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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I love Stephen King and I love vampires, so ‘Salem’s Lot should’ve been a match made in heaven, and I suppose it was to a degree since I rated it 4 stars. But I was left a little underwhelmed since I have been binging on vampire tales, adaptations, and reimaginings for so long that King’s modernized classic didn’t offer anything new or groundbreaking. I don’t think it was King’s intent to reinvent the vampire mythos or subgenre, rather the purpose was to see what would happen if Dracula reappeared in the 20th century; “if he were to show up in a sleepy little country town, what then?” In that sense, he was successful. And he was also successful in being King in all the ways I love King; bringing a small town and its inhabitants to life, tapping into the human experience for a multitude of characters varied in their demographics, and featuring an eager hero somewhat flawed and relatable.
It was a little slow in the beginning while King established the town and its characters, of which there are many (maybe too many), but once the action starts it is batshit crazy until the closing pages.
I’m glad I finally got this classic King off my tbr and it was a fun, entertaining read, but not my favorite vampire story or King book. I’ve seen this book listed as “scariest book I ever read,” but I assume that is linked to some sort of nostalgia for many readers because while there were some creepy parts it wasn’t really scary by any stretch.
Despite what may seem like a lot of shit-talking about one of King’s most revered classics, I would still say it is a must read for vampire and King fans alike.
It was a little slow in the beginning while King established the town and its characters, of which there are many (maybe too many), but once the action starts it is batshit crazy until the closing pages.
I’m glad I finally got this classic King off my tbr and it was a fun, entertaining read, but not my favorite vampire story or King book. I’ve seen this book listed as “scariest book I ever read,” but I assume that is linked to some sort of nostalgia for many readers because while there were some creepy parts it wasn’t really scary by any stretch.
Despite what may seem like a lot of shit-talking about one of King’s most revered classics, I would still say it is a must read for vampire and King fans alike.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Glaube als Film wäre ich zu großer Schisser. Aber Mega gut wieder ein Treffer.
I've been meaning to read this for like a whole year, and damn, I'm glad I did. Once again, I felt like some parts were a little dragged out and slowed down my wanting to read it, but god... some parts genuinely had me flipping the pages so fast they almost ripped.
I wasn't expecting this to be so hopeful, and that was a nice change. However, it did house many gruesome horrors, which were to be expected and enjoyed happily. Me and vampires will always get along, and this was genuinely kinda creepy.
I love creepy small towns like this with the 'haunted' house on the hill (yes, I now need to go read Haunting of Hill House, lol), and this fits the bill perfectly. Would recommend, pretty easy read and nicely paced with creepy vampires (and some people too ngl).
I need more Stephen King now, I've run out of my back log...
I wasn't expecting this to be so hopeful, and that was a nice change. However, it did house many gruesome horrors, which were to be expected and enjoyed happily. Me and vampires will always get along, and this was genuinely kinda creepy.
I love creepy small towns like this with the 'haunted' house on the hill (yes, I now need to go read Haunting of Hill House, lol), and this fits the bill perfectly. Would recommend, pretty easy read and nicely paced with creepy vampires (and some people too ngl).
I need more Stephen King now, I've run out of my back log...
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I'm doing a Stephen King re-read and this is a wonderful example of why I wanted to do it. I know I read this previously but it was a looooooooong time ago and I was very young. I don't recall liking it very much for whatever reason and it certainly didn't stay with me as one of his books to remember. So, I absolutely love, for myself, that the second time around was much different. I can easily say now that this is in fact a superb and classic King novel and I can see why so many people hold it in high regard. It's terrific. Knowing what we know now, I can see several nods to what eventually would become his writing style, themes, and even characters that we would come to meet in future King books. Probably most prominently in Needful Things and Black House. There are shades of Needful Things, in particular, all throughout this one. In terms of the novel at hand, I loved the dynamic of Ben and Susan so much. It just drives you nuts how it leaves you feeling in the end. If you read it, you know what I mean. There are so many great characters, good and bad. I wish there had been more of Straker and Barlow b/c they were each effectively mysterious and creepy and we were left wanting so much more from both of them. Matt, Jimmy, Mark and Father Callahan - all are exceptionally written characters. I would not say the whole book is scary but there are truly terrifying moments in this one. When they're dropping off supplies at the Marsten House, I was on the edge of my seat. The confrontations and surprises at Eva's late-on ... creepy as all hell. Looking back, this is a pretty remarkable second novel coming on the heels of Carrie - that's a heck of a one, two punch to begin your professional career. The fact that it took him nearly three years to write this one speaks to, I think, how much care and thought he wanted to pack into this one, and now that I've been able to revisit it as an adult all these years later, it definitely shines through. One final word, I absolutely love older books like this that are still more or less within the range of my lifespan because they take us back to a world that is familiar but gone. Telephones in our homes, payphones, jukeboxes that take a dime, newspapers, typewriters, everyone smokes. That's the good stuff. I love that nostalgia of days gone by. Very glad I went back and re-did this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Soovitan. Kingi teine raamat, tema versioon Dracula moodi vampiiriloost. pool raamatut tutvustas linna inimesi, teises pooles hakkasid vampiirid tegutsema. ning seal hakkas mõjuma raamatu esimene pool, kus olid tuttav kõigi inimestega, kes vampiiride kätte jäid. Igatahes hea jutt klassikalistest vampiiridest.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No