I don't typically read a great deal of horror literature. As a result, it has taken me a bit longer than many others to fully recognize the genius that is Stephen King. Although it may be belated, I am finally delving into his surprisingly diverse body of work. At this stage, I believe I have sampled much of the best, having read several of his undisputed classics such as The Stand, It, and Pet Sematery. Now, I am ready to explore the next level. Salem’s Lot is undoubtedly a step down from King's very best and most enduring novels. However, it should be noted that horror written by King can really only be compared to other horror works by King himself.

King is so incredibly ubiquitous, having written over 50 books, and is such an integral part of popular culture that it has become increasingly difficult to read one of his books without already knowing a great deal about it before even reaching the first sentence. Take The Shining, for example. You may not have read the novel, but you have likely come across Stanley Kubrick's classic film adaptation (which King despises), The Simpsons' spot-on parody, or had the ending spoiled as a punchline in a joke on Friends.

Salem’s Lot, on the other hand, has not had the same widespread cultural impact. It has been adapted twice for television, once as a movie and once as a miniseries. Despite this, I knew absolutely nothing about it when I began reading. This ignorance actually made for a more enjoyable reading experience, so I will try to be as sparing as possible in my discussion, just in case you are as late to the Stephen King party as I was.

Salem’s Lot is set in the small Maine town of Jerusalem's Lot. A writer named Ben Mears, who grew up in the town, returns to write a novel and confront his personal demons. He quickly becomes involved with a young artist named Susan and befriends an aging schoolteacher named Matt. Strange things begin to occur, emanating from the haunted Marsten House that overlooks the community. These strange events, as you might expect, soon take a violent turn.

I think that's about as much as I can safely say about the plot without giving too much away. I could probably stop writing right now and consider this review complete. But then what excuse would I have for ignoring my family, especially the child who is currently knocking on my office door?

Published in 1975, Salem’s Lot was King's second novel, following Carrie. Even at this early stage, many of the hallmarks that he would later develop and refine in his subsequent works are already evident. There is the struggling writer as the central character, children who are both in danger and act as heroes, and a great deal of care and detail put into constructing the town of Jerusalem's Lot, which is given both a detailed geography and a rich history. As he would do later with Derry and Chester's Mill, King provides such a comprehensive and vivid portrayal of Jerusalem's Lot that you feel as if you could navigate its streets in your mind.

The novel is written in the third-person omniscient style that King employs so effectively. He effortlessly jumps from one character to another, from one consciousness to another, presenting the story from a wide variety of viewpoints. While Ben may be the moral and plot-driven center of the story, there are many other characters who play important roles. Among the dozens of characters, King introduces us to a small-town constable who is struggling with his own courage, a young mother who abuses her newborn child, a couple engaged in a secret affair, and a Catholic priest whose greatest struggle is with alcohol rather than his faith. Are all of these characters necessary to the storyline? Perhaps not. Many, if not most, could have been trimmed without sacrificing the essence of the story. The 653 pages of my trade-paperback edition could easily have been reduced by half without losing any of the important elements. However, it is this excess that sets King apart and makes him the great writer that he is.

That being said, Salem’s Lot is not a great Stephen King novel. He is still in the process of experimenting with the themes that he would later perfect. He does not yet have a complete and total mastery of his material. There are moments when the pacing is uneven, with sudden lurches and jarring stops.

Here, more than in his other novels, I was strongly aware of the outside literary influences that were guiding King's hand. (It's impossible not to be, since King himself mentions many of them within the story.) Salem’s Lot feels like an amalgamation of the works of Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Richard Matheson. Elements from their works are combined and boiled together, and then King adds his own unique twist, which in this case is a liberal dose of blood and gore. It's an entertaining read, but it's not entirely seamless. There were times when I was more interested in making literary comparisons between King's early and later works than I was in the story itself.

The characterizations in Salem’s Lot are also somewhat lacking. King has the ability to create characters of incredible depth and complexity, as he did with Jack Torrance in The Shining. However, this level of character development is not present in Salem’s Lot. More importantly, the connections between the characters are weak. Ben arrives in town and quickly falls in love with Susan and becomes best friends with Matt. This happens almost overnight, with no real explanation other than convenience. As the plot reaches its climax and the characters find themselves in mortal danger, King needs us to believe in the bonds of love, affection, and loyalty between them. But because these relationships have not been fully developed, it's difficult to do so. I didn't really believe in Ben's humanity beyond his role as a pawn in King's literary game. As a result, I didn't feel any real sense of danger or stakes when Ben and the people around him were fighting for their lives.

