In a classic tale of horror by Stephen King, a man returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, only to find it infested with vampires. Reprint.
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Stephen King's second book, 'Salem's Lot (1975)--about the slow takeover of an insular hamlet called Jerusalem's Lot by a vampire patterned after Bram Stoker's Dracula--has two elements that he also uses to good effect in later novels: a small American town, usually in Maine, where people are disconnected from each other, quietly nursing their potential for evil; and a mixed bag of rational, goodhearted people, including a writer, who band together to fight that evil.
Simply taken as a contemporary vampire novel, 'Salem's Lot is great fun to read, and has been very influential in the horror genre. But it's also a sly piece of social commentary. As King said in 1983, "In 'Salem's Lot, the thing that really scared me was not vampires, but the town in the daytime, the town that was empty, knowing that there were things in closets, that there were people tucked under beds, under the concrete pilings of all those trailers. And all the time I was writing that, the Watergate hearings were pouring out of the TV.... Howard Baker kept asking, 'What I want to know is, what did you know and when did you know it?' That line haunts me, it stays in my mind.... During that time I was thinking about secrets, things that have been hidden and were being dragged out into the light." Sounds quite a bit like the idea behind his 1998 novel of a Maine hamlet haunted by unsightly secrets, Bag of Bones. --Fiona Webster --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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"Grand Rapids Press" Spine-tingling fiction at its best.
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Most helpful customer reviews
By Chronic
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Trying to review this book puts myself into doubt. I do not think it is a bad book by any account, but it has a lot of flaws. However, it has a lot of strengths too.
Its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: there's just too many characters. King focuses on many characters in the small town of 'Salem's Lot, but that means that some of the characters only get one or two chapters devoted to them. The characters that do get the spotlight are just less interesting than the rest (well, save for a few) and I feel the book is at its best when it focuses on the more "scummy" characters of the book.
There is a heavy similarity to "Dracula" in more one ways than one: namely, how closely the main characters parallel ones from Stoker's masterpiece, and how the vampires spread their infection and their weaknesses.
Overall, it is worth a read, but remember it is King when he was still learning how to write effectively, so it is rife with errors. But, it still makes its mark as a good piece of horror fiction (many scary parts, and ones that made me shudder just a bit) and as a vampire novel.
Its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: there's just too many characters. King focuses on many characters in the small town of 'Salem's Lot, but that means that some of the characters only get one or two chapters devoted to them. The characters that do get the spotlight are just less interesting than the rest (well, save for a few) and I feel the book is at its best when it focuses on the more "scummy" characters of the book.
There is a heavy similarity to "Dracula" in more one ways than one: namely, how closely the main characters parallel ones from Stoker's masterpiece, and how the vampires spread their infection and their weaknesses.
Overall, it is worth a read, but remember it is King when he was still learning how to write effectively, so it is rife with errors. But, it still makes its mark as a good piece of horror fiction (many scary parts, and ones that made me shudder just a bit) and as a vampire novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The trend in modern vampire literature is to make vampires somehow romantic or sexy (thank you Anne Rice), but it should be remembered that vampires did not always have such a refined image. Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is the story of a sickening monster, and the classic German film "Nosferatu" certainly does little for the vampiric image.
Stephen King's stab at the vampire story hearkens back to these classics. His vampires generate disgust in those who see them; they look ill, and they smell bad. This is definitely not a book for those who think vampires are sexy.
That said, "'Salem's Lot" is a justifiable classic in the field of vampire literature. King is not apologetic or even romantic regarding the vampires, but rather treats them in the classic Stoker tradition, as foul monsters. However it is not his treatment of the vampires themselves that makes this a good book.
What makes King's book stand out is his talent for portraying ordinary people in extraordinary situations. The town of Jerusalem's Lot is full of the petty little conflicts and foibles that most small towns have, and King explores tham very well. The vampires find all of these weaknesses and exploit them to tear the town apart. The inevitable conclusion of the book is disturbing, not because of what it says about vampires, but because of what it says about how easily people are corrupted.
