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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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 hadn’t read King’s vampire masterpiece since it came out in the 1970s and I was but a teen. Despite having pickier literary judgment these days, the book still held me in its thrall. It managed to pay homage to traditional vampire lore and legend while breathing new life into the genre. I’m glad I re-read it and may have to do the same with some of King’s other work from those earlier days, to see if they still manage to captivate and horrify me all these years later.
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.
One of the greats in the Fantastic world of Stephen King
I admit a bias: I love the way Stephen King writes. What I didn’t know when I ordered this book was it was about vampires. I’m not a fan of vampire stories. Nevertheless, this novel kept my interest because I never could predict what would happen next. I wouldn’t call them plot twists. It’s just that I was surprised when certain pivotal characters died or became possessed, or whatever you call becoming a vampire.
1st time reading anything by Mr. King. As I expected, the writing and structure were as good as his MEMOIR and the other half of that book which was instructional. Any book written to scare or frighten is not to my liking. As good as Mr. King is, that includes the bulk if his output.
This was a re-read for me so I was not on the edge of my seat like the first time, but it had been about 30 years and I still enjoyed it immensely.
For those who like King? It works.
I love Stephen King books but this one was just way longer than it needed to be. Glad I read it but I was really not crazy about it b