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A review by bozzi1
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
⚰️Spoiler Free Book Review⚰️
•
“The basis of all human fears, he thought. A closed door, slightly ajar.”
•
Reading ‘Salem’s Lot years ago was the start of my lifelong love of vampires. Dracula is my favorite classic horror story. My daughter made vampire noises before she could talk thanks to the Blade trilogy, and I even fell in love with the monster in Twilight. #teamedwardforever #noshame
•
And still, I was a teensy bit reluctant to reread King’s second published novel after all this time. I’d had it on a pedestal for decades and he’s written so much since, I wasn’t sure it would hold up. So did it? Uh, that’s a resounding, “HELL YES!”. It is still an absolute favorite and firmly cemented in my top ten King books.
•
‘Salem’s Lot was King’s first attempt at creating a small town and its full cast of characters. He spends a LOT of time describing the layout of the town and the lives of its inhabitants, seemingly ALL of its inhabitants. It may seem pointless to learn so much detail about so many minor characters, but it’s an integral part of the story because the Lot becomes a character all its own. Learning its history and its secrets during the first third or so of the book is the slowest of slow burns, but the payoff is worth it.
•
*Side note - I’d forgotten about King’s decision to refer to breasts as “jahoobies” in this one. Seriously Steve? That got a head shake and laugh out of an otherwise serious read.
•
While Ben Mears isn’t my favorite protagonist and his romance with Susan feels a bit rushed (King’s writing about writers and love definitely improves with future books), I still like both characters. Dr. Cody and Matt Burke are even more likable and Father Callahan is perhaps the most realistic. Mark Petrie is fantastic and our first glimpse into how well King can write child characters.
•
Barlow is one badass vampire and his fellow creatures of the night are equally terrifying, but the best part of this story is how the ruination of ‘Salem’s Lot is plotted out so perfectly. Small towns are dying all across America. This book gives a frighteningly possible what if. What if monsters aren’t just in the movies? If they were going to take over, why not start in a small town in rural America?
•
Don’t worry, I know vampires aren’t real. No one’s going to be knocking on my window tonight and even if they did, I wouldn’t invite them in. I definitely wouldn’t invite them in. But maybe I’ll pick up some garlic on the way home, and set out the old family Bible, just in case.
•
I also read the two related short stories and they were the perfect bookends to this novel. I’ve read each them separately a couple of times in the past, but reading Jerusalem’s Lot before and One for the Road after ‘Salem’s Lot upped the enjoyment even more.
•
“The basis of all human fears, he thought. A closed door, slightly ajar.”
•
Reading ‘Salem’s Lot years ago was the start of my lifelong love of vampires. Dracula is my favorite classic horror story. My daughter made vampire noises before she could talk thanks to the Blade trilogy, and I even fell in love with the monster in Twilight. #teamedwardforever #noshame
•
And still, I was a teensy bit reluctant to reread King’s second published novel after all this time. I’d had it on a pedestal for decades and he’s written so much since, I wasn’t sure it would hold up. So did it? Uh, that’s a resounding, “HELL YES!”. It is still an absolute favorite and firmly cemented in my top ten King books.
•
‘Salem’s Lot was King’s first attempt at creating a small town and its full cast of characters. He spends a LOT of time describing the layout of the town and the lives of its inhabitants, seemingly ALL of its inhabitants. It may seem pointless to learn so much detail about so many minor characters, but it’s an integral part of the story because the Lot becomes a character all its own. Learning its history and its secrets during the first third or so of the book is the slowest of slow burns, but the payoff is worth it.
•
*Side note - I’d forgotten about King’s decision to refer to breasts as “jahoobies” in this one. Seriously Steve? That got a head shake and laugh out of an otherwise serious read.
•
While Ben Mears isn’t my favorite protagonist and his romance with Susan feels a bit rushed (King’s writing about writers and love definitely improves with future books), I still like both characters. Dr. Cody and Matt Burke are even more likable and Father Callahan is perhaps the most realistic. Mark Petrie is fantastic and our first glimpse into how well King can write child characters.
•
Barlow is one badass vampire and his fellow creatures of the night are equally terrifying, but the best part of this story is how the ruination of ‘Salem’s Lot is plotted out so perfectly. Small towns are dying all across America. This book gives a frighteningly possible what if. What if monsters aren’t just in the movies? If they were going to take over, why not start in a small town in rural America?
•
Don’t worry, I know vampires aren’t real. No one’s going to be knocking on my window tonight and even if they did, I wouldn’t invite them in. I definitely wouldn’t invite them in. But maybe I’ll pick up some garlic on the way home, and set out the old family Bible, just in case.
•
I also read the two related short stories and they were the perfect bookends to this novel. I’ve read each them separately a couple of times in the past, but reading Jerusalem’s Lot before and One for the Road after ‘Salem’s Lot upped the enjoyment even more.