Perhaps it's not necessary to analyze Salem’s Lot so deeply. Maybe it's just a throwaway genre novel, a guilty pleasure that provides a cheap thrill. Something to be read during the changing of the seasons, when the leaves are falling and the air is growing colder, and the long, dark winter is approaching.

But I don't think so.

Stephen King is an American literary treasure. He is a master of his craft. He has a remarkable gift for weaving complex and profound themes into seemingly simple horror stories. His unparalleled skill has perhaps made it too easy for us to take him for granted. He produces 800-page bestsellers with remarkable ease, books that will be read and enjoyed by millions for years to come. Yet he will never receive the same level of adulation and praise that some writers from more prestigious writing programs receive for their much smaller and more pretentious works.

In conclusion, Salem’s Lot is not King at his absolute best. However, it is still a better and more effective novel than most of the books you will read. And I'm not just talking about horror novels. I mean novels in general. It's a testament to King's talent and skill that even his early works are worthy of our attention and admiration.

Being in the village is visceral, sensual, alcoholic.

And in the darkness, the village belongs to one and one belongs to the village, and the dream of both is like that of the dead, like that of the stones. Here, there is no other life but the slow death of the days, so when evil descends upon the village, its arrival seems almost preordained, sweet and hypnotic. It is almost as if the village knows that evil is approaching and what form it will take.

The village doesn't care about the work of the devil more than it cares about the work of God or that of man. It knew of darknesses. And with darkness, it was enough.

For the children, it is time to go to bed. It is time for the babies to be wrapped in their cribs while the parents smile at the protests with which they ask to be left up a little longer, to leave the light on. Kindly, they open the doors of the closets so that they can see that there is nothing hidden inside.

All around them, the bestiality of the night takes flight with its dark wings. It is the hour of the vampires.

Perhaps it is not the most original book, but it is evident the love and class with which tribute is paid to the work of Stoker, also to Shirley Jackson and to Matheson.

I think the greatest strengths of the book lie in the way it is structured.

With characters who fulfill and transmit what is intended. But above all, the way in which the village, with the Marsten House as a beacon, acts as an entity. And that in turn, they are channels of other forces, even beyond the obvious (antagonist/s), there is always something more exerting its influences.

King's ability at its maximum expression to amalgamate the fantastic with the folkloric. To make his stories feel close, real (if the adjective can be used) within the context. In a certain way, it makes us feel that it is happening around the corner, we travel through "known" places and we immerse ourselves thanks to his narrative. Giving rise to the truculent and the poetic.

This question of "common" people, who have quite enough to bear with their own miseries but still, there is something, perhaps worse, that lurks from the shadows. And in this case, if one is lucky, it will be polite enough to ask to be let in.

I would love to drive the nails into the coffin and close the review here, but I have to say that the final section is unnecessarily stony in some aspects and hasty in others, in my opinion.

*I noted that the remnants of the Vietnam War are quite present both explicitly and implicitly.

The book was published in 1975. The year in which that war (called by the Vietnamese as: "War of Resistance against the United States") ended.

This was my fifth or sixth read of this novel, a novel that comfortably sits as my third or fourth favourite Stephen King read. I think that’s because within Salem’s Lot’s horrifying, gruesome pages is some of King’s most beautiful writing. The entire thing can be read and reread again to simply enjoy his words.

When King describes the changing seasons, he takes on a Ray Bradbury-like quality. With the success of Carrie, King had the opportunity to show readers the full extent of what he was capable of as a writer.

Carrie is set in a fictional town of Chamberlain, and while we learn a little about the town and its people, it is nothing much in comparison with the in-depth experience of reading Salem’s Lot. Stephen King really creates an entire community in this book.

He utilises his skills as a short story writer to flesh out that community by providing tiny stories about several of its inhabitants. We get the story of an aged, crabby milkman, the man in charge of the town dump, a woman who runs the local boarding house, the town drunk, or a couple having an affair, to name a few.

The thing is, all these characters feature in the story in some significant way to show the horror as it progresses to take over the town. I found I enjoyed every moment spent in these characters’ lives, especially those of Eve and Weasel, an elderly on-and-off-again couple.

