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A review by kandicez
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
5.0
I’ve said this in numerous places, but “Salem’s Lot is my favorite book by Stephen King. It’s a close margin, and there are numerous ties for second place, but I always fall back on this one as my favorite. Imagine my surprise when a couple of years ago I saw that this book was published and I missed it! Perish the thought! So I finally tracked down a first edition (used, but almost perfect) to add to my collection and decided I would NOT allow myself to read the “deleted scenes” until I had finished the original.
Let me say that I never feel that there are enough words in a Stephen King book. People complain about his lack of editing, but I am NOT one of those people! I would read the guy’s grocery list. Having said that, I will admit that most of these edits were sound. I would never have complained had they been inserted into the tale where they belonged, especially if the names had been appropriately changed to fit, but reading them at the end, as I did, I can see why they were cut.
I don’t feel I am spoiling anything by talking about the contents of these deleted scenes, because they are just that...deleted, but for those of you that hate spoilers
I really dislike the original name King had for Barlow. Barlow has a nice ring to it and flows off the tongue of the mind. Sarlinov just does not. I also don’t like the idea of actually “seeing” Barlow, as soon as we do, with one of the deleted scenes. King has always been a master at keeping the real menace in the shadows until the last minute. With the inclusion of this particular scene, there is no mystery left. I prefer the “Bruce the Shark” approach.
The only other scene I feel would have changed the tone of the book is the conversation between Ben and Matt regarding Ben’s finances. Because Ilove adore worship like King as much as I do I tend to see little glimpses of him in his characters. I would not have liked reading about Ben Mears’ squandering of a small fortune, or even about how little he was actually paid for what other characters' describe as an excellent novel.
I’m very happy I bought and read this. The few illustrations/photos are just enough to lend another level of creepiness to an already terrifying book. They don’t overwhelm the story, and including One for the Road and Jerusalem’s Lot was a stroke of genius. Tacking the deleted scenes on at the end was also the right choice with these. Unlike the deletions that were later added to The Uncut Stand these didn’t improve or add to the story.
Let me say that I never feel that there are enough words in a Stephen King book. People complain about his lack of editing, but I am NOT one of those people! I would read the guy’s grocery list. Having said that, I will admit that most of these edits were sound. I would never have complained had they been inserted into the tale where they belonged, especially if the names had been appropriately changed to fit, but reading them at the end, as I did, I can see why they were cut.
I don’t feel I am spoiling anything by talking about the contents of these deleted scenes, because they are just that...deleted, but for those of you that hate spoilers
Spoiler
I did not need to see Susan screaming obscenities and offering to ball Ben in front of everyone. That entire exchange felt out of place for me.I really dislike the original name King had for Barlow. Barlow has a nice ring to it and flows off the tongue of the mind. Sarlinov just does not. I also don’t like the idea of actually “seeing” Barlow, as soon as we do, with one of the deleted scenes. King has always been a master at keeping the real menace in the shadows until the last minute. With the inclusion of this particular scene, there is no mystery left. I prefer the “Bruce the Shark” approach.
The only other scene I feel would have changed the tone of the book is the conversation between Ben and Matt regarding Ben’s finances. Because I
I’m very happy I bought and read this. The few illustrations/photos are just enough to lend another level of creepiness to an already terrifying book. They don’t overwhelm the story, and including One for the Road and Jerusalem’s Lot was a stroke of genius. Tacking the deleted scenes on at the end was also the right choice with these. Unlike the deletions that were later added to The Uncut Stand these didn’t improve or add to the story.