Stephen King: Salem's Lot

READ THIS NOVEL

I have never found another vampire novel that is better then this one. Not even Anne Rice's novels (and yes, I will be revisiting her at a later date) have kept me enraptured as this single story has. Salem's Lot is timeless because at the heart it is a novel, not just about how a vampire infiltrates a town, but about the people and their struggle against an external and internal evil.
And note, these vampires are monsters. Which is exactly what a real vampire should be.

The novel begins after the events depicted throughout the story have taken place, retelling the events that lead to the fall of the the town by the two survivors Ben Mears and Mark Petrie. The entire first half of the novel relates the simple (and not so simple) lives of the Salem's Lot residents, revealing their sins and quirks, and the history of the 'Lot. Small town evil is often the most devious and the 'Lot has a dark past. Some readers may find the pacing a bit too slow, but it is the buildup that makes the horror more unexpected. A house where unspeakable things happened is purchased. A dog is slaughtered. A child goes missing.
These events begin the slow destruction of Salem's Lot.

The second half of the novel moves quickly and people who we have come to love succumb, die, or break beneath the pressure. It is hard to say whether the ones who know and recognize what is happening are heros or are simply survivors. Their actions lean towards the former, even as desperation takes over and they realize that they are fighting a losing battle. For even when the master vampire is destroyed, the nightmare never truly ends.

The reader is more than simply introduced to the town's inhabitants and can easily identify with these characters. Stephen King has always created strong characters and it hurts when bad things happen to these characters. Although the vampire Barlow is the antagonist, it is actually the Marsten House that takes centre stage as the true enemy in the story as it haunts, torments, and destroys all who come into contact with it. The details King gives for the town, its inhabitants, and even the surroundings make the reader feel like this could happen to them, to THEIR town.

                (I should be safe on copyright: I own and photographed this well-read book!)




Salem's Lot has also spawned several movie adaptions:

(1979 version, directed by Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIbJ2rQ59ZE

(2004 version, which was dark and fantastic! Rob Lowe!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MEC-TYORoo