The horror in this book comes in the form of Barlow and Straker, outsiders that move into Salem’s Lot’s most notorious residence, the Marston House. Barlow is a vampire, and Straker is his familiar. As they arrive, so does the novel’s protagonist, Ben Mears, a writer who has never had a home but for the few years he spent in this town as a boy.

Ben gets a lot of criticism as a character for being too noble and thus boring, but I never found that with him. I enjoyed every moment spent in his practical head as he meets his love interest, Susan Norton, and the rest of the cast.

While this is Stephen King’s first time round at developing a lived-in community, it is also his first attempt at building a team of characters intent on stopping a villain. You can see in these pages how King would go on to create such lengthy books as The Stand, which also features a huge cast of characters.

However, those that feature in that book never feel as filled out or as enjoyable to read as those in this book. Matt Burke, a single elderly school teacher, stands out as the novel’s Van Helsing character and a personal favourite. Another is Jimmy Cody, the town’s local sawbones, whose end is heart-wrenching even after reading this book so many times.

There’s also Father Callahan, who meets a fate worse than death, and Mark Petrie, probably the most resourceful of King’s child characters. Barlow begins to infect the population of Salem’s Lot, giving the book a real sense of dread with each night that passes as the reader becomes aware that more people will have been converted into his soulless followers, especially in the book’s latter half.

The vampires in this book are clearly inspired by those in Dracula. Their abilities are more traditional than any modern incarnation. Yet, unlike those that feature in Bram Stroker’s book, where vampirism is a way for characters to fully unleash the pent-up emotions and desires that were not allowed to as humans due to the social rules of the book’s time period, such as young women embracing their sexuality, the vampires in King’s book are a more perverse version.

There is no liberation from social constraints once bitten. Instead, King’s vampires are ruthless, soulless leeches. Combining this with King’s fantastic ability to create characters that the readers recognise and root for, even if those characters are framed in the 1970s, makes Salem’s Lot not just one of the best books in his catalogue but also the best book on vampires to ever be written.

4.5 stars

I sense that there has been a great deal of debate regarding Stephen King's recent books, concerning the genre to which he might now be assigned. Mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, general fiction - there are so many possibilities. Indeed, you don't often hear the equation Stephen King = horror these days. However, if you long to return to the roots, Salem's Lot is the epitome of pure, unadulterated, old-fashioned Stephen King horror at its very best!

I am currently rereading most of Stephen King's books in chronological order, and Salem's Lot followed Carrie. I originally read it sometime in the 1990s. I'm truly glad I decided to reread it because, to be honest, I remember几乎 nothing of it!

Salem's Lot is a vampire story that draws inspiration from vampire fiction such as Stoker's Dracula, as well as vampire horror films. The influence of both these mediums is highly evident. At the same time, King weaves a new, unique, and terrifying vampire tale of his own. If you're a fan of the original, raw, and purely evil vampires (not the ones that sparkle), you must ensure to read this book!

For those of you who have heard of King but haven't read his works before and are wondering where to begin, this would be an excellent starting point. I believe many would concur that this book ranks among King's finest horror fiction.

Jahoobies...iykyk.

Jahoobies is a term that might seem a bit mysterious at first. It could potentially refer to a specific group, concept, or even a made-up word with a hidden meaning known only to a certain few.

Perhaps it's a code word within a particular community or an inside joke among friends. The abbreviation "iykyk" which stands for "if you know, you know" adds to the air of exclusivity.

It makes one wonder what exactly Jahoobies is all about and how one would come to understand its significance. Maybe it's something that can only be grasped through personal experience or by being part of a particular circle.

Overall, the term Jahoobies...iykyk piques the curiosity and leaves room for speculation and imagination.

Just missed the mark.


I am currently making my way through King's books in the order of their publication, albeit rather slowly. So, when I discovered that Salem's Lot was a tale about your classic terrifying vampires, the kind that attempt to kill you rather than date you, I was quite excited. There were numerous reviews promising that I would be scared out of my wits. Honestly, however, I didn't find Barlow to be all that frightening. In fact, Carrie's mother, Margaret White, scared me a great deal more than Barlow ever did.


