Product Description
Published a year after his stunning debut novel, Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot firmly cemented Stephen King’s name in the literary lexicon of great American storytellers. His rich and finely crafted tale of a mundane New England town under siege by the forces of darkness is both a homage to Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula and an allegory of our post-Vietnam society. Considered one of the most terrifying vampire novels ever written, it cunningly probes the shadows of the human heart — and the insular evils of small-town America.
Product Features
Ben Mears returns to ‘salems Lot believing that he’s rediscovered the idyllic small town of his youth–but ‘salem’s Lot has two other newcomers who threaten the town with a vampiric plague. I’m not a fan of King’s novels and my issues with his writing style carry over to ‘Salem’s Lot, which I found poorly paced and unbalanced; other readers who appreciate his style may have a different response. Regardless, the book’s vampires never become the threatening, powerful, intelligent evil which would be necessary to make this a successful and frightening book. King has a strong grasp of setting and atmosphere, but the unconvincing vampires prevent ‘Salem’s Lot from achieving its full potential. Not recommended.
My apathy towards ‘Salem’s Lot arises in large part from an apathy towards Stephen King. I find King’s novels overlong and hyperdetailed, a style which doesn’t appeal to me. ‘Salem’s Lot contains an extensive web of townsfolk who are little more than bit characters; the details of their lives before and during the vampire plague drive home the town-wide terror brought on by the vampires, but I personally find it slows the book’s pacing and crowds out the main characters. However, where I find this level of detail distracting and detrimental, I know that many other readers find it builds realistic characters and settings–so where the book left me unenthused, a different sort of reader may better appreciate it.
But what disappointed me most about ‘Salem’s Lot was not King’s style–but rather his vampires. Pre-Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, these are not sympathetic; but, though inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, nor are they villainous. They’re certainly styled after Dracula: ruddy-mouthed, supernaturally strong, mesmerizing those that meet their eyes. But most of the vampires are infected townsfolk who, half-mindless in search of blood, remind me more of zombies than vampires. There is an ancient lead vampire who King would make Dracula-like in intelligence and power, but he’s introduced too late to become a convincing and frightening enemy. King does a good job of stranding a desperate cast of characters in dire times, but the main characters overshadowed by bit characters and the vampires never quite become a convincing threat–and so ‘Salem’s Lot is interesting, sometimes frightening, but remains unsuccessful. Readers who better appreciate King’s style may have a better reaction to this book, but I didn’t much enjoy it and don’t recommend it.
I loved Salem's Lot, clear and simple. I thought that this is one of Stephen King's tightest and well-constructed novel, the modern history of Dracula and his domination over the people in a small town in rural Maine. Some people feel the novel is slow and not interesting, but I beg differ. King Ratchets be tension and fleshes out the characters with ease. I love King's use of names, which are so small, yet give a great depth of the overall atmosphere. For example, as a child I would love for quiet walks in the woods and captured the King, that the memory of me when the characters will walk through the silent woods and tried to appeal to the sights and sounds of walking in the forest in a cool fall. It should be remembered that in 1979 the film was a good film, but it was not in the vicinity of where and how to achieve a comprehensive and novel, have strong handles novels, which were explained, but not in the same context as the novel, the character was not Barlow used in a way that captured his charm and potential in the film compared to the novel. If you enjoy the movie, but more trying to really recommend this novel, is a testimony to tell the true history of the power that Stephen King has become known. I think that I can read from his novel, which at the beginning of their careers, but were in the films before I was old enough to enjoy them.
Salem's Lot was the first Stephen King book ever read. I was 13 years old and had already overactive imagination before this book went right to the imagination, it Smacked around and demanded recognition and respect. For many weeks after reading this book, I was petrified to leave my bedroom window at night because I see a vampire float there with the request that let them in. To this day I can not watch that particular scene in the movie adaptation. I love a good thriller, a book that will scare ever loving trash at me, and this is the book that you did so. This book had such an impact on my 13 year old that I was too scared to choose it and read it again in over 20 years. But now that I have a kindle on the road, I'm adding it to my soon built electronic SK library. I read it again. This time I'm leaving all the lights.
I am a big fan of SK and Salem's Lot among his best. In addition, perhaps the scariest too. I loved the characters and the small village setting. King built the suspense of the novel well. I am not a vampire fan but absolutely loved this book.
Stephen King's magnum opus about vampires in a small New England village. King's best writing can be found in the book. The characters created in the framework of these parties really to live and remain with you long after the end of reading this great horror novel. The main character is Ben Mears, a writer who returned to Salem's Lot to work on a new novel, and apparently to exorcise personal demons stemming from childhood experiences in heavy notorious Haunted Mansion House called Marsten. When the eccentric antiquarian arrives in town and shopping Curia, strange things start happening local missing children turn up, people start dying, Mears and starts to suspect a horrible truth – that the greater evil than to dare to imagine came to Salem's Lot. Well done and well written from beginning to end. Curt Rowlett, Author Labyrinth13