them in order. As you may know is Clifton Heights on the surface is a regular town but scratch the surface and there is something sinister in the town. The main story tells the tale of a travelling salesman who travels around selling magazine subscriptions. Turning up in Clifton Heights, he starts making sales, but feeling unsettled he ends up at Handy’s Pawn and Thrift shop. A place where they have things you need.
What was unusual with this story was that there were 8 short stories in the main story to help tell the tale. Triggering the stories was the handling of an item sold in the shop.
The Way of Ah-Tzenul- Following the farmer as he went about trying to grow the best crop ever. He had a no nonsence attitude. Following the precise instructions showed how determined he was when he never once questioned his actions
The Office- John was in his refuge, his den, the room where he kept all his treasured belongings. This story had an eerie feel to it, items kept getting moved and John could not explain why. A sad ending when the real reasons were revealed.
Out of field theory- A photographer wanted to capture the perfect picture. Brian comes across a derelict house, with its crumbling walls and peeling wallpaper, Brian knew he had found the perfect subject. Reading this I was expecting something to jump out on him, it had the feeling that there was something there just out of the field of vision. A quick read that kept you guessing.
Scavenging. To make ends meet an ex teacher takes to salvaging scrap metal and junk. Whilst following him round, we get to learn the story behind his sacking. This was uncomfortable to read at times and I felt that he had not suffered enough.
A place for broken and discarded things- Save-A-Bunch, a discounted furniture store where you can lose yourself. Shane and Amanda came across this store when recently moving to try and help them forget. This was a story about lose, as a mom, my heart went out to this couple and I would not know what they were going through. This story was full of atmosphere, and you could feel the fear when Shane was wandering about the store.
The black pyramid- Reverend Akley comes across this pyramid that test his faith. This was a dark story, and with the introduction of this ancient religion, you pity any one who went to the food bank.
When we all meet at the Ofrenda. I loved this story when I read it in Gutted, and re-reading it loved it even more. A tale about grief, beautifully written.
Almost Home- This story was full of despair. A young mom fleeing with her son, driving with nowhere to go. With only a few dollars in change, a Gameboy and .38 revolver. Whilst you are reading it from the mom’s POV, it has feels more like you watching it like a old back and white flickering film. Whilst you know what she is going to do there is a small amount of hope that she has second thoughts.
This was a great collection of stories, and made it feel that you were watching episodes of Tales of the Unexpected. Different stories all interlinked with one thing in common What do you need.
inkyinsanity's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review—however, I bought a physical copy of the book soon after from the author at a local comic con. I love everything I have read by Kevin Lucia so far, and Things You Need did not disappoint.
The book opens from the point of view of a depressed traveling salesman who ends up in the strange town of Clifton Heights. He walks into Handy’s Pawn and Thrift, where he discovers the rest of the stories in one interesting format or another, all the while slowly unfurling his own story. I absolutely loved how this was all framed, and became just as entranced by his tale as I was by the others.
The Way of Ah-Tzenul
5 stars
A farmer tells a doctor about this strange almanac he discovered and what came about after he used it. This was a delightfully weird and creepy story to open with, and I loved it.
The Office
5 stars
A man toys with his magic eight ball while searching for something to read, but his cats keep making strange noises in the hall and his things keep moving around the shelves. I loved this story. It kept me glued to the pages, frantic to figure out what was coming, and the ending blew me away.
Out of Field Theory
5 stars
A young photographer takes pictures at an abandoned house, hoping to rediscover his creativity, but he keeps seeing shadows at the edges of his pictures. This was super good. As a college student myself, the character’s need to stay creative and pass his classes really rung a bell. The story was also terrifying, and I didn’t guess the ending at all, but I loved it!
Scavenging
4.5 stars
A sidewalk scavenger searches for the thing he needs most of all. It took me a little bit to get into this because I didn’t like the character, but I ended up really enjoying it.
A Place for Broken and Discarded Things
5 stars
A grieving man and his wife attempt to buy furniture for their new house. This was fantastic! Also devastating. I cried.
The Black Pyramid
4 stars
A reverend finds an interesting trinket in a sidewalk sale. I’m not sure why I didn’t like this one as much; maybe because I guessed right away what was going to happen. I still enjoyed the story, though.