The book didn't really become interesting until around the 300 - 400 page mark. We are bombarded with an excessive amount of character plot introduction. Normally, I really like how King initially endeavors to convey the atmosphere of the town and the characters by introducing them one by one and briefly presenting their life stories. I also appreciate it when the creepiness of his novels emerges through the setting of the story rather than just from the vampires or monsters. This was accomplished extremely well in The Stand. But in Salem's Lot, the description of the setting felt far too long. It made the story seem to drag for me.


A three-star rating still indicates that I did enjoy the book. I thought Ben was a good protagonist, and I liked his relationships with the side characters, especially Susan and Matt. My rating is more of a "it's me not the book" kind of assessment. The majority of people, even those who usually have difficulties with King's novels, really liked this one. So, don't base your decision on whether to read this or not solely on my review of it.

Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/EHrhvU0DB80

This is his SECOND BOOK?!?!?! HOW IN GOD'S NAME?!??!

⭐️3.5

I read Carrie and was truly impressed, awarding it a full 5 stars. However, this latest work only managed to earn a 3 from me. The truth is, while I had a perfectly pleasant time reading it, something was lacking. After a week had gone by and I tried to recall the details, nothing really stood out in my memory. I found myself unable to think of any particular passages to highlight or aspects that I was disappointed with. It's not that it's a bad book by any means. In fact, it's a good book. But it just doesn't reach the level of greatness. It falls short of being as memorable as I had hoped and anticipated it would be. There were no truly captivating moments or plot twists that left a lasting impression. It was just an average read that, unfortunately, didn't quite live up to my expectations.

**"The Allure of Salem's Lot"**

  


From the 1979 movie version of Salem’s Lot


Stephen King's Salem's Lot is a captivating exploration of a small town under siege by vampires. King, who grew up in a New England small town, seems to have a penchant for dismantling the idyllic facade of such places. In the introduction to the 2005 illustrated edition, he shares his wisdom on writing, differentiating between plotting and storytelling. He believes that the latter, which is as natural as breathing, is the key to creating engaging fiction.

The Marsten House in Salem's Lot is a central and eerie location. Left empty for years after unspeakable tragedies, it now serves as the perfect lair for the vampire Barlow and his assistant Straker. The description of the house's foul smell, filled with mildew, rot, and the presence of living things, sets a creepy tone. As Barlow begins to turn the townspeople into his vampire army, a group of misfits, including an old teacher, a writer, and a young boy, decide to fight back.

King's use of slow-burning plot allows readers to get to know the characters before they face the ultimate test. His original working title, Second Coming, was wisely vetoed by his wife Tabitha. Instead, Salem's Lot has become a classic in the vampire genre, adding its own unique twists and moments of excitement. It's a testament to King's storytelling abilities and his ability to create a world that both terrifies and intrigues.

If you're interested in more of my book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com. I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten

This book was extremely challenging to engage with. I initiated reading it, or at least attempted to, in December 2021, yet I couldn't seem to get into it. A few months ago, I made another attempt to read it. I managed to make a little progress but had to put it on hold once again.

However, last week, I resolved that I had to finish this book, regardless of the outcome. A friend had lent me his copy a year ago, and it was high time I returned it. Fortunately, once I managed to make some headway and completed the first 200 pages, I found myself completely immersed in the story. It became increasingly difficult for me to put the book down.

I will share more thoughts on this book in the future.

I gave this book 3.5 stars.

For once, I find myself at a loss for words.

I did like it, but I didn't love it.

I really wanted to love this book so badly, but deep down, I sort of knew that it wouldn't become one of my favorites.

Nevertheless, it was still fun to read.

I can't help but think that the vampire lore or the vampires in general could have been a bit more interesting.

Maybe the author could have focused a bit more on the Masterden House.

This would have added more depth and mystery to the story.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but it just didn't quite reach that level of being a must-read favorite.

City folk often hold a distinct misconception about small towns.

We tend to believe that they are idyllically tranquil and innocent places, where the denizens are wholesome and deeply committed to family values.

However, this perception fails to account for the hidden rot that may lurk beneath the seemingly sleepy facade.

Stephen King does an excellent job of shattering this myth with his novel 'Salem's Lot.

This is a horror story about a vampire who insidiously destroys a town from the inside out.

It delves into the darkness that we often choose not to see clearly or perhaps conveniently ignore in our friends, families, and neighbors.

For me, the most horrific part of this book was not the horror of the vampires themselves.

