Caution: Reading this book late at night in a bedroom with a large window may result in nightmares.
‘Salem’s Lot certainly deserves its reputation near the top of lists of the best vampire novels, best Stephen King novels, and best horror novels of all time. Having now read four Stephen King books (11/22/63, Fairy Tale, Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot) it’s incredible that I have been able to devour each of them at a furious pace. I can think of few authors whose prose and storytelling is so consistently gripping across different projects. Reading ‘Salem’s Lot immediately after finishing Carrie, it is really impressive how much King’s second published novel built on the foundation by his first. It makes complete sense that ‘Salem’s Lot truly began King’s legendary reign as the king of American horror.
As usual, King is a master at creating a small town setting that managed to be both idyllic and unsettling (even before Mr. Barlow’s arrival in town). While there are certainly main point-of-view characters, King’s ability to effortlessly include over a dozen perspectives really adds scope and character to the town. It truly feels lived in and relatable, except for the ominous presence of the Marsten House, watching like a crow from its perch atop a lone hill. The house and its history embody the darkness that often exists (albeit less overtly) in many small towns in the form of scandals and secrets.
The characters in ‘Salem’s Lot certainly fall into archetypes, but King’s talent for writing relatable protagonists, endearing children, terrifying villains, and unpleasant townsfolk was on full display here. Without spoiling anything, I found Mr. Richard Throckett Straker, young Mark Petrie, and Matt Burke (the Van Helsing stand-in) to be standouts.
As I alluded to at the beginning of this review, ‘Salem’s Lot included its fair share of creepy, tense, and gory moments. The Glick boys’ misadventure in the woods, the delivery of boxes and locks to the Marsten House, the gravedigging scene, Ben and Jimmy’s experience at the morgue, Mark’s visitor at the window, and the descriptions of stakes going through vampire hearts were particularly memorable.
As much as I loved ‘Salem’s Lot, it is certainly not a perfect novel. Dare I say it did not feel long enough? The cast of major protagonists shifts as the novel progresses and some of the later additions (such as Father Callahan and Dr. Jimmy Cody) deserved better character development much earlier on. On the flip side, other character arcs fizzle out or have satisfying conclusions (such as Larry Crockett and Matt Burke’s). And let’s just say that the scale of the “problem” afflicting the town got so out of hand near the end that I started to wonder whether the premise even made sense anymore.
Overall, I loved ‘Salem’s Lot. As a huge fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this novel is a fantastic homage and a worthy addition to the list of classic vampire stories. King clearly did his vampire research. Despite his insistence on specific cultural references that date his work, and no shortage of weird descriptions of anatomy and sex (“jahoobies,” anyone?) I continue to be in awe (and envious) of King’s storytelling talent. As with my other King reading experiences, I put this one down excited to pick up another, with full confidence that I’m in for a thrilling reading experience.
The Once and Future Lit 