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erikwlarsen's review against another edition
5.0
Gets an extra star for the beautiful evocation of fall in New England
crispywonton's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
noahsterba's review against another edition
4.0
They dont call him the king for nothin. my 2nd king book this year (& ever). i get the hype. this story has its main protagonists but it feels like the town of Jerusalem's Lot is the central character. he zooms out & zooms in around the town giving the stories of all the different residents. i almost wished there was a character list at the beginning of the book to keep em all straight. even though there is a lot of meandering on side streets it is never too wayward. its what gives the story such great nostalgic small town american atmosphere. like a vampiric bloodsoaked norman rockwell painting. its strangely cozy & warm while also being terrifying. with all that detailed painting of the town, the narrative is never lost in the sauce. good gourd can he spin a dark yarn. he writes fear so damn well & gets so granular with chracter's relationships & psychology. it makes everyone feel so real & relatable. i said it before they dont call him the king for nothing. a perfect spooky season read.
belginiangirl's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite of all his books, this story of vampires in a small town is truly excellent.
mrwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
This probably is King’s greatest novel. I have read most of his pre-2000 novels (minus The Gunslinger series), but always ignored this one because… well, vampires? And somehow, the vampires aren’t really the scary part of this story. Small towns, gossip, tradition, etc. This is a novel about how things were and how things will never be again.
savannahmoore's review against another edition
5.0
[4.5 stars] I didn’t know this book was about vampires (apparently everybody else knows this fact but me) and when I realized it was about vampires, I was not excited. But the vibe of this book is so gothic and dark, I couldn’t help but love it. I also really enjoyed King’s writing style in this book; it felt different from his other books, but it was still obviously Stephen King.
Here’s a quote I just really loved: “And she left them, walking down the center aisle in her black dress, the solitary mourner at a funeral that hadn’t been held there.”
Here’s a quote I just really loved: “And she left them, walking down the center aisle in her black dress, the solitary mourner at a funeral that hadn’t been held there.”
jonathan_von's review against another edition
3.0
The thing about Salem’s Lot is that it is a book of two halves which don’t entirely mesh. The first half (which, seems more than a little autobiographical) sets up a situation and then just completely changes gears into a post-Vietnam I Am Legend. It’s a good book but the character motivation all just seems to go out the window. The setting is fully realized and hints at the author’s talent but he just isn’t quite in command of his craft yet here. For my money, The Shining shows a big improvement in narrative structure.
thatdecembergirl's review against another edition
5.0
'Salem's Lot is a book written by a much, much younger version of Stephen King and it shows. But it's alright. It's very much alright. I started reading the book with a piece of prior knowledge as basic as "This is a novel about vampires" and finished it reeling; falling in love with both Ben Mears and Mark Petrie and how they bonded in an unlikely situation.
This novel feels like a hero origin story, but it's not.
It's not, because the tale ended right when we (I mean, "I") realize what is going to happen to the remaining "good guys". And I'm damn sure I WANT MORE.
Some of the 'poetic proses' are a little awkward, but they never go into awful territory.
'Salem's Lot is a good book which, albeit never gets better as it gets older, never goes stale either.
“Tonight they won’t be running sheep or visiting farms,” Ben said softly. “Tonight they’ll be on the run. And tomorrow—”
“You and me,” Mark said, and closed his fist. His face was no longer pale; bright color glowed there. His eyes flashed.
This novel feels like a hero origin story, but it's not.
It's not, because the tale ended right when we (I mean, "I") realize what is going to happen to the remaining "good guys". And I'm damn sure I WANT MORE.
Spoiler
I want to read the tale of Ben Mears and Mark Petrie fighting beside each other conquering vampires!!!Some of the 'poetic proses' are a little awkward, but they never go into awful territory.
'Salem's Lot is a good book which, albeit never gets better as it gets older, never goes stale either.
joshjorgz's review against another edition
5.0
This re-read was the perfect book to start Autumn. Salem's Lot is one of King's slow-burning bests. It is a haunting read, and a mythic tale of sorts.
LOVE IT!
LOVE IT!