'Salem's Lot

3.99/5.00

Published: 1975

Genre: Horror

Goodreads

Artwork by Peter Stan

Another vampire story, though thankfully not a romanticization, and no one fucking sparkles. Yes, there are a plethora of vampire stories. It bears reminding ‘Salem’s Lot preceded the brunt of the storm. Granted, your personal reading chronology usually matters more than publication chronology in terms of enjoyment. It more closely follows the vampire folklore than modern, occasionally creative twists.

Writer Ben Mears returns to his hometown and watches it descend into hell. In typical fashion, he teams up with a few other people to fight this evil. It’s a small town in Maine (of course it’s Maine) with small town people.

Anyone familiar with the Dark Tower series will recognize Father Callahan. As someone who read the series before this book, I appreciated seeing his backstory.

What I constantly enjoy about King’s novels are his characters. They are real people, and often, reality is ugly. Flawed, twisted, sometimes stupid, despicable, not always brave and heroic. They aren’t dolled up for showtime. They are frustrating, selfish, and hateful at times.

This isn’t some preachy story that will try hammering a moral lesson through your skull. No little, needless side stories distract from the plot. Though not the most impressive of King’s novels, it was still enjoyable.

Artwork by Luke Schroder

I wouldn’t recommend it for your first King book, but for those who are already fans or just like a good vampire story, ‘Salem’s Lot should not disappoint.

Stephen King needs no mini-bio. He’s one of my favorite authors, and although this isn’t my favorite of his works, I would still recommend it. And yes, I am looking forward to the IT and Dark Tower film adaptations.