'SALEM'S LOT BY STEPHEN KING

I read this one in anticipation of Halloween and am finally writing and reviewing it. This book, although long, is VERY good. I enjoyed reading. Stephen King has always been a favorite author of mine so I'm glad I was able to go back to his older reads. 

Rating: ★★★★
​Release Date: October 1975
Genre: Horror (vampires)
Series: None. Standalone. 
Pages: 672 pages
Format: Paperback. Purchased. ​

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.

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Read my Book Review

Release Date: October 1975
Genre: Horror. Paranormal. Vampires
Actual Rating: 4 stars

For a book that is over 40 years old and still sitting with a solid 4 stars on major retailers, you know that it's a good book. 'Salem's lot is a classic. It's scary, interesting, and the type of book that will stay with you long after you read it. Just ask the folks that have read it many many years ago and they will say the same thing! Anyway, I agree with the majority of people- this is a good one. It's over 600 pages but you can easily devour it in about 2 days. The writing just flows and the plot keeps you interested from page one all the way though to the end.

With that, this book is not without flaws even if they are few and far in between. For one thing, the book could have been condensed to about 400 pages without loosing any important stuff. In fact, I can say this about a ton of King's books- some of which teeter on 800+ pages. It's too damn long. This is one of the reasons why I don't sit down and read more of his books even though I want to. Secondly, there are a lot of characters to get to know within this book and this doesn't even include those who eventually become vampires. For me, being introduced to that many people is overwhelming especially when they are talked about here and there- I simply cannot remember them! Finally, the characters are a bit wishy-washy. This may be because the book was written so long ago and people have changed since then. So really, I don't hold it against him. Other than this, it's a solid and spooky read that has been giving people nightmares for decades! 

If you are a fan of the authors work- read this one. If you have already, I would love to know your thoughts! Some people say it's one of the scariest books around and I can understand why they feel this way. I however, don't find it to be the scariest, but it's still pretty spooky!

★★★★