A review by stewardii
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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.