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A review by unapologetic_bibliosmia
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
5.0
So my whole life I've been wanting to get into what may be described as one of the best and well-known horror writers of all time (although I believe he is now marketing himself as 'not specifically horror') - Stephen King. This year, the year of my return to reading (2020 was actually good for one thing at least!!!) I decided to get stuck in because if I was ever going to do it, I wanted to strike while the metaphorical iron of reading was still hot! I dipped my toe in with [b:Finders Keepers|23492589|Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469092087l/23492589._SY75_.jpg|41884478] and sadly I was so so disappointed. What was this....it wasn't horror?! It seriously knocked me back and I wasn't sure I would try again.
However, after reading [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724] and [b:The Broken Girls|35533431|The Broken Girls|Simone St. James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498686713l/35533431._SY75_.jpg|50481438] I was really in the mood for some more proper horror, and decided to give the legend another go. This time I was more careful though, and researched some different books by the author, reading reviews and seeing what people thought about his older books compared to his newer ones. It turned out that most people who enjoyed the hooror-style King I was looking for, enjoyed his older books - namely Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary etc. I took a visit to my local library to see what they have.
Now, my 'local' library is in sunny Cyprus on a military base, and the selection of books isn't huge. I tentatively asked the librarian for the first book I could think of - and Salem's Lot came out of my mouth. After checking the database she told me that whilst she didn't have it, there was a copy on the other side of the island at another base and it could be requested for delivery in a few days. I left and returned a few days later - only to be handed a dusty, big red tome of a novel with no dust cover on. After checking the inside leaf of the book I was shocked to see that the first library stamp was from 1977!! Well, if this book had been enjoyed since then, I had to give it a go.
Baseline - I am SO glad I picked this book as my4 second chance at King. It had absolutely everything I was expecting the first time around, with that nostalgic, creepy horror, that isn't just straight up gore, but instead slowly builds, builds, until all the hairs on your neck are up before you've even realised it, and your feeling pretty spooked in the lamplight - checking behind the door before you can go to sleep.
I think the best thing about this kind of horror writing, and what makes King so good at this, is that the entire story is so relatable. It's entirely plausable - and could happen to any one of us - you or me. It's a 'people' horror. Entirely real-life and not fantasy like many other ghost and ghoul horrors, based on a small town in a rural area of state. It could be any town, we've all seen towns like this in rural America, where everyone has just packed up and gone - all that remains is the shells of buildings of a life once upon a time, and the tumbleweed has free rein. Indeed, it reminds me of my trip through the States travelling Route 66 - we travelled through so many of these 'ghost towns' that even I got bored of getting out to look at them. The people had all just vanished, leaving you to wonder what was so urgent that everyone felt the need to leave without all their belongings. Clothes in the cupboards, tv, piano, fridge all still in situ - like someone left to grab a pint of milk and never came back. Well, I'm glad I read this book after my visit and not before or all I'd be thinking about would be this book!
The book is split into 3 'parts' and each part is preceded by some quote, or poem that sets the mood. The first part was entitled 'The Marsten House' and it was my favourite bit of the book. (Although, all of it was great) This part contained my favourite scene. Two removals men have been tasked with delivering a strange consignment to The Marsten House, recently taken on after years of dereliction by two mysterious men from out of town - one of which noone has seen. The two removals men carry the strange items down to the cellar, and it is hands down one of the most creepy scenes I've read in a book. It wasn't overtly gory or scary - but I was chilled to my bone reading it and this section will stay with me as one of my favourite bits of a book ever!
After this initial scary bit, there was a bit of a lull...but towards the last third of the book the action really ramps up again! I could not put the book down and I couldn't stop reading! It gripped me, and I was hanging on to see what would happen to the set of unlikely protagonists (a doctor, a priest, a child, a teacher, a writer (there's alwys a writer character in his books! A cameo?!) and a teenage girl) in their plight to stop their town from becoming something horrendous. I wont elaborate more on the plot as I think there's enough reviews out there that do this, and I actually think it's better to go into the book semi blind anyway, but I will stop to say that I definitely am in the crowd that think King's earlier books and ultimately his horror books are the best. I know he is now trying to market himself as not being 'stove-piped' into any one genre, but I do believe the majority of people will pick up a King book expecting this creepiness and that's what I'll be hunting out from now on! My only question...which one next?!
