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Home > Books > Fiction > Horror Books > S Horror Books > Salem's Lot - Stephen King
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One of Stephen King's first novels, this was written in 1975 and as with many of his books is centred in Maine. Rumour has it that this novel was going to be called Second Coming but his wife... more

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for Salem's Lot - Stephen King

Rating Summary based on 13 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		8
  • 4 Stars
    		3
  • 3 Stars
    		2
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		0

Detailed rating

  • Characters
  • How does it compare to other works by the same author?
  • How does it compare to similar books?
  • Readability
  • Story
  		• 4.4
  		• 4.0
  		• 4.2
  		• 4.3
  		• 4.2
  • 46 of 46 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of bigcat

    bigcat

    5 Stars They only come out at night Review with images 24/07/2004
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Tension built up beautifully, superb characterisation

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Can it withstand the test of time?

    "One of my high school classes was Fantasy and Science Fiction, and one of the novels I taught was Dracula. I was surprised at how vital it had remained over the years; the kids liked it, and I liked it, too. One night over supper I wondered aloud what would happen if Dracula came back in the twentieth century, to America. "He'd probably be run over by a Yellow Cab on Park Avenue and killed," my wife said. That closed the discussion, but in the following days, my mind kept returning to the idea. It occurred to me that my wife was probably right…if the legendary Count came to New York, that was ... more
  • 36 of 36 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of markd_uk

    markd_uk

    3 Stars Not A Lot New 08/10/2006
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Classic King

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Bit long-winded in places, no need for the 'out-takes

    Originally written in 1975, `Salem's Lot was the second novel written by Stephen King and was undoubtedly the novel that stereotyped him as a writer of the horror genre. For the remainder of his career, King has been cast with that title, despite many of his novels not being directly horror but more thriller or drama. King, himself, has never typecast himself as a horror author, but the tag will remain with him forever, thanks to this one novel. In essence `Salem's Lot is a Vampire story and much of its context is not new to fans of this genre. Head Vampire arrives in town, sucks the blood of ... more
  • 42 of 42 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of nictastic

    nictastic

    4 Stars Salem's had its lot 24/05/2003
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages careful examination of characters, allows for intimacy

    Disadvantages Disadvantages perhaps predictable, gothic element may not appeal.

    Its rare that I can find myself sitting down to a book and actually reaching the ending, I love reading, but since A level English I have found myself taking time off from the reading into which I grew tired of, forced to read hoards of war literature. But I’m glad to say I’ve developed a taste for the books again, and whilst I was away in Chichester I wandered throughout waterstones promising myself to purchase the first book that caught my eye, I was in the mood for a horror, and quite frankly if you’re going to spend the money, you may as well go the whole hog and buy the best, and as any ... more
  • 41 of 41 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of kitty17

    kitty17

    4 Stars Re-reading Early King 15/11/2006
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Thrilling

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Not very in depth characterisation

    Introduction: The perfect atmosphere for reading this book is a cold, wet and dark October/November evening, hearing the winter wind outside and perhaps if it were a movie you would be sat before a roaring log fire and a tree branch would beat against the darkened window ghoulishly. I was actually reading this novel in very similar circumstances to those described above, curled up in a chair, the lights dim, the wind quite noticeably howling, the flicker of the fire, a captivating passage near the end of the book and suddenly my mobile phone shrieks at me, I did almost jump out of my seat ... more
  • 14 of 15 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of RichardW

    RichardW

    5 Stars If only all vampire stories were this terrifying 12/12/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages After a long time of feeling sorry for the poor, watered down, lonely vampires, this novel made me genuinely bloody terrified of them again

    Disadvantages Disadvantages This is a dense and complex novel, with a large cast of characters. you can't just switch off with this one, I'm afraid.

    'Salem's Lot' is King's second novel, and his second classic and enduring contribution to the horror genre. Jerusalem's Lot is a small town in Maine USA, and it is due for a very peculiar mode of extinction. Tired with the pickings in Europe, the ancient vampire Barlow has come to small-town America, his human servant Straker in tow. One vampire quickly becomes two, and then more, as further citizens are turned. In town at the time is Ben Mears, who quickly finds himself the point of resistance against the undead invasion, and the horror begins in earnest. A thumbnail sketch like that makes ... more

Product information

for Salem's Lot - Stephen King

Product Details

Type Fiction
Genre Horror
Title Salem's Lot
Author Stephen King
ISBN 0340770538; 0340921277; 0340951478; 0385007515; 0385516487; 0450031063; 067103975X

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