Scan barcode
bittie_bee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Rape
Minor: Domestic abuse and Homophobia
ebb_and_flow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
celina246's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
he does small town horror so well. I had to skim/skip some of the extra material after the story ended personally; One For the Road was good but it should have ended there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Bullying
carewsee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
shannonredwine8's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
daisy_eliza's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Deeply chilling and masterfully carved horror rendering anyone to child-like fear. The use of metaphors and similes are entrancing and fully embraces you into the world. The character of Mark, a mere boy was especially interesting, seeing him overcome adversity and being an active character in stopping evil, contrasted against the conceivable who ran at the danger and had a selfish lac of care for the town he had a duty to protect. The most notable and gut-wrenching part I thought was when Matt Burke had invited a man home who had clearly been being drained of blood, and Matt's account and paralysing fear of hearing the window being unlocked in the next room- positively terrifying!! My only slight gripe was it appeared that in the final showdown Barlow died rather easily, yet then again the build-up made that not as noticeable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
While I have seen quite a few Stephen King film adaptations, this is the first time I’ve actually read his work. I was pleasantly surprised- I’ve often heard controversial things about King’s writing but generally enjoyed reading this one.
I was definitely spooked reading Salem’s Lot, there is a lot of suspense and action that I had to keep myself from reading ahead to see what became of it. King’s writing is very atmospheric, I was truly spooked by some of his descriptions! I did find the plot a little touch and go, the ending confused me as it included dates (October 1972-June 1975) but I was not sure what it had to do with the book. This may also just be an ebook error, though. I couldn’t tell.
The end did leave me wanting more, I wanted to know what became of Ben and Mark but I was also satisfied with leaving them determined to end the terror of the Lot. On creativity, I also am always going to be in Shirley Jackson’s corner. Yes, the book openly quotes and references Hill House, but it also felt as if it didn’t offer much more to the discussion and sometimes reduced it to plain text. Essentially, there were times I was a bit annoyed that it felt like a rip-off.
Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it as a fun read! I did not think it necessarily became a hallmark of vampire literature, but it was definitely scary, suspenseful, and really fun at some points. The characters are interesting and lovable, I was rooting for many of them (even the vampire kids against the bus driver!) and generally enjoyed the dialogue.
I would recommend this book to any vampire lover or new horror fan, Stephen King is of course a household name and has created so many iconic characters. It’s also always fun to read a story about evil vampires, as much as I loved Twilight as a kid!
While I have seen quite a few Stephen King film adaptations, this is the first time I’ve actually read his work. I was pleasantly surprised- I’ve often heard controversial things about King’s writing but generally enjoyed reading this one.
I was definitely spooked reading Salem’s Lot, there is a lot of suspense and action that I had to keep myself from reading ahead to see what became of it. King’s writing is very atmospheric, I was truly spooked by some of his descriptions! I did find the plot a little touch and go, the ending confused me as it included dates (October 1972-June 1975) but I was not sure what it had to do with the book. This may also just be an ebook error, though. I couldn’t tell.
The end did leave me wanting more, I wanted to know what became of Ben and Mark but I was also satisfied with leaving them determined to end the terror of the Lot. On creativity, I also am always going to be in Shirley Jackson’s corner. Yes, the book openly quotes and references Hill House, but it also felt as if it didn’t offer much more to the discussion and sometimes reduced it to plain text. Essentially, there were times I was a bit annoyed that it felt like a rip-off.
Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it as a fun read! I did not think it necessarily became a hallmark of vampire literature, but it was definitely scary, suspenseful, and really fun at some points. The characters are interesting and lovable, I was rooting for many of them (even the vampire kids against the bus driver!) and generally enjoyed the dialogue.
I would recommend this book to any vampire lover or new horror fan, Stephen King is of course a household name and has created so many iconic characters. It’s also always fun to read a story about evil vampires, as much as I loved Twilight as a kid!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
ggcd1981's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
‘Salem’s Lot é a visão de Stephen King de vampiros. Jerusalem´s Lot ou ‘Salem’s Lot é uma cidade fictícia do Maine, nos EUA. A história inicia com o escritor de sucesso Ben Mears se mudando temporariamente de volta para uma cidade do seu passado buscando inspiração em particular numa casa antiga de ‘Salem’s Lot, a Marsten House, que foi cenário de um crime e dizem ser assombrada. King no começo da obra apresenta muitos personagens para dar vida a essa cidade, muitos desses personagens não têm influência direta na história principal, mas foi interessante para realmente dar a sensação de uma cidade habitada por pessoas com suas próprias histórias. Em ‘Salem’s Lot Ben conhece e se envolve com Susan Norton enquanto simultaneamente ocorre uma sorrateira infiltração na cidade por vampiros transformados pelo poderoso e antigo Kurt Barlow. O vampiro utilizou seu escravo humano Richard Straker para agir em ‘Salem’s Lot. Ben e Susan começam a perceber a mudança sinistra na cidade e logo conhecem outros personagens