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’Salem’s Lot

stephen king

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Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ISBN 0450031063

Thousands of miles away from the small township of 'Salem's Lot, two terrified people, a man and a boy, still share the secrets of those clapboard houses and tree-lined streets. They must return to 'Salem's Lot for a final confrontation with the unspeakable evil that lives on in the town.

483 pages, Paperback

First published October 17,1975
Literary awards
world fantasy award, 
Places
jerusalems lot maine, maine, 

This edition

Format
483 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 1991 by New English Library
ISBN
9780450031069
ASIN
0450031063
Language
English
Characters More characters

More editions

About the author

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stephen king

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Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
35(35%)
4 stars
32(32%)
3 stars
32(32%)
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99 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ichikiba
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This is one of the few truly scary books that I have read in my life.

It was a summer more than 25 years ago and I still remember the summer storm outside and the quiet tapping on the window, but I still didn't dare to check if they were the branches of the trees in our yard...

I didn't sleep much that night. King is an absolute master of tension and the gradual build-up of horror in the story!

After that, so many other vampires have emerged, but I seriously only looked at those created by Anne Rice.

Stephen King's ability to create a sense of dread and unease is truly remarkable. His descriptions of the setting and the characters' emotions draw the reader in and make them feel as if they are right there in the story.

The idea of something unknown and potentially dangerous lurking outside the window is a common fear that many people have, and King exploits this fear to great effect.

Overall, this book is a classic of the horror genre and a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good scare.
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Coopsterrr
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Bumping this to 4.5 stars on reread.

This is truly a classic vampire story. The first time I read it, King's slower pace in the opening sections really frustrated me. I was so impatient for the nightmare to begin. However, this time, since I knew what was going to happen, I found that I loved the opening the most. King really indulges in描绘 the final days of the town. No one is just cannon fodder; everyone's life is carefully sketched, with all its flaws and imperfections. Every single death holds significance.

I hesitate to say that 'Salem's Lot is a book you have to read twice to truly experience everything it has to offer - after all, who really has the time? - but if you find yourself reaching for a Stephen King novel and you're already up to date on his entire back catalogue, then 'Salem's Lot would definitely be my recommendation for the first one to take off the shelf for a second time.

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anarrowstrail
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I remember vividly the first time I read this book in early high school. It was a rather strange incident. At first, I might have chosen to read it just to irritate my mom with my reading choices. But as I carried the book around while reading it, something quite unexpected happened. Many girls started asking me questions about the book. Suddenly, reading became even cooler! :)

After seeing the new trailer for "IT", I felt a strong urge to revisit some of Stephen King's early works. I wanted to find out if it was just my young age that had terrified me back then or if there was truly something special about his writing. I am happy to report that there was indeed much more to it! This book managed to terrify me all over again.

Ben Mears returns to his hometown with the intention of getting rid of some of his personal demons while working on a new novel. During his childhood, he and his friends had dared each other to enter the Marston house, where a suicide and a murder had occurred. The house seems almost like a beacon, attracting him. He is bound to encounter far more than he ever expected in this house of horrors.

There are moments in the book when I found myself chuckling at a comment made by one of the characters. But then, just three pages later, I would feel cold chills and goosebumps running down my back. Although some of the in-depth descriptions could perhaps have been shortened to heighten the pace of the action, I still thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book!

If you haven't had the chance to read this book yet, you really should pick it up. Stephen King undoubtedly has a certain magic in his writing that keeps readers hooked and on the edge of their seats.
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SNSMMRIKEN
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Horror is an extremely challenging genre to pen. A novel within this genre lacks the vivid and striking imagery of horror comics, or the extensive arsenal of tricks that a horror film can employ to raise the heart rate of its viewers. However, Stephen King possesses a knowledge that many other authors do not, as his books consistently manage to make me feel a sense of unease. In 'Salem's Lot', he draws inspiration from Bram Stoker's vampire classic, 'Dracula', and successfully creates a vampire tale that feels both fresh and contemporary, without sacrificing the eeriness or darkness of the familiar story.

King's writing style is particularly well-suited to the setting. As someone who has previously criticized his fixation on details, I must admit that I adored every word of this novel, which also has a very Gothic feel. The atmosphere he constructs, along with the autumnal setting, enhances the mood, and every tiny detail contributes to creating a unique reading experience. Anyone who is at least somewhat acquainted with Stephen King's work already knows that he is a master of character development (which is also excellent here), but there is a special character in 'Salem's Lot' that comes alive through the pages: the town itself. No matter what the author is discussing or what the characters are experiencing, the town is always present, like some mysterious and enchanting entity that I simply couldn't get enough of.

The vampires in this novel are dark, ruthless, and dangerous. They are not the glamorous, romantic, and brooding vampires that are so frequently found in films, TV series, and young adult literature these days. King is not here to fulfill your romantic fantasies; he is here to fuel your nightmares. And indeed, I did have dreams about the Marsten House a few times while reading this (which is an effect that not many books have on me), and it was an unsettling experience, to say the least.

In conclusion, we have a small New England town, an old mansion, captivating characters, and vampires, all encompassed within an addictively eerie atmosphere, masterfully crafted by Stephen King. Can there be a more perfect novel to read during autumn? 'Salem's Lot' is the epitome of how vampire novels should be.
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xkawaii_s2
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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My first Stephen King book is finally done, and it was truly great!

I really wasn't sure what to expect going into this, other than the presence of vampires. Certainly, I wasn't anticipating King to introduce me to an entire town and every single person within it. However, this approach really helped in building the relationships and characters extremely well. As others have mentioned, this book has outstanding townbuilding. We get to know exactly who everybody is and the role they play within the Lot.

Part 1 of this book is definitely the slowest part of the entire book, but it was done incredibly well. King slowly reveals bits and pieces of what's to come, creating a very slow burn that is actually quite good.

Part 2 and Part 3 are when the plot really takes off and the pacing picks up. There are some truly fantastic and atmospheric horrific scenes, and a sense of dread whenever someone is wandering around in the dark. King does an excellent job of making the reader feel the situation they are in.

Without spoiling anything, I love what was done with the prologue and the epilogue and how everything comes together in this book. I'm extremely curious to see how this will eventually tie in with The Dark Tower, as that's my main reason for starting King, but that will come soon enough.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a great deal, and it was entirely different from the books that I typically read. I can already tell that King is going to place a heavy emphasis on building his characters and really making them the central focus of his books.

There are a few lines in this book that really stuck out to me and that I wanted to highlight. They were wonderfully written and really captured the feeling that King wants us to experience while reading this book.

"Alone. Yes, that’s the key word, the most awful word in the English tongue. Murder doesn’t hold a candle to it and hell is only a poor synonym.… There was a ruined church along the way, an old Methodist meeting house, which reared its shambles at the far end of a frost-heaved and hummocked lawn, and when you walked past the view of its glaring, senseless windows your footsteps became very loud in your ears and whatever you had been whistling died on your lips and you thought about how it must be inside—the overturned pews, the rotting hymnals, the crumbling altar where only mice now kept the sabbath, and you wondered what might be in there besides mice—what madmen, what monsters. Maybe they were peering out at you with yellow reptilian eyes. And maybe one night watching would not be enough; maybe some night that splintered, crazily hung door would be thrown open, and what you saw standing there would drive you to lunacy at one look."

"If a fear cannot be articulated, it can’t be conquered. And the fears locked in small brains are much too large to pass through the orifice of the mouth. Sooner or later you found someone to walk past all the deserted meeting houses you had to pass between grinning babyhood and grunting senility. Until tonight. Until tonight when you found out that none of the old fears had been staked—only tucked away in their tiny, child-sized coffins with a wild rose on top."

"The basis of all human fears, he thought. A closed door, slightly ajar."
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anjimymay
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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One of my all-time favorite interpretations of vampires! Even after all these years, it still holds a spectacular charm. Stephen King manages to capture a truly unique aspect of the darkness within humanity. In this story, the vampire is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the darkness that pervades the Lot. The gripping tale of the community of Jerusalem's Lot is simply impossible to tear oneself away from. King's approach to horror is truly timeless. It continues to resonate with readers, captivating their imaginations and sending shivers down their spines. This novel remains firmly in my top five favorite King novels of all time. It is truly a masterpiece that deserves every single one of the 5 Stars it has received.

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astromancy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I have a deep passion for reading books multiple times. The reason is that every time I engage with a book, my perception of it undergoes a remarkable transformation. I discover new details that I overlooked previously and gain fresh perspectives on various aspects. It's as if I am embarking on a new reading adventure each time. I first delved into "Salem's Lot" during my teenage years. At that time, I had a certain level of enjoyment from it, but I didn't fully grasp its true essence.


"Salem's Lot" is not just a typical vampire novel; it delves much deeper. It offers a profound exploration of small town America and the gradual breakdown of its social fabric. One of the most admirable qualities of Stephen King, in my opinion, is his extraordinary ability to unearth the hidden horrors within our everyday lives.


"Salem's Lot" presents a vivid and chilling portrayal of what I envision a real-life vampire attack might look like. The vampire stealthily infiltrates a small, tightly-knit town and methodically tears it apart. I wholeheartedly recommend "Salem's Lot" to all horror enthusiasts and to those readers who have a penchant for intricately plotted and well-written stories.

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Dauphin_
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This is the perfect book for those who seek vampire stories in their most classic sense.

It respects the folklore of the mythical creature of the night. The descriptions are extremely chilling and mortuary, all wrapped in a fascinating gothic atmosphere.

Definitely one of my favorite books by the author.

I invite you to see my more detailed review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgT2j....

The book takes readers on a journey into the dark and mysterious world of vampires. The author's vivid writing brings the creatures to life, making them both terrifying and captivating.

The gothic atmosphere adds an extra layer of spookiness, making it a truly immersive reading experience.

Whether you're a die-hard vampire fan or just looking for a thrilling read, this book is sure to satisfy.

So, don't miss out on this amazing literary gem. Check out my review and discover the world of vampires for yourself!

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