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literatureleaf's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Age: 16+
Reading time: 7 days
Difficulty level: 1.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King follows Ben Mears, a stuck-in-a-rut, struggling author, as he returns to his hometown in hopes of drawing inspiration for his new book from the Marsten House, an abandoned mansion with a dark and bloody history. However, upon arriving, Ben quickly realizes that all is not what it appears to be in the ‘Lot when things begin to go wrong.
As strange disappearances and unexplained happenings start to occur, coinciding with the arrival of two new residents who just don’t quite seem to be who they say they are, Ben teams up with a small group of locals to uncover the secrets of the Lots’ past, and attempt to save both the residents of Salem’s Lot and the town itself from a fate worse than any of them can imagine.
In typical King fashion, the vivid, chilling atmosphere is the star of the show. Simultaneously disquieting and beautiful, the feeling of something deeply sinister unfolding just under the nose of our main characters, against the backdrop of a seemingly sleepy New England small town that somehow feels like somewhere you’ve been before, if not in person, then in your dreams, is intensely personal and familiar.
King is the master of turning the mundane into the riveting, disgust into empathy, and pain into beauty. With the simple stroke of a pen, the boring, repetitive, and often depressing realities of those who live in small towns are crafted into something that shows how the most carnal, intimate thread of the shared human experience is fear.
With so much of the focus placed on the setting and the plot, character depth suffers. For much of the book, the main cast feels forced and shallow. With what feels like little insight into their deeper motivations and feelings, forming empathy and genuine connection with them feels impossible to achieve, even in the face of their struggles.
Unfortunately, the impression of underdeveloped characters is compounded by, at times, weak dialogue, and a long winded narrative. So much time is spent on their circumstances and environment that there is little time left to devote to the inner workings of their relationships with the town and with one another, leading to the feeling that something integral is missing.
Leaving little to the imagination, Salem’s Lot is a masterwork in utilizing the supernatural as a vehicle to explore the depths of human depravity. Taking the quietly desperate lives of the Lots’ residents, and putting their secrets, heartache, rage, wonder, and love on display in the face of a surreal, non-human malevolence beyond their wildest dreams displays a stark spotlight, not on otherworldly entities, but on the horrors that permeate our towns, our neighborhoods, and even our own backyards.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual violence, Cursing, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Bullying, Medical content, Car accident, Addiction, Racial slurs, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
spot_fan_69's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I know a lot of people who consider this to be one of King's best but I was honestly bored a lot of the time. There were a couple of chapters that actually kind of moved me so in a way it made the whole thing worth it. But what's up with King and using the f slur every other page in his book?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Blood
ziopera's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, and Cursing
Minor: Homophobia
shadowdra126's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Bullying, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Cursing, Blood, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Child death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Sexual content, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Stalking
julesfromarvs's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Eccomi qua con un’altra recensione ad un libro di Stephen King.
Mi trovo ora ad averne letti quattro, e devo ammettere che questo è stato per me il più difficile da leggere.
Da subito ci vengono presentati una trentina di personaggi diversi ed, essendo io abituata a fare molto affidamento sulla mia memoria visiva, ho avuto difficoltà a distinguerli uno dall’altro, proprio perché molti vengono esplorati e, soprattutto, descritti pochissimo fisicamente.
Ogni volta che leggo la descrizione di un personaggio, nella mia testa parte un collegamento diretto ad una persona originata dalla mia mente (a volte anche ad un attore) che mi facilita l’immaginarmi l’intera scena; qui purtroppo spesso ho fatto fatica.
Inoltre, io do moltissima importanza e attenzione allo sviluppo dei personaggi, e qui onestamente ne ho trovato poco. Sono tutti personaggi interessanti, ma che mi abbia preso veramente forse ce n’è stato solo uno, Matt, e comunque anche lui approfondito per modo di dire … sono stati più che altro molti dei suoi discorsi a farmici affezionare.
Con questo assolutamente non voglio togliere nulla al libro e al tipo di scrittura, semplicemente è proprio un mio gusto personale, forse anche legato al fatto di aver letto, fino ad ora, una maggioranza di racconti tanto centrati sulla crescita dei personaggi.
La trama è sicuramente interessante, le storie di vampiri catturano sempre la mia attenzione, e così è stato anche qui. Ho solo da aggiungere che forse, avendolo letto nell’anno 2023, oramai con un bagaglio “vampiresco” molto pieno, non l’ho trovata particolarmente originale, anzi, è stato tutto abbastanza prevedibile.
Mi trovo ora ad averne letti quattro, e devo ammettere che questo è stato per me il più difficile da leggere.
Da subito ci vengono presentati una trentina di personaggi diversi ed, essendo io abituata a fare molto affidamento sulla mia memoria visiva, ho avuto difficoltà a distinguerli uno dall’altro, proprio perché molti vengono esplorati e, soprattutto, descritti pochissimo fisicamente.
Ogni volta che leggo la descrizione di un personaggio, nella mia testa parte un collegamento diretto ad una persona originata dalla mia mente (a volte anche ad un attore) che mi facilita l’immaginarmi l’intera scena; qui purtroppo spesso ho fatto fatica.
Inoltre, io do moltissima importanza e attenzione allo sviluppo dei personaggi, e qui onestamente ne ho trovato poco. Sono tutti personaggi interessanti, ma che mi abbia preso veramente forse ce n’è stato solo uno, Matt, e comunque anche lui approfondito per modo di dire … sono stati più che altro molti dei suoi discorsi a farmici affezionare.
Con questo assolutamente non voglio togliere nulla al libro e al tipo di scrittura, semplicemente è proprio un mio gusto personale, forse anche legato al fatto di aver letto, fino ad ora, una maggioranza di racconti tanto centrati sulla crescita dei personaggi.
La trama è sicuramente interessante, le storie di vampiri catturano sempre la mia attenzione, e così è stato anche qui. Ho solo da aggiungere che forse, avendolo letto nell’anno 2023, oramai con un bagaglio “vampiresco” molto pieno, non l’ho trovata particolarmente originale, anzi, è stato tutto abbastanza prevedibile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
gflechas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The book is strongly influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula, and is pretty transparent about it in the into. I walked away feeling like I listened to "Steven King does Dracula" which for me was a positive. King goes his own direction with the ideas and makes them his own. I had fun and would recommend it, though there is not the same hope to be found in Salem's Lot as was found for Mr. Harker and his band of heros.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Addiction, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Blood, Drug abuse, Rape, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
siobhanward's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.0
Salem's Lot has been on my TBR for ages, and I realize now that it came highly recommended for a reason. I started off rolling my eyes at its length, thinking it was a typical overly-long King book, but honestly none of the book was wasted. It was creepy and built a feeling of uneasiness throughout and left you with the same feeling of uneasiness. Parts of it haven't aged incredibly well, but it didn't lose too much with age. Definitely worth it for the creep factor
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
sagetappe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Infidelity, Animal death, Child abuse, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Addiction
sleepy__reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Homophobia