Salem's Lot

[barbiespoodle]

One of the great things about SK's books is that there seems to be a book to scare almost anyone.

Comparing Salems lot to The Stand is like comparing apples to oranges to me. And some people like apples, some like oranges and then some, like me, like both. What I'm trying to say is that while they are both horror stories, they are totally different. Salems Lot is a classic horror story using classic monsters, The Stand is a horror story, but a 'what if this happened because of our techno age' horror story.

But what freaks us out is such a personal thing and good old SK seems to find a way to tap into most of our personal freak outs. To some it's vampires, Lord knows there are enough stories about them out right now, some it's the government letting loose a super bug, to me, it's the huge corn field behind me, I got lost in that once, never again, I swear you hear all kinds of sounds coming after you when you are lost in a jungle of corn stalks, and Children of the Corn made sure I never set foot in it again, I now walk the extra mile around it to get back to my best friends house when the corn is high, lol.

Side note, I'm glad I read both Salems Lot and The Stand before I read the DT series, sure made it easier to understand a few things.

[Ben E Gas]

I loved Salem´s Lot,but I just can´t see Vampires as something scary.

I hear ya. I wasn't crazy about the idea of reading about vampires at first, but I thought King did a great job and I enjoyed the story. I was most scared of the things within the walls and in the basement though.

I liked the idea from the Dark Tower series that vampires aren't just blood suckers but that there are other types of vampires that feed off of other things.

[Sinbad]

I recently read 'Salem's Lot' and really enjoyed it, but for me it's a book I'm going to have to re-read to really take everything in properly.

[thymeoperator]

i think it's just that we're generally immune to the idea of vampires these days - every generation that passes, you need newer more brutal horrible things to outdo the last monsters, don't you? because people get used to things. i didn't personally find the vampire aspect scary when i read that book, but rather the idea of losing someone so suddenly and being surrounded by impending doom...that was really unsettling.

[becks]

I've read Salem's Lot a couple of times now and I think it's one of SK's best.
Best to the King, Becks.

[E.king59]

Just about halfway thru my second reading of salems lot.Must be 15 years since last time,have to agree,its good stuff.Keep picturing david soul as ben tho.Thats a little annoying!

[Akira]

I finished this for the first time last night. I loved the book, loved the town and how it and it's inhabitants were introduced and detailed. The way he did it has left me so excited for Under the Dome with it's small town and cast of hundreds, which I shall start reading tomorrow.

With Salem's Lot it was quite shocking how quickly everything happened. It took so long for it all to develop and for characters to realise what may be happening, and once they did then it snowballed rapidly, which was great. I found it very tense and spooky in places, which I loved, and I look forward to reading it again in the future...but first, I have other King works to get through.

[Manxkitti]

I never thought I would hear or read someone saying they like something better than the Stand. Not one of his scariest (The Stand) but to each his own. I thought Pet Sematary was pretty scary, tho.