Rating: 
Summary: Creepy!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. The story line was original and fast paced. I read this book several months ago and I still sometimes get a sinking feeling when I go to Wal-Mart! I'm no prude but I think some of the sex scenes could have been toned down a little although I guess they were somewhat relevent to the story. All in all an exciting read!
Rating:
Summary: twisted and scary
Review: At first glance, this novel appeared as if it would lean toward the unrealistic. However, as I started reading, I became engrossed in the plotline of a large chain store (not unlike a WalMart) preying on the innocence of the local townsfolk. The Store's influence over the individuals in each town that it inhabits is uncanny and horrifying. It shows just how much influence large corporations have the modern day citizen. I also found the characterization to be some of the best that I've ever read. I found myself caring about each character and wanting to know what happened to them next. Everyone from the dedicated father/citizen to the sadistic employees of The Store made the read most enjoyable right down to the unexpected twist at the end. If you have never read a Bentley Little novel before, this is the one to start with. After reading this book, you will realize just how possible something like this is and you will never look at the large retail chain stores the same way again!
Rating:
Summary: good but not great
Review: The story is a rather good one and the writing is certainly enjoyable, but the book doesnt reach any heights. It starts by "Bill had a bad feeling about this". Ok. Once. Twice. Three times. We end up getting the idea. Then The Store comes to Juniper, and what happens is not what you'd expect from a standard discount store (hopefully), but on the other hand it is nothing that a hardline political party wouldn't do so that there is not too much creativity here. A few supernatural things happen but the author is clever enough never to exaggerate.The final quarter of the book is more fastpaced and the resolution of everything is not unsatisfaying, although it seemed that the author was struggling to make story bits meet. And the death of Newman King is pitifully done - who will buy that? The conclusion is that this is worth reading and it is entertaining but it's not the kind of tight gripping novel that one might expect from the cover and back page.
Rating:
Summary: very original
Review: a highly original concept that kept me captivated from start to finish. sure, it was a bit weak in spots and could've used a bit more 'horror', but who cares? it was so much fun! this is my first bentley little novel, and it won't be my last.
Rating: 
Summary: To scared not to read more
Review: Bently little is the most entertaining writer I have had the priviage to read in quite sometime. He keeps you on the edge of your seat and afraid of the most normal places. You can think of. I love reading his books. And I search for the ones I can't find. I've been looking for The Mailman and the Town forever. I can't hardly wait to find and read more of he's work. He's a breath of fresh air.
Rating:
Summary: A Rejuvenating Force in Horror Fiction!
Review: Bentley Little has helped make horror fiction fun again. It's been a long time since something truly shocking and so dastardly in design has been plucked from book store shelves. This book takes a no holds barred approach to the conspiracy paranoia that has ravaged America. Ever noticed the persistence with which Wal-marts and Kmarts pop up in suburban neighborhoods? Ever think there was something dark and sinister behind that persistence? Well Bentley Little sure did and it's one hell of a book. Fast paced and seriously scary. And when you find out who works the night shift at the Store you'll gladly increase your electric bill. Bottom line, wait until it's really dark out, settle down with this book and enjoy. And question the true intentions of your nearest chain store.
Rating:
Summary: A BRILLIANT ALLEGORY
Review: Bentley Little, perhaps the most literary of the post-King horror writers, tackles his usual obsessions (conformity, individuality, family)and marries them to a blistering economic critique of America's merger mania. Why Signet isn't putting more muscle behind Little confounds me (am I the only one to notice that Signet put a photo of Owl Goingback dressed in an embarrassing Indian costume on his first paperback while Little, after ten or so books, has NEVER had his photo on a dustjacket? Talk about dissing!). To my mind the best horror writer working today, Little deserves a publisher who'll give him the full court press he deserves.
Rating:
Summary: A frightening yet ghoulishly fun horror novel
Review: I loved this book! It is a different kind of horror novel in that it takes a disturbingly typical aspect of every day life, the chain store, and turns it into a horrorfest of strange yet sometimes believable circumstances. Of course a lot of it is far-fetched but the power, the greed, the exploitive nature of these stores rings disturbingly close to home. This book is great with details and each page has something disturbing, shocking and often hilarious to keep the reader hooked. Even more it makes you think about these homogenous stores and their influence on all of us. It is a must read for those who like something a little different, a little funny and really scary.
Rating: 
Summary: Puerile and Ludicrous
Review: Can't anyone ever come up with a better conspiracy plot than at one extreme the government taking over and at the other capitalism? Give me a break! It's like a horror comic book spliced with a hard-core porn rag, meant to be shocking but ultimately laughable. But maybe if they could take an okay Stephen King story and concoct the * movie "Maximum Overdrive," then maybe the reverse can happen here, but who'd bother?
Rating:
Summary: A great, fun read!
Review: I was a little wary of this novel at first, because at first it sounded like a copy of Stephen King's "Needful Things". However, it was NOTHING like Needful Things, and had a premise that was just as compelling. It sounds almost hokey to say that the story is about a chain of stores that takes over small, economically-privileged towns in a way that's beyond sinister, but that is indeed the story. I was disdainful at first, but the more I read, the more "into it" I got. Yes, it seems a little far-fetched at times, but is it really? That's what I kept asking myself, along with, "Could this really happen? Can I envision this happening in the future, if things keep going the way they are in this country?" With super-chains like Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble putting just about every small business OUT of business - and the way we allow it to happen - the things that happen in this book are really NOT that far-fetched. Bentley Little doesn't try to impress with intense prose or complex storylines, either. It's simple, to the point, and very well-written. The guy knows how to tell a story! I highly, highly recommend this book. It's a fun and creepy read that also gives you something to think about.
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