n  “Thin clouds form, and the shadows lengthen out. They have no breadth, as summer shadows have; there are no leaves on the trees or fat clouds in the sky to make them thick. They are gaunt, mean shadows that bite the ground like teeth. As the sun nears the horizon, its benevolent yellow begins to deepen, to become infected, until it glares an angry inflamed orange. It throws a variegated glow over the horizon.”n

Salem’s Lot is the story of a small town being overtaken by vampires, and a brave band of people who come together to fight an ancient evil. The story centers around Ben Mears. Ben has returned to Salem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Ben begins to realise that something sinister is at work, in fact, his hometown is under siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that is growing within the borders of this small and fragile town….

Salem’s Lot builds slowly and this is where Stephen King uses his time to do what he does best, build great characters and create fascinating back stories. The town of Salem’s lot feels like a soap opera with characters that will make you feel nostalgic and disgusted at the same time. They beat their children, cheat on their husbands, drink and bully. Yet its hard to pin them on a good vs bad board, there are shades of grey with everyone you meet.

Once this entire foundation has been laid Stephen King ups the ante and unveils the full horror of the vampires and it unravels like a dream!

Salem’s Lot is a brilliant work of vampire/horror fiction. It is genuinely scary at times, it has the ability to raise the hairs on your arms and neck and gives you a genuine sense of foreboding.

This town is more a charcter than a setting and you realise the evil man can do is more destructive to society than a thousand year old vampire. It’s the townspeople that drive the action and turn Salem’s Lot into an apocalypse.

This is a rich story full of great themes about society, the power of faith, men vs boys and even love and salvation.

It was an absolute dream to read!
I Highly recommend

As with many King's, I loved this even more upon reread.

This story will always hold a special place in my heart, but more than that, I'm considering proclaiming it my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME!!!

Salem's Lot is one of the few books that might actually warrant a sequel.
Now, I love the way it ended. It was perfect, and I'm glad King didn't double dip with his vampire classic. But a small part of me wants to hear more about this modern-day Van Helsing and his sidekick.

You in the back with your hand up, ready to tell me about One for the Road, sit down. I mean a proper sequel and you know it.



So what makes this one stick to your ribs is that King modernized Dracula.
Which, if you haven't read it, isn't really all that interesting by today's horror standards. I'm not saying it isn't good, I'm just saying most people (especially non-readers) wouldn't be all that impressed with the "real" story. Stephen King would probably be the first to disagree with me on this because he says the book changed his world. But I'm sticking by my opinion that the classic tale wouldn't cut the mustard with the vast majority of today's audience.



And while most of you have probably read some version of an updated Dracula, I think King was one of the first to do it well. Mainly because this works as an excellent vampire tale even if you haven't read Stoker's version. His idea was to tell the story of what would happen to a town if Dracula and Renfield had access to things like electric lights and cars. How quickly could a nest of vampires take over if they were to start chewing on their friends and neighbors in the present day?



And maybe more importantly, who would stop them?
In a world that has forgotten to fear the things that go bump in the night, who will put two and two together and come up with an ancient evil that has been written off as a myth believed by superstitious peasants?



For me, this holds up as an excellent vampire story. <-- whether you're a Stephen King fan or not
Recommended.

Bumping this to 4.5 stars on reread.

This is such a classic vampire story. The first time around, King's slower pace in the opening sections frustrated me. I was impatient for the nightmare to start. This time, knowing what was going to happen, I loved the opening most of all. King luxuriates in the final days of the town. No one is cannon fodder; everyone's life is sketched, warts and all. Every death counts.

I hesitate to say 'Salem's Lot is a book you have to read twice to really experience everything it has to offer - honestly, who has the time? - but if you found yourself reaching for a Stephen King and you're already up to date on his back catalogue, 'Salem's Lot would be my rec for the first one to come off the shelf for a second time.

City folk have a distinct misconception about small towns. We tend to believe that they are tranquil and innocent. That the denizens are wholesome and full of family values. But, we don't see the hidden rot that lurks beneath the sleepy facade.

Stephen King does a lot to shatter that myth with 'Salem's Lot. This a horror novel about a vampire who destroys a town from the inside out. This is a horror story about the darkness that we don't see clearly (or maybe we ignore) about our friends, families, and neighbors.

What was the most horrific part of this book for me? You're going to guess wrong. It wasn't the horror of the vampires. It was seeing a woman punch her ten month old baby in the face because he was crying. Yes, that bothered me more than any of the actual supernatural horror. I say to Mr. King that you know what fears lurk in our hearts. The dark is full of potential evil that can possess us, take over our bodies, and turn us into monsters. But, the truest monsters are the human ones. With this novel, Mr. King showed me both kinds of monsters.

