The Store

“The fact is, no one cares about supporting us local businesses.”

Man, ain’t that the truth! This book was written in 1998, before Amazon.com became what it is today, but 'The Store' on these pages sure reminds me of what Bezos has done to small towns and businesses today! Except for the killings and baby snatchings of course. So far...

Basically, The Store moves into Juniper, Arizona and quickly takes over the town and all of its services, as well as bankrupting all the local businesses. I think the author based it on Wall Mart, but really, in 2024, it is what Amazon does. Creepy that Bentley Little was 26 years ahead of the game!

Great opening prologue and I really liked how the part two of the epilogue called back to it! I show more personally have great disdain for big boxes, Amazon, and the like, so I really liked the themes of this book, even if it does go off the rail at times!

One question though - um, what happened to Sam? show less

Basically, what if Walmart was evil.

Oops. Let me rephrase that. What if...Walmart was run by a demon.

The Store comes to bumblefuck, AZ and puts all the local businesses out of business by offering more goods at lower prices (just like Walmart!). It destroys the town by lowering everyone's income and then offering them cheap goods as the only things they can afford (just like Walmart!). Then it kills people who revolt and steals their souls (well, one can argue that Walmart DOES suck your soul dry).

Only in "The Store", The Store itself is evil. It's built with blood and staffed with supernatural beings called the Night Managers. People who try to fight the Store end up dead, missing, or unwillingly become soulless members of the Night show more Manager crew.

It's an okay book. Like a modern day "Needful Things" or "Something Wicked This Way Comes" using a stand-in for Walmart as the purveyor of tainted/haunted goods that drive people to be evil. The problem I have with it, is 425 pages paint the hero into a corner against the unbeatable entity of The Store and its CEO Newman King. Then, in the last 5 pages, the hero finds a loophole to beat The Store and King. The only problem is this "loophole" is TOTALLY UNFATHOMABLE based on events that preceded the deus ex machina. If you're gonna create "rules" for your world, STICK TO THEM. Do not change them at the last minute to provide an out.

I got this from a list of 5 Recommended Books From Stephen King. I think he recommended it because he finally found someone who is worse at ending horror novels than he is. show less

This was my second Bentley Little book ... I have since read all of them. Love the story and the spoof on the un-named, but fairly "you know who" obvious retail chain. Dead on. I have said for years that Wal-Mart is owned and operated by the devil. I now have literary proof! I love the way Little can take the absurd and make it seem completely plausible within the context of his stories. Kind of makes you shake your head and smile at the same time and think "that is just odd... and I love it." I recommend this book and several other Little titles to anyone who asks me what horror author they should read next. A refreshing break from Stephen King who can sometimes take himself a little too seriously. I like my horror with a sense of humor.

This was a great spooky read!

What would you do if a new store opened in your town? Would you forget about the "mom and pop" shops around your area and flock to the new store?

A little backstory for you readers:

That is what happens in the small town of Juniper, Arizona as when the The Store is built it takes over the town and chokes out all the other stores leaving them like skeletons to wither away like dust in the wind. But the store is not what it seems and when things start happening within its walls is when things start to get really weird. Can the town survive and deal with The Store? No spoilers here as you will have to read the book!

Lots of twists and turns along with some bloodshed to add flavor to this horror story as the show more author has a way of grabbing the reader and taking them for a spin in the recesses of his mind! Five stars for this one! show less

When the giant discount retailer known simply as The Store arrived in sleepy little Juniper, Arizona, the residents were pleased; after all, now they had a place that sold just about everything at very low prices right on their doorstep. But then the small local businesses downtown started to close, and the jobs started to dry up. Freelance tech writer Bill Davis felt suspicious about The Store from the beginning, but he couldn’t prevent his two daughters from taking jobs there, not even when people opposed to The Store start to disappear. How much of the town can The Store take over? Even Bill will be surprised to find out…. Bentley Little is a bit like Stephen King in the sense that he has a knack for creating characters that feel show more real to the reader, and also in the sense of writing horror from what seem to be very mundane aspects of modern life, such as a home-owners’ association or a chain discount retail store. I would never put his work on par with true “literature,” but he’s always easy to read and his books provide great escapism. Practically the perfect summer read, and recommended in that spirit. show less

Little never fails to amaze me. Book after book of seemingly the same story (evil corporation threatens personal liberties), and he still makes it fresh. The Store is scary as hell, just as disturbing as 1984. This book is hardly as gruesome as many others, and it just goes to show that Little can operate without the shock factor. Top of the line horror, ladies and gents.

Well! This was a strange and unusual book. Very disjointed, but purposefully chaotic. Lots of WTF.

Yes, Walmart is evil. Although Amazon is probably closer to The Store level evil.