Salem's Lot by Stephen King

439 pages Hardcover

1975

Fiction

I recently recently re-read The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It was the first book that I had ever read by him. After that I found myself in a used bookstore and they had an old copy of the hardcover of Salem's Lot. So I picked it up. I have read this before sometime as a teenager, but not sure exactly when. 

The story follows the main character, Ben Mears, as he tries to start a new novel in the town of Jerusalem's Lot. As a young man he stayed with his aunt in the small Maine town. He had a horrifying experience in the old Marsten Place and he's come to final rid himself of the old nightmares. He attempts to rent the old Marsten place only to find that it has recently been sold. Two men running an antique store take up residence  there and move into town.

Danny Glick and his brother take a short cut through the woods and after several hours Danny comes tumbling home having lost all knowledge of the previous few hours. His brother is searched for by everyone in town, but never found. Danny gets sick and falls deeper into a weakened state, until he dies.

Mark Petrie is visited late at night by an old friend, Danny Glick. 

The night is soon taken over by nightmares people only dreamed of in the past. Ben, Mark, Matt Burke the local English teacher, the local doctor James Cody, and Father Callahan team up to fight an evil older than they imagine.

Stephan King is fun to read. In this book more than some of his others I find his descriptions to be fantastic. One of the chapters describes the town in a few pages and it could stand as it own ode to small town America. Take this and add in a bit of scary creeping around the town and you get an enjoyable read that is easy to tear through.

3 Intellectual/Emotional - It is easy to get involved with the characters. You feel their fear and hope for their success.

4 Style/Readability - King hasn't sold millions of all of his books because he is a poor writer. I found Salem's Lot to be among his best.

4 Long Term Impact - Stephen King has been a bestseller for over 40 years. It is fair to say his books will be having impact for a long time to come. Salem's Lot is one of his best.

11 out of 13. A great read for anyone looking for a book with a spooky side. 

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