Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’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, Mears begins to realize that something sinister is at work—in fact, his hometown … 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 New England town.
With this, his second novel, Stephen King established himself as an indisputable master of American horror, able to transform the old conceits of the genre into something fresh and all the more frightening for taking place in a familiar, idyllic locale.
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I read this book when it first came out in 1975. I was fourteen years old and I’ll never forget how one sentence in particular gave me goosebumps. That’s when I learned the power of words!!! A classic!!
I hadn’t read Salem’s Lot for quite a while and was happy to go back to it and find some updates. Not only is it one of the best vampire books I’ve ever read, King now includes his short story about the origins of Salem’s Lot. Another additional story revolves around a family who stumbles across the cursed place in a blizzard. Highly recommend!
Terrifying and wonderful.
This was my first Stephen King novel and it got me hooked for life. The town and characters are so familiar that you are lulled into a false comfort zone that will quickly be shattered forever. Don’t believe in vampires? This novel will change your mind and have you dreading sunset…especially if you live in a small town. Pick it up and scream into the night with the rest of us Constant Readers of Stephen King.
I read this long ago, so my memory may be colored by the mists of time, but I thought this was the scariest book I have ever read. I remember being so frightened that I had to stop reading and put my head under the covers. One of Mr. King’s earliest books, and for me the scariest, and I consider that high praise.
A Halloween season read. Even though I’ve been reading and re-reading ‘Salem’s Lot for a good thirty years, it never gets old. Think Peyton Place with vampires. And not sparkly, sexy vampires, either. These are scary vampires, ones you don’t want to join in undeath.
Vampires are my personal boogieman.
I remember seeing “Salem’s Lot” the movie, with David Soul as Ben Mears, when I was fifteen years old, and I truly believed in the existence of vampires for at least a week after watching that movie. (…and maybe, I never stopped believing…)
Sometime in my early twenties, I picked up a copy of Salem’s Lot and read it for the first time. So it’s been a while, close to thirty years between reads.
Some people may say that this book begins as a slow burn, but I didn’t find it that way. From the moment that a clearly haunted Ben Mears comes to the Lot and tells of his childhood encounter with a ghost, it was on for me.
Stephen King’s vampires are truly horrific, easily characterised as demonically possessed, blood drinking ghosts with the power to mesmerise their victims – never, ever, look into their eyes.
Like some other stories by Stephen King that I have read, hell is other people, and the people of Salem’s Lot provide a full panorama view of themselves falling prey to their own natures as much as they fall prey to the curse of vampires sweeping their town.
On a technical note, I was completely surprised by the authors use of a deus ex machina about half way through the novel. One of his main characters is in a right pickle, and Stephen King provides him with a genius level ability to solve the problem, without any foreshadowing that I could see. It blew me right out of immersion in the narrative.
If the overall narrative was not so damn good, this would drop the rating by a star, however, I can’t bring myself to not give this book, which has impacted me on multiple levels anything less than five stars.
A recommended read for anyone who would enjoy a genuinely scary, spooky, creep you out and possibly give you nightmares story.
An oldie, but a goody. I’ve always loved this book because it’s such a great example of the good old-fashioned, traditional vampire. Not one good looking, brooding, mysterious, tragic, I-just-need-a-good-woman/man-who-understands-me blood sucker in sight. It’s good versus evil quite literally, no gray areas. No one escapes unscathed, plenty don’t escape at all, and quite frankly, it’s Stephen King doing what he does best – scaring the crap out of you.
After Bram Stoker’s Dracula, my favorite vampire novel.
I’ve been on a horror story kick for the last few weeks now. It’s been one creepy story after another, and no one is better at weaving such stories than the King of Horror Stephen King himself.
Salem’s Lot creeped me out so much that I had a couple of nights when it messed up my sleep. But it was so worth it! It is a well-written, horrifying, make-you-pee-your-pants story. If you enjoy horror stories–well, if you do, you’ve probably already read this book. But if you’re like me and haven’t had the pleasure for whatever reason, I highly recommend it. Happy reading!
This is by far one of my favorite Steven King books. I read it as a teenage in the 90’s and just re-read it for the 2nd time last summer. It was the same the 2nd time around as it was the 1st time, captivating.
My favorite Stephen King book of all time!
This book is about a vampire who comes to a small town in Maine.
Great epic vampire horror read with a Lovecraftian vibe to it. It took a while to pick up and the ending was a little anticlimactic, but overall I really enjoyed this listen on Audible. Highly recommended for the season!
One of Stephen King’s best! I had to put this one down late at night, and I read horror every chance I get!
My favorite scary story of all time. Stephen King IS the king.
Loved it, scared crazy.
Love everything Stephen King writes!
Love vampire books by Stephen King. This is one of his earlier books, one that many other writers have based their ideas on. It’s downright creepy & if you’re easily scared, don’t read it at bedtime!!
One of King’s best books.