Do you believe that there are no true secrets in a small town? You'd be right if you said yes. You'd be equally right if you said no. The townspeople of 'Salem's Lot know a lot more than they want to know about their neighbors, but they overlook it, ignore it, sweep the sins under the rug until the rug starts to bulge in the middle, and it won't hold those secrets back.

For example, 'Salem's Lot harbored an ex-mobster who had a penchant for devil worship. He lived in a scary house on the top of a hill, the Marsten House. It was a house that haunted Ben Mears after he went there as a nine year old on a dare. He went there, and saw something that was from his worst nightmares, but he believed even in his adulthood to be true. The evil that Hubie Marsten brought into existence never died. The house held it as a battery holds a charge. It was the perfect place for a vampire and his evil minion to set up shop in this little town.

I read the introduction to this story with interest. I love knowing how an author came to craft his or her 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 inexpert opinion, I think he did a great job. I feel that Mr. Stoker would probably nod in approval, even if he didn't get all the modern references. Mr. King wrote his idea of a vampire story, and it holds his individual stamp on it. Yet, the aspects that make Dracula such an excellent vampire novel, at least to this vampire aficionado, are clearly represented. Mr. Barlow could give Count Dracula a real run for his money as far as being a completely evil, despicable, and formidable being. His minion, Straker, could give Renfield some lessons in evil. And Matt, Ben, Jimmy, Susan, Father Callahan, and Mark could compare notes with Van Helsing, Harker, Mina, Holmwood, and Quincy. But, if Mr. Stoker would forgive me, I think that Mr. King ramped up the fear level significantly, because his world is not sentimental and endowed with as many basically 'good' people. His world is full of flawed humanity who have really nasty proclivities, although I still feared for their safety and didn't want them to succumb to the evil of the vampire that infected this town.

In this story, we learn about the heights and depths of the human condition. How a person can bounce back from despair, face his/her worst fears, and quite possibly wrap his mind around events that cannot be real to an empirical mind. We learn about what a person's limits are. Can you go into that house and do what needs to be done? Do you have the nerve? Or will you turn away and pretend it's not happening, as some members of this town do, for their own sanity? Can a thirteen- year-old boy show the bravery that a seventy-year-old man in the twilight of his life lacks? Can a non-believer trust in the symbols of a faith that held no relevance to him, in the face of an evil that defies scientific explanation? All these questions are explored in this story, with answers that might surprise you.

I deliberately read 'Salem's Lot during the day, because it is quite, quite scary. Even still, I thought about a pair of red eyes haunting me in the night. Feared for the scratching of a lost loved one against my window pane as I tried to sleep at night. Some part of me hoped that I had not inadvertently invited the wrong person into my home. If that is what makes a successful vampire novel, I'd say Stephen King has succeeded in a big way.

There are thousands of reviews of this book. My review is for the AUDIO CD version, which I thought was pretty darned well done.

This was read by actor Ron McClarty



yet another one of those guys I've undoubtedly seen in dozens of things but can't quite place. He did a great job with character voices, imbuing some with heavy Maine accents, and even using a womanly warble to choke out hokey lines like, "Make love to me, Ben." (Somewhere I imagine there must be an "outtake disc" where he burst out laughing the first ninety-four times he tried saying that.)

I really enjoyed listening to this on the way to and from work, even though I got pretty creeped-out when I had to drive home after dark. I highly recommend hearing this one. I'm looking forward to more Stephen King on audio in the months to come.

And, okay - one thing about the book . . .

When they discovered the blue chalk, and every character immediately thinks school? Seriously? Seriously? NOBODY but me thought POOL HALL?

The town of Jerusalem’s Lot is haunted by the shadow of the Marsten House, a bleak and crumbling building on a high hill that was once the den of vile criminals, witchcraft and other sinister paranormal phenomena. Author Ben Mears returns to the place he once called home to confront the traumatic memories that the dreaded Marsten House left imprinted in his memories since he was a mere boy, only to discover that a new force of unimaginable evil may be lurking in the darkness of Jerusalem’s Lot.

The modern day Dracula. An unlikely crew of small town folks band together to fight a supernatural force of absolute bloodsucking evil. Salem’s Lot reinvented the familiar trappings of B-movie vampire horror by incorporating his signature touch of twisted psychology, brutal heartfelt emotions and disturbingly realistic characters that feel like people you’ve known your whole life.

In a book full of vampires, black magic, haunted houses and bloody horror, it’s no surprise that King manages to make the everyday lives of the townsfolk of Jerusalem’s Lot the scariest part of the story. Domestic abuse, child neglect, messed up family dynamics, perverted stalkers, heartless backstabbers and animal killers are just a few things these small town folk are guilty of on a daily basis.

I love this take on the old vampire myth, showing that humans in a state of absolute panic and superstitious fear are often more terrifying and dangerous than ancient, powerful monsters. Your best friend can become your worst enemy at the drop of a hat.

I loved the long list of references of classic stories and authors that King mentions in this particular book. As someone that grew up reading a lot of weird fiction and gothic fiction, I enjoyed seeing Lovecraft, Poe, Hawthorne, Stoker and quite a few other of my old favorites continuously pop up.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Horror

Salem’s Lot name comes from Jerusalem’s Lot and it is a small town in New England where many strange things happen that do not make any sense. Now an author, Ben Mears returns to his childhood town to write a new story about the town and the horrific incident he faced when he was a child. When he decides to rent and stay in Masten House, the place where that incident happened to him, he is informed that the scary house has been bought by a strange man called Kurt Barlow to turn it into an antique store. Things start to change and intensify in the lot with the disappearance of a young boy. And then horror strikes in a big way!

The story is narrated from multiple POVs but mainly it covers Ben and Susan’s perspectives and then the lot in general. Thankfully the narration is in third-party style so there will be no confusion or any kind of mix-up between the characters. This is a slow-burn horror and as Stephen King stated, it is a kind of a modern version of Dracula (I still have not read that one). However, I am not sure besides the vampires what is similar between the two books.

While reading this book, I made sure to create the right atmosphere for it. I read it at night in my bed in total darkness with a single bedside table lamp. You have no idea how many times I got scared and gasped whenever I heard the random little noises. I was so immersed in the story that I felt myself to be a part of the residents of the lot. Of course, the amazing writing and atmosphere building by the author helped it a lot.

Like most of King’s novels, the characters are well developed and have strong personalities. The author gets in so many tiny details to make you feel as if you already know these characters. And that includes the secondary characters as well, not just the main ones. I liked everything about this novel! This was written at a time when vampires were scary creatures unlike today when they are oversexualized and are more like love interests!

The edition of the book I own also includes two short stories, One for the Road and Jerusalem’s Lot. The first is many years after the events of Salem’s Lot and the second is like a prequel set in 1850. I enjoyed both. They are creepy and highly atmospheric too. I still don’t know what is the connection between this book and The Dark Tower series. I think one of the characters in this book might appear in one of The Dark Tower’s books. I guess I will find out when the time comes for the next tower book.

Note: Salem’s Lot is a part of my reading of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. This is Book No.8 of 24 books I am going to read for this series.

I just finished my second read-through of 'Salem's Lot. I swear it was better than the first time. Considering this was one of Stephen King's earliest novels, it tells a lot about great things to come from this prolific author. We get introduced to well developed characters. We see his writing from a child's perspective, one of the things that draw me to his writing. We get a sense of his gift for world building. 'Salem's Lot is not only the setting, it's essentially another character in the book. We'll see more of this in his later writing with Castle Rock starring in Needful Things and several other books and short stories.

The interconnectivity of Stephen King's books and stories is another aspect I love about his writing. Reading 'Salem's Lot makes me long to crack open the Dark Tower series again. As young Jake tells Roland, "there are other worlds than these." And they all intertwine throughout Stephen King's writing.

I'm so glad I gave this book a second read. We're reading through King's novels chronologically in the HORROR or HEAVEN Group. Next up is Rage. I'm leaving 5 stars for my re-read of Salem's Lot because it reminded me of everything I love about Stephen King's writing.

Spooky Suspense!

Small backstory:

Ben Mears is headed back to Jerusalem's Lot (a/k/a Salem's Lot) to fight some old ghosts that he experienced there when he was a kid. Ben is a horror author now and he wants some inspiration for his book from the town where he grew up. But nothing seems to have changed much especially the old house that overlooks the town - Marsten House.

When Ben learns that the old house has been bought by someone that the town barely knows his suspicious meter goes up as why would someone from out of town want the old ramshackle house and when Ben investigates a little more he learns there is quite a bit of mystery surrounding the new owners and it is worrisome of what they could be up to with owning the Marsten House. Though what is even more worrisome is when he finds out that they are more than what they appear to be and what kind of plans they have for the people in the town!

Thoughts:

I read this book way back in the late 80's and my memory of the story was kind of fuzzy so I decided to do a reread of it to get the story more clear in my head. I remember that it was spooky when I first read it back then and wanted to see if I still thought it was spooky this time around too which I found it to be more suspenseful and had tons of spookiness that gave me shivers along my skin!

The Master of Horror delivers a vampire masterpiece story that digs deep down into your psyche and doesn't want to let you go. I loved all the characters in this story and there are way more than a few to keep track of but the main ones of the story give a grand performance that kept me turning my kindle pages at turbo speed to find out what was going to happen next!

This book is definitely staying on my favorites shelf and probably should be read around the Halloween season for extra vampire flavor! Giving this book five "Vampire Scary" stars!

“At three in the morning the blood runs slow and thick, and slumber is heavy. The soul either sleeps in blessed ignorance of such an hour or gazes about itself in utter despair. There is no middle ground.”

Once again, I am left speechless by King. I am without speech. I think that when a period of times passes by wherein you haven’t read much classic King, you kinda forget what he is capable of. Rereading The Shining and ‘Salem’s Lot these past two months has really reinforced for me why King is the goddamn Master.

No one writes a small town like King. The way he carefully crafts and builds a town and all its residents is incredible, and ‘Salem’s Lot is one of his best. To learn about and to become part of this small town, only to watch it disintegrate and fall victim to a dominant evil force, is one of the most addictive reading experiences! It’s a slow burner, but it really needs to be in order for King to gradually increase the dread and terror.

October is the optimal time to read ‘Salem’s Lot, as it means you’ll pretty much be reading it in real time. The descriptions of autumn are some of my favourite pieces of King’s writing. He just nails it. He honestly just nails this entire book in my opinion.

Prior to my reread I often thought of Ben and Susan in a negative light, like “oh Salem’s Lot is awesome, shame about some of the characters..” but this time around, I appreciate them more. Susan may be quite one-dimensional but I really admired the way she stood up to her mother at times. As for Ben, he isn’t the most exciting either, but he doesn’t shy away when the horrors unfold, he’s pretty badass.

And Mark Petrie!! Still one of my favourite King child characters. He goes through so much, some of his sections really bring me the feels. And shout-out to Father Callahan, as well! And Jimmy... and Matt... the whole crew basically!

I also had forgotten how chilling this book could be. Matt hearing someone upstairs... the childish giggle... the visitor at the window... the knives... I loved how spooked I felt at times!

Truly a favourite King of mine. 5 stars.

I am so nostalgically looking back to a better time when certain fantasy creatures were still true monsters and not twinkling, soft, freaking feeling emo snobs.

Somehow the Lovecraftian, subtle, rising horror aspect King was so strong at the beginning of his career diminished over the years and there was not much of it left in the newer books I´ve read. Characterization, descriptions, action scenes, suspense, everything great as usual in the new works, but this special meta cosmic existential horror vibe and feeling of the first few and the drug fueled King years went missing afterward. Especially his first short story collections show this, they are epic, gothic horror masterpieces, while his new ones are much more dealing with human related meta topics dipped in some mystery and horror ghost magic. I love all, fanboy for life, jay, but somehow this old school style was more unique, especially because it sadly isn´t manufactured anymore nowadays, shame on you, damn mainstream ruining everything.

Some soft spoilers ahead, but nothing too specific worth mentioning, just meta.

So enjoy it even more if it´s the first time, look at all the red herrings, McGuffins, and Chekhovs King is throwing around to mix them with symbolism and innuendos, enjoy how the pathetic, weak humans stagger towards perdition, laugh whenever evil scores the next bloody goal, and be a happy witness of the moment when the legend of the greatest horror writer of all times starts unfolding by using the ancient trope of rabies symptoms made folk tales.

Google that, by the way, it´s so cool, the time until someone infected with rabies dies, how they behave to smell and light, what happens to their brains and libido, nature is amazing. It must have been so much fun to be locked up during long, cold, mountain winters with no change to escape, knowing that a few of the citizens and families may turn into real, freaking vampires. „Mommy is eating daddy, I fear she'll come for us when she is hungry again.“ Thanks to stupid rabies vaccination and general scientific, social, and medical progress, these amazing massive real life zombie vampire role playing games are now sadly just a reminiscence of the past, but at least literature can let one undergo it again.

Did I read Dracula? I am not sure, but the pop culture reference potential of both the original and this darker retelling is immense and how King let it escalate seems to be much more entertaining than what I know about the original. Sorry, classic literature, King just owns you. This idea of whatever evil coming to town, or always being in town and waking up again, becoming more and more extreme in its manifestations is one of the core elements of both King´s work and humankind itself. Could also be seen as an allegory about a snowball effect, tiny origin, huge massacre style. Or, how appropriate and contemporary, a virus.

It´s kind of making me twinkle in anger when I think about how true, hard topics have been mainstream flanderized
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
until nothing of the cool, original content was left to fit to appeal to the teeny target audience. Shame on you, americanization and disneyfication, you murdered evil, torturing monsters to turn them into sensible, romantic love interests that freaking understand woman, what´s wrong with you? That´s so sick and disgusting, I will possible once unsubscribe my Disney+ account in a beer ridden anger act of defiance. Just joking, they have Marvel and Star Wars too. Wait, my long time memory is just telling me in one of its rare appearances that I don´t watch TV anymore. Damn.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...