'Salem's Lot
Published: 17, October 1975
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Classics, Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Psychological, Suspense, Thriller, Vampire
Check the summary of this book here:
'Salem's Lot Summary
The Review
Stephen King's horror masterpiece 'Salem's Lot was published in 1975. This novel was his second to be published. The plot revolves around a writer called Ben Mears, who returns to the village of Jerusalem's Lot, or 'Salem's Lot for short, in Maine, where he grew up from the age of five to nine, only to discover that the people are turning into vampires. The village is revisited in Stephen King's story collection Night Shift (1978) in the short stories "Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road." In 1976, the novel was nominated for the World Fantasy Award, and in 1987, it was nominated for the Locus Award for the All-Time Best Fantasy Novel.
I'm practically rearranging his words here, but the next few sentences will give you a sense of what the author meant. Stephen King had planned a sequel, but he stated on his website that he no longer saw the need for one because the Dark Tower series had already completed the story of ‘Salem’s Lot in Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah.
This novel has played a significant role in my nightmares, and the 1979 film adaptation has also played a significant role in my twisted fantasies. I was never afraid since, in my dreams, I am always a strong and fearless youngster who may be attributed to Stephen King's final showdowns, in which the children defy all obstacles and triumph over evil.
Now that I am an adult, I am still as courageous and skillful at defeating evil in my dreams and in real life as I was when I was a child, but the frequency of those lovely nightmares has decreased since I have yet to come across anything frightening enough to make me terrified or have nightmares.
'Salem's Lot is a horror classic as well as one of the author's finest novels of all time! You'll be intrigued right away by the way he develops Jerusalem's Lot piece by piece, with all of its intriguing people.
I couldn't put this book down and read it slowly since it's so engaging. I'm planning to watch the miniseries soon and will update this section as soon as I'm through because I haven't had the opportunity to do it yet.
A new series or remake is in the works, but you never know with these types of undertakings. Still, I hope that if they make it, they do it precisely as the book is written.
People have forgotten what a vampire novel should be about, with books and series like "The Vampire Diaries," "True Blood," and the Twilight Saga dominating modern culture.
And these aren't books for angst-ridden teens or elderly cat ladies. "'Salem's Lot" is one of such books.
Thankfully, authentic vampire books that actually terrify people are there; you just have to hunt for them.
It's Stephen King's version of the vampire narrative. The characters aren't empty shells, either. They're all rather detailed.
And the remarkable thing about the author's writing talent is that he can have a large cast of characters and make them all deep and sympathetic, and he can even make the villains believable rather than stereotypical images. This is only one of the many reasons why 'Salem's Lot is so smart and timely today.
This is a must-read for every fan of the supernatural type of literature, especially those who adore vampire novels. It's hard to think that the author created this terrifying novel when he was only 24 years old, at the start of his career.
On many levels and for many reasons, it is a work of pure genius. As the novel progresses and the plot unfolds, one of my favorite features of this book is the growing sense of doom and foreboding.
This is a story about pure evil penetrating, enveloping, and swiftly devouring the picturesque, imaginary New England town of Jerusalem's Lot.
At the beginning of his novel, the author constructed a complete community of incredibly convincing characters, which made the ensuing plot twists and turns all the more interesting and engaging for the reader.
Many of his characters were adorable, a few were repulsive, a few were insignificant, and a few were terrifying.
The character development was superb throughout, and I felt a feeling of familiarity with imaginary characters and locations I'd only read about in other books.
I thought the two new stories included in the enhanced edition of 'Salem's Lot were excellent additions to Stephen King's vampire legend.
I loved the deleted and added material in the revised version as well, although I believe the removed material was better that way and may have altered the book's original beauty.
I can't say enough good things about this book, and I hope the author will write more vampire stories.
Only one writer, in my opinion, can bring back the terrifying and original vampires like Dracula, and that writer is Stephen King.
Final Thoughts
This is a vampire story without a joyful ending or pleasant vampires. These are the elderly vampires that just care about killing and reproducing.
The characters are well-developed and believable for the period and location in which they are set.
It is very much a product of the era in which it was written, yet it still holds up well today. So don't expect to see a gorgeous, vegetarian vampire like Edward from Stephenie Meyer’s The Twilight Saga.
The concept of little New England townships filled by distant, intolerant citizens has been a recurring motif in the author's subsequent horror stories.
These secluded hamlets have offered ideal soil for the threads of chaos, conflict, and evil to grow time and time again until the author eventually puts pen to paper.
Stephen King's true brilliance, in my opinion, is not so much in the specifics of the narrative he tells us about as in the details of the story that readers are allowed to guess.
To put it another way, he pushes us to use our imaginations to fill in the blanks in the patchwork of the narrative he tells us.
This brings the reader closer to the tale and, in turn, perhaps boosts the strength of his storytelling.
As a result, in my opinion, the more engaged your mind is, the more a book will fascinate and terrify you. Fortunately for me, I have a vivid imagination; As a result, I like this type of writing far more than a casual reader.
Synopsis
“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 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.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Ben Mears, Dark Tower, Deleted Scenes, Father Callahan, Jerusalems Lot, King At His Best, Mark Petrie, Marsten House, New England, Small Town, Stokers Dracula
Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
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Salem’s Lot (1979) (G)
Salem’s Lot: The Miniseries (2004) (NR)
The Dark Tower 8 Book Boxed Set (Paperback)
The Dark Tower (2017) (PG-13)
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