When We All Meet at the Ofrenda
4 stars
A recent widower celebrates Dia de los Muertos with his family one last time. This was a really interesting and captivating story, but it just didn’t grab me like the others did.
Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology and would totally recommend it!
I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review—however, I bought a physical copy of the book soon after from the author at a local comic con. I love everything I have read by Kevin Lucia so far, and Things You Need did not disappoint.
The book opens from the point of view of a depressed traveling salesman who ends up in the strange town of Clifton Heights. He walks into Handy’s Pawn and Thrift, where he discovers the rest of the stories in one interesting format or another, all the while slowly unfurling his own story. I absolutely loved how this was all framed, and became just as entranced by his tale as I was by the others.
The Way of Ah-Tzenul
5 stars
A farmer tells a doctor about this strange almanac he discovered and what came about after he used it. This was a delightfully weird and creepy story to open with, and I loved it.
The Office
5 stars
A man toys with his magic eight ball while searching for something to read, but his cats keep making strange noises in the hall and his things keep moving around the shelves. I loved this story. It kept me glued to the pages, frantic to figure out what was coming, and the ending blew me away.
Out of Field Theory
5 stars
A young photographer takes pictures at an abandoned house, hoping to rediscover his creativity, but he keeps seeing shadows at the edges of his pictures. This was super good. As a college student myself, the character’s need to stay creative and pass his classes really rung a bell. The story was also terrifying, and I didn’t guess the ending at all, but I loved it!
Scavenging
4.5 stars
A sidewalk scavenger searches for the thing he needs most of all. It took me a little bit to get into this because I didn’t like the character, but I ended up really enjoying it.
A Place for Broken and Discarded Things
5 stars
A grieving man and his wife attempt to buy furniture for their new house. This was fantastic! Also devastating. I cried.
The Black Pyramid
4 stars
A reverend finds an interesting trinket in a sidewalk sale. I’m not sure why I didn’t like this one as much; maybe because I guessed right away what was going to happen. I still enjoyed the story, though.
When We All Meet at the Ofrenda
4 stars
A recent widower celebrates Dia de los Muertos with his family one last time. This was a really interesting and captivating story, but it just didn’t grab me like the others did.
Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology and would totally recommend it!
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
4.0
The book opens with the unnamed narrator telling his story in first person, recounting his previous career as a salesman for magazine subscriptions, who specialises in visiting high schools across the country and convincing the students to sell subscriptions to raise money for their schools. He’s good at it, too. His advertising degree is put to good use. But it’s left him in something of a rut. Moving from town to town, delivering his shtick to the students before moving onto a bar in a neighbouring town to drink away his blues and probably hook up with a lonely woman for the night. But the twenty-somethings have given way to forty- or fifty-somethings and even the motel rooms are beginning to look the same.
Then he arrives in the small town of Clifton Heights, the setting for all of Lucia’s published work to date. He immediately feels a wrongness about the town, especially when dusk falls and his thoughts turn to the .38 revolver he has in the motel room. Instead of following his usual behavioural pattern of picking up a stranger in a nearby town, he wanders around Clifton Heights. And finds himself outside Handy’s Pawn and Thrift. After a strange encounter with the man behind the counter (though not the proprietor; nobody sees the elusive Mr. Handy), the narrator finds himself seemingly alone in the empty pawn shop, surrounded by items both mysterious and mundane. And, as it happens, his story serves as the frame story as he wanders the store, interacting with certain items.
The final story has a special resonance and relevance for the unnamed narrator, leaving him with even more questions. But the strange shopkeeper chooses this moment to return and reveals a little more about his history. He also makes the point that Handy’s has things you need, and this may not necessarily be things you want. In the end, the narrator gets what he has been missing for most of his life; a purpose, a role to fill. It is a fitting and satisfactory end to an interesting book. Most of the individual stories are straightforward, but the way Lucia creates his worlds and their inhabitants is masterful. And the way he crafted the book as a whole, using each story to not only entertain the reader but reveal a little of the narrator’s character before his emotional conclusion, is especially well done. We’ll be returning to Clifton Heights in the future.
To read a more in-depth review, please visit This Is Horror.
Then he arrives in the small town of Clifton Heights, the setting for all of Lucia’s published work to date. He immediately feels a wrongness about the town, especially when dusk falls and his thoughts turn to the .38 revolver he has in the motel room. Instead of following his usual behavioural pattern of picking up a stranger in a nearby town, he wanders around Clifton Heights. And finds himself outside Handy’s Pawn and Thrift. After a strange encounter with the man behind the counter (though not the proprietor; nobody sees the elusive Mr. Handy), the narrator finds himself seemingly alone in the empty pawn shop, surrounded by items both mysterious and mundane. And, as it happens, his story serves as the frame story as he wanders the store, interacting with certain items.
The final story has a special resonance and relevance for the unnamed narrator, leaving him with even more questions. But the strange shopkeeper chooses this moment to return and reveals a little more about his history. He also makes the point that Handy’s has things you need, and this may not necessarily be things you want. In the end, the narrator gets what he has been missing for most of his life; a purpose, a role to fill. It is a fitting and satisfactory end to an interesting book. Most of the individual stories are straightforward, but the way Lucia creates his worlds and their inhabitants is masterful. And the way he crafted the book as a whole, using each story to not only entertain the reader but reveal a little of the narrator’s character before his emotional conclusion, is especially well done. We’ll be returning to Clifton Heights in the future.
To read a more in-depth review, please visit This Is Horror.
el_stevie's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoy collections and anthologies but with so many available these days, it takes something special for a new publication to rise above the herd and Lucia has achieved that. By cleverly intertwining the individual stories with the thread of the tale of a traveling salesman, he effectively creates a story within a story which ends with a twist I did not see coming.
Johnny is a sales rep, disillusioned with his life, despairing of his future, ready to turn his .38 on himself; however, before he can commit this act, he finds himself browsing the shelves of Handy’s Pawn & Thrift in the town of Clifton Heights. This shop gives you what you need – although this might not necessarily be what you want. Each item he handles – a tape player, an old Magic Eight Ball, a phone, a word processor – takes him away to other lives, all featuring characters who are trapped in one way or another. A ghost haunts his old den in The Office, the nightmare of being trapped in rooms and hallways continues in Out of Field Theory, Scavenging and A Place for Broken and Discarded Things. In each, the main character has to face up to, or accept certain truths, much as the character of Johnny is forced to do, each tale taking him nearer to his own truth.
Johnny too is trapped, he is locked mentally into his own depression and physically in the store, with no apparent escape from either. The shopkeeper has disappeared and, between the tales, he finds himself facing never-ending corridors and suddenly-appearing trapdoors, all the while feeling an increasing desire to kill himself. This parallels the stories he reads or hears, an overarching theme which makes sense when you read Almost Home, the tale of Johnny himself, and which delivers an unexpected, and wonderfully conceived, twist.
This is Death of a Salesman written for the horror market. The stories are flawless and original, avoiding the usual, hackneyed tropes, with no weak links between them. A thoroughly enjoyable read for the longer autumnal nights.
Johnny is a sales rep, disillusioned with his life, despairing of his future, ready to turn his .38 on himself; however, before he can commit this act, he finds himself browsing the shelves of Handy’s Pawn & Thrift in the town of Clifton Heights. This shop gives you what you need – although this might not necessarily be what you want. Each item he handles – a tape player, an old Magic Eight Ball, a phone, a word processor – takes him away to other lives, all featuring characters who are trapped in one way or another. A ghost haunts his old den in The Office, the nightmare of being trapped in rooms and hallways continues in Out of Field Theory, Scavenging and A Place for Broken and Discarded Things. In each, the main character has to face up to, or accept certain truths, much as the character of Johnny is forced to do, each tale taking him nearer to his own truth.
Johnny too is trapped, he is locked mentally into his own depression and physically in the store, with no apparent escape from either. The shopkeeper has disappeared and, between the tales, he finds himself facing never-ending corridors and suddenly-appearing trapdoors, all the while feeling an increasing desire to kill himself. This parallels the stories he reads or hears, an overarching theme which makes sense when you read Almost Home, the tale of Johnny himself, and which delivers an unexpected, and wonderfully conceived, twist.
This is Death of a Salesman written for the horror market. The stories are flawless and original, avoiding the usual, hackneyed tropes, with no weak links between them. A thoroughly enjoyable read for the longer autumnal nights.
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