'Salem's Lot

Title: 'Salem's Lot

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1975

Date read: 24th February 2018

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
" 'Salem's Lot" by Stephen King, published in 1975, is his second novel and a terrifying modern reimagining of the classic vampire myth, transplanting the creatures of the night to a small, isolated New England town.

The story centres on Ben Mears, a successful writer who returns to his childhood hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine (known as 'Salem's Lot), seeking inspiration for a new book about the supposedly haunted Marsten House. Ben hopes to confront his own childhood trauma connected to the house.

At the same time, a mysterious and sinister antique dealer named Richard Straker arrives in town, purchasing the Marsten House. He claims to be awaiting the arrival of his business partner, Kurt Barlow, who is supposedly traveling separately. Straker's presence and the eerie aura of the Marsten House immediately cast a pall over the community.

Soon after Straker's arrival, strange and unsettling events begin. A young boy, Ralphie Glick, vanishes, and his brother, Danny Glick, dies mysteriously of a bizarre illness. Danny later returns from the grave, transformed into a vampire, initiating a horrifying epidemic that slowly begins to consume the town. One by one, residents fall victim to the vampiric curse, dying and then rising again to prey on their loved ones.

Ben Mears quickly realizes the horrifying truth: Kurt Barlow is a powerful, ancient vampire (not a human partner as Straker claimed), and Straker is his human familiar. The Marsten House has become the vampire's lair, a beacon of evil drawing more victims to its cold embrace.

• Ben, along with a small, unlikely group of survivors, must band together to fight the encroaching darkness. This group includes:

• Susan Norton: A young woman Ben falls in love with.
• Mark Petrie: A resourceful and brave young boy who has a harrowing encounter with a vampire.
• Matt Burke: Ben's former high school English teacher.
• Father Callahan: The local Catholic priest, whose faith is severely tested.
• Dr. Jimmy Cody: The town's practical and sceptical doctor.

The novel vividly portrays the gradual decay and terror that consume 'Salem's Lot. As the population dwindles and the infected spread, the town becomes a literal ghost town, a desolate and dangerous hunting ground for the undead. The horror comes not just from the vampires themselves, but from the slow, agonizing realization by the living that their loved ones are turning into monsters, and from the breakdown of all social order.

The climax involves Ben and Mark's desperate attempt to confront Barlow in the Marsten House and destroy him, hoping to sever the source of the plague. " 'Salem's Lot" is a classic King tale of evil infiltrating a small town, a terrifying and unforgettable take on the vampire legend.

Comments:
Before reading this, I had already read lots of vampire books so wondered if King was going to be able to add anything...and he certainly did. Great story and the way it is written really upped the scare factor.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)