Surprisingly, it was the scene where a woman punched her ten-month-old baby in the face because he was crying.

Yes, this act bothered me more than any of the actual supernatural horror elements.

I would say to Mr. King that he truly understands the fears that lurk within our hearts.

The dark is indeed full of potential evil that can possess us, take over our bodies, and transform us into monsters.

But, as this novel shows, the truest monsters are often the human ones.

With 'Salem's Lot, Mr. King vividly depicts both kinds of monsters.

Do you believe that there are no true secrets in a small town?

The answer is not as straightforward as it may seem.

The townspeople of 'Salem's Lot know far more about their neighbors than they care to admit, but they choose to overlook, ignore, or sweep the sins under the rug until it becomes impossible to hide them any longer.

For example, the town harbored an ex-mobster with a penchant for devil worship.

He lived in the Marsten House, a scary dwelling on top of a hill that haunted Ben Mears after he visited it as a nine-year-old on a dare.

What he saw there was from his worst nightmares and remained with him even in adulthood.

The evil that Hubie Marsten brought into existence never truly died.

The house held it like a battery holds a charge, making it the perfect place for a vampire and his evil minion to set up shop in this seemingly peaceful little town.

I read the introduction to this story with great interest.

I love learning about how an author crafts their story.

Mr. King was a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, and he wrote 'Salem's Lot as an unofficial homage to that classic vampire novel.

In my humble opinion, he did an outstanding job.

I believe that Mr. Stoker would likely nod in approval, even if he didn't fully understand all the modern references.

Mr. King wrote his own unique take on a vampire story, and it clearly bears his individual stamp.

Yet, the aspects that make Dracula such an excellent vampire novel are still present.

Mr. Barlow could give Count Dracula a real run for his money in terms of being a completely evil, despicable, and formidable being.

His minion, Straker, could even teach Renfield a thing or two about evil.

And the characters of Matt, Ben, Jimmy, Susan, Father Callahan, and Mark could compare notes with their counterparts in Dracula, such as Van Helsing, Harker, Mina, Holmwood, and Quincy.

However, if I may be so bold, I think that Mr. King significantly ramped up the fear level in this novel.

His world is not as sentimental and does not have as many inherently 'good' people.

Instead, it is full of flawed humanity with some truly nasty proclivities.

Despite this, I still found myself fearing for their safety and hoping that they would not succumb to the evil of the vampire that infected the town.

In this story, we are exposed to the heights and depths of the human condition.

We see how a person can rebound from despair, face their worst fears, and grapple with events that seem impossible to an empirical mind.

We also learn about a person's limits.

Can you enter that haunted house and do what needs to be done?

Do you have the courage?

Or will you turn away and pretend that nothing is happening, as some of the townspeople do for the sake of their own sanity?

Can a thirteen-year-old boy display more bravery than a seventy-year-old man in the twilight of his life?

Can a non-believer place their trust in the symbols of a faith that previously held no meaning for them in the face of an evil that defies scientific explanation?

All of these questions are explored in this story, and the answers may very well surprise you.

I deliberately chose to read 'Salem's Lot during the day because it is truly, truly scary.

Even so, I couldn't help but think about a pair of red eyes haunting me in the night.

I feared for the scratching of a lost loved one against my window pane as I tried to sleep.

Some part of me even worried that I had inadvertently invited the wrong person into my home.

If these are the hallmarks of a successful vampire novel, then I would say that Stephen King has achieved great success with 'Salem's Lot.

This book is truly remarkable. There are so many words that can be used to describe it - astonishing, captivating, chilling, remarkable, extraordinary, and touching, just to name a few.

I was incredibly impressed by it. Everything in "Salem's Lot" was truly amazing. The story was told in a captivating way and was truly terrifying in many places. I highly recommend reading it late at night, as that's when its impact can be felt the strongest.

Although this is Stephen King's second book, everything in it is built perfectly - a vivid atmosphere filled with all kinds of sensations, full-bodied and vivid characters. Even though the theme of vampires has been explored many times before, it is presented here with complete success, being both amusingly engaging and thrilling. The tension in the plot manages to be maintained from the first chapter to the last.

I also really like the combination that King uses in this book (this is also in "The Institute" and is one of the things that contributed to my loving that book so much, and this one too).

This is more than an excellent work.