However, after reading [b:Dracula|17245|Dracula|Bram Stoker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387151694l/17245._SY75_.jpg|3165724] and [b:The Broken Girls|35533431|The Broken Girls|Simone St. James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498686713l/35533431._SY75_.jpg|50481438] I was really in the mood for some more proper horror, and decided to give the legend another go. This time I was more careful though, and researched some different books by the author, reading reviews and seeing what people thought about his older books compared to his newer ones. It turned out that most people who enjoyed the hooror-style King I was looking for, enjoyed his older books - namely Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary etc. I took a visit to my local library to see what they have.
Now, my 'local' library is in sunny Cyprus on a military base, and the selection of books isn't huge. I tentatively asked the librarian for the first book I could think of - and Salem's Lot came out of my mouth. After checking the database she told me that whilst she didn't have it, there was a copy on the other side of the island at another base and it could be requested for delivery in a few days. I left and returned a few days later - only to be handed a dusty, big red tome of a novel with no dust cover on. After checking the inside leaf of the book I was shocked to see that the first library stamp was from 1977!! Well, if this book had been enjoyed since then, I had to give it a go.
Baseline - I am SO glad I picked this book as my4 second chance at King. It had absolutely everything I was expecting the first time around, with that nostalgic, creepy horror, that isn't just straight up gore, but instead slowly builds, builds, until all the hairs on your neck are up before you've even realised it, and your feeling pretty spooked in the lamplight - checking behind the door before you can go to sleep.
I think the best thing about this kind of horror writing, and what makes King so good at this, is that the entire story is so relatable. It's entirely plausable - and could happen to any one of us - you or me. It's a 'people' horror. Entirely real-life and not fantasy like many other ghost and ghoul horrors, based on a small town in a rural area of state. It could be any town, we've all seen towns like this in rural America, where everyone has just packed up and gone - all that remains is the shells of buildings of a life once upon a time, and the tumbleweed has free rein. Indeed, it reminds me of my trip through the States travelling Route 66 - we travelled through so many of these 'ghost towns' that even I got bored of getting out to look at them. The people had all just vanished, leaving you to wonder what was so urgent that everyone felt the need to leave without all their belongings. Clothes in the cupboards, tv, piano, fridge all still in situ - like someone left to grab a pint of milk and never came back. Well, I'm glad I read this book after my visit and not before or all I'd be thinking about would be this book!
The book is split into 3 'parts' and each part is preceded by some quote, or poem that sets the mood. The first part was entitled 'The Marsten House' and it was my favourite bit of the book. (Although, all of it was great) This part contained my favourite scene. Two removals men have been tasked with delivering a strange consignment to The Marsten House, recently taken on after years of dereliction by two mysterious men from out of town - one of which noone has seen. The two removals men carry the strange items down to the cellar, and it is hands down one of the most creepy scenes I've read in a book. It wasn't overtly gory or scary - but I was chilled to my bone reading it and this section will stay with me as one of my favourite bits of a book ever!
After this initial scary bit, there was a bit of a lull...but towards the last third of the book the action really ramps up again! I could not put the book down and I couldn't stop reading! It gripped me, and I was hanging on to see what would happen to the set of unlikely protagonists (a doctor, a priest, a child, a teacher, a writer (there's alwys a writer character in his books! A cameo?!) and a teenage girl) in their plight to stop their town from becoming something horrendous. I wont elaborate more on the plot as I think there's enough reviews out there that do this, and I actually think it's better to go into the book semi blind anyway, but I will stop to say that I definitely am in the crowd that think King's earlier books and ultimately his horror books are the best. I know he is now trying to market himself as not being 'stove-piped' into any one genre, but I do believe the majority of people will pick up a King book expecting this creepiness and that's what I'll be hunting out from now on! My only question...which one next?!