Also of note: this book marks the original appearance of Father Callahan, who has taken on a prominent role in the recent volumes of King's Dark Tower series.
This book has been adapted to the small screen twice (one of them very recently), but both attempts pretty much missed the mark. Though both adaptations have their good points, the book has more depth and more meaning than either TV-movie version managed to capture.
This is a great vampire novel (though not for the vampire apologist), and one of King's best books.
By IDGS
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Easily a 5/5 star book, but I think if I'd be rating this against other King novels (King is my favourite author, hands down) the rating would be far lower - probably around a three.
I'm an extremely fast reader, and recently devoured this novel while I was on vacation. Had I not known it was King's second novel (that actually meant something, that is) I probably would've been harsher on it.
You can definitely tell that King has grown as a writer from this point, but it is still a really engaging, thrilling novel. It develops at a far slower pace than most of King's novels, taking a hell of a lot of time to develop the setting, storyline, etc. It's funny, to see King go against some of the things he did in Salem's Lot in On Writing.
However, I mean none of this to bash Mr. King's work - this is still a modern classic, and should be respected as such. The characters are complex and original, the storyline (for the time period) is 100% remarkable, and it leaves you breathless when it's all said and done.
No matter what criticisms I may have had, this is a must-read novel for anyone either well-versed in King, or a new Kingphile alike.
I'm an extremely fast reader, and recently devoured this novel while I was on vacation. Had I not known it was King's second novel (that actually meant something, that is) I probably would've been harsher on it.
You can definitely tell that King has grown as a writer from this point, but it is still a really engaging, thrilling novel. It develops at a far slower pace than most of King's novels, taking a hell of a lot of time to develop the setting, storyline, etc. It's funny, to see King go against some of the things he did in Salem's Lot in On Writing.
However, I mean none of this to bash Mr. King's work - this is still a modern classic, and should be respected as such. The characters are complex and original, the storyline (for the time period) is 100% remarkable, and it leaves you breathless when it's all said and done.
No matter what criticisms I may have had, this is a must-read novel for anyone either well-versed in King, or a new Kingphile alike.
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vampire Attacks Small Town
I was 11 years old the first time I read this and didn't remember anything about it except that it scared the living daylights out of me. Read more
Published on Nov 25 2007 by Nicola Manning
5.0 out of 5 stars
Salem's Lot is a Classic Vampire Novel
I am a fan of Stephen King and am recently rereading a lot of his books. After reading Salem's Lot again I am quickly reminded of why it's one of my favorite King books. Read more
Published on Mar 19 2007 by Babyblue Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic King, ultra scary
Any vampire aficionado must read Salem's Lot. This '75 novel by Stephen King will have you checking under the bed and in closets for all manner of evil... Read more
Published on Jan 24 2006 by Maureen
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest novel of all time!!
Salem's Lot is not only the best novel Stephen King has written but, it is simply the best novel ever written period. Everything works perfectly in this book. Read more
Published on July 19 2004 by matt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a true horror novel!,
I think this has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It has great characters, great Villains and is truly Suspenseful. Read more
Published on Jun 30 2004 by B. Smetzer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stands the test of time, a chilling masterpiece
This is one of those classic books that I still pull down and dust off every few years. It's completely entertaining and a fantastic read. Read more
Published on Jun 29 2004 by "thirdi"
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's a miSTAKE not to read this one
Yeah yeah ha ha... Seriously, I saw the TNT production of Salem's Lot and it got me interested in the book so I devoured it in a weekend. It's a good book but not Kings best. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2004 by Bartender Sam
5.0 out of 5 stars
King's definitive horror novel!
Are you one of those few people who has yet to read this novel? Well, that's okay. I'm sure it was on your list for a long time, and just got pushed aside for other, newer books. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2004 by DanD
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best!
I have read a lot of vampire novels and seen a lot of vampire movies. Only this novel I found truly frightening. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2004 by Carlos
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Stephen Kings best, need I say more.
i love this story because it is classic king and just a well developed story with real chacters that you can feel for and tell to turn around when they go down a dark hallway. Read more
Published on Jun 23 2004 by jason cooley
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