Reviews

The only King I’d read prior to this was the first Dark Tower novel, which I loved, but it certainly wasn’t horror, and I felt I would get more from the series if I knew his other work better.

I’m doing some work inspired by American folk horror at the moment; particularly about how pervasive, creeping evil which becomes territorial. This novel is that in spades, and I think what’s amazing about it, is how it brazenly slots itself into its genre. Boldly, this is a world in which vampires exist in folklore, in novels and films. There is a level of disbelief when the main characters start to have their hunches, but ultimately they become suggestible to each other - and reach their conclusion about what’s going on blissfully quickly. There are no red herrings or shock twists. It’s just a brilliant telling of the death of a small New England town in which the reader’s intelligence is respected. Great stuff.

sarahdkdc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Coming back to this and giving it 3.5 Stars. While it's a great vampire book, that has certainly inspired the vampire media that has come after it I cannot get over the way Stephen King writes women. I understand that this book came out in 1975, and it depicts a certain point in time, but the disgusting attitude EVERY male character in this book has towards women is egregious. Are there any men in Stephen King's world that don't see a women - or even worse, GIRLS - as sexual objects that exist solely for their gratification? I'm not sure, and I don't really care to find out.

rkragsdale's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i love mr the king what can I say.

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