que também desconfiam de algo e tentam lutar contra o que acontece. O livro é mais sombrio do que esperava, apesar de esse não ser o meu primeiro livro de King. Na obra ocorrem alguns cenários fortes e muitas mortes, por exemplo o cenário do abuso e negligência de um bebê por parte dos pais e a morte dos três. Muitos personagens de destaque também faleceram como Susan, o médico Jimmy Cody e Matt Burke, um professor que se tornou amigo de Ben e foi a mente pensante do grupo contra os vampiros. Esses elementos sombrios contribuíram para a minha opinião de que esse foi um dos melhores livros de King que li até o momento. Não sou particularmente fã de genocídio de personagens por autores, mas nessa obra acredito que as várias mortes contribuíram para a narrativa e deixou o clima urgente e sinistro. Um personagem que fez parte do grupo de Ben e não teve um fim claro foi o padre Callahan. Transformado em vampiro ele deixa a cidade em angustia sem direção clara. Será que irei ver esse personagem novamente na Dark Tower Series? O tempo dirá. O ponto mais fraco nessa obra para mim foram o previsível sexismo e misoginia de King. Ele não é terrivelmente sexista e misógino, mas ainda assim esses elementos figuram em suas histórias. Por exemplo quando homens e mulheres foram transformados em vampiros homens que desejavam uma mulher receberam essas mulheres como companheiras. Por acaso essas mulheres transformadas não desejavam elas mesmas outras pessoas diferentes desses homens? Porque essas mulheres transformadas foram o “prêmio” dos homens transformados? Por exemplo quando Susan se tornou vampira ela se juntou ao seu antigo namorado que ainda a queria, mas Susan não tinha mais sentimentos por ele antes da transformação. Sobre essa situação do ex-namorado de Susan ainda ter interesse nela, inicialmente me preocupou pois achei que seria uma storyline de Ben e Susan lutando contra um ex-namorado ciumento, mas felizmente a narrativa não foi nessa direção, apesar de não ter gostado de vampira Susan ter sido um “prêmio” para seu ex, o final da personagem não foi relacionado a ele. A conclusão da obra como um todo foi, na minha opinião, um dos finais fortes de King. Outro personagem que merece ser mencionado foi Mark Petrie, um menino precoce e inteligente ciente do que ocorria em ‘Salem’s Lot que após uma tentativa fracassada junto a Susan (que resultou na captura da mulher) ele se juntou ao grupo de caça vampiros e acabou por ter seus pais assassinados por Barlow. Ben e Mark ao fim deixaram a cidade que havia sido tomada por vampiros após Ben matar Susan e Barlow, esse último em um confronto final. Após um tempo Ben e Mark retornam a ‘Salem’s Lot para terminar o que começaram, matar os vampiros, e começam um incêndio para consumir a cidade enquanto os vampiros dormem. No geral esse foi um livro de terror forte de King (nem todos livros dele classificados como terror realmente pertencem ao gênero) com clima sombrio numa cidade menor e sensação de urgência e desespero. O autor não pegou leve e eu posso apreciar isso. Com o característico bom desenvolvimento de personagens do autor e um final sólido esse foi um dos melhores que li de King até o presente momento, dou 4.5 estrelas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence
Religious Themessaarrr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Wat heerlijk om na een maand van bijna alleen maar romcoms weer eens in een spannende horror te duiken. Al waren er in dit verhaal een stuk minder slachtoffers gevallen als iedereen nou eerst goed controleerde wie er voor hun deur stond, in plaats van maar gewoon: "joe joe, kom binnen hoor!" te roepen.
Dit is één van de eerste boeken die Stephen King heeft geschreven en het is zeker niet perfect, maar ook in dit oudere werk doet hij al waar hij in veel van zijn boeken zo goed in is: realistische horror schrijven, waarbij de enge dingen niet alleen de monsters onder het bed zijn (of in dit geval vampiers), maar ook de doodgewone personages die zo je buren kunnen zijn en een duistere kant hebben. Dit boek heeft een goede combinatie van de twee en ik ben er dol op.
Waar ik wel moeite mee had, was de enorme hoeveelheid personages. Het verhaal komt wat traag op gang en opeens is er een hoofdstuk waarin in een rap tempo zo'n 20 à 30 personages worden geïntroduceerd. Ik ben een ramp met namen, met als gevolg dat ik regelmatig moest terugbladeren om te controleren wie wie nou is.
Desondanks een spannend en leuk boek, die ik bij sommige hoofdstukken niet meer kon neerleggen. Het is niet mijn favoriet van hem, maar staat zeker hoog in mijn lijst. Bij de boeken van Stephen King is het altijd afwachten of het einde wel goed is, want eindes schrijven is helaas niet zijn sterkte kant (*kuch* Under the Dome *kuch*), maar gelukkig paste deze prima. Genoten!
Dit is één van de eerste boeken die Stephen King heeft geschreven en het is zeker niet perfect, maar ook in dit oudere werk doet hij al waar hij in veel van zijn boeken zo goed in is: realistische horror schrijven, waarbij de enge dingen niet alleen de monsters onder het bed zijn (of in dit geval vampiers), maar ook de doodgewone personages die zo je buren kunnen zijn en een duistere kant hebben. Dit boek heeft een goede combinatie van de twee en ik ben er dol op.
Waar ik wel moeite mee had, was de enorme hoeveelheid personages. Het verhaal komt wat traag op gang en opeens is er een hoofdstuk waarin in een rap tempo zo'n 20 à 30 personages worden geïntroduceerd. Ik ben een ramp met namen, met als gevolg dat ik regelmatig moest terugbladeren om te controleren wie wie nou is.
Desondanks een spannend en leuk boek, die ik bij sommige hoofdstukken niet meer kon neerleggen. Het is niet mijn favoriet van hem, maar staat zeker hoog in mijn lijst. Bij de boeken van Stephen King is het altijd afwachten of het einde wel goed is, want eindes schrijven is helaas niet zijn sterkte kant (*kuch* Under the Dome *kuch*), maar gelukkig paste deze prima. Genoten!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: War
jovanh's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was a fairly enjoyable homage to Dracula, with King's signature host of smalltown characters, (plus his sympathy for childhood terror, and casual female objectification).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual content