'Salem's Lot

[IUSMPhD]

I'm re-reading 'Salem's Lot. I don't normally re-read books ever, but I've been re-reading Stephen King books lately because I have nothing else to read, and most of the SK books I read way back in Jr. High about 20 years ago, so I don't remember them well.

Anyway, I feel like 'Salem's Lot is overrated. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book, but I wouldn't list it in my top 5, and yet I see it raved about as one of his best ever. I remember when I read it the first time, I didn't get into it that much, and now I'm seeing why. It seems to drag, and it just seems so cliche. Is that because vampire books and movies have saturated the horror scene? I personally don't care for the new school erotic vampire books/movies, so maybe I'm just not a vampire person.

Lately, I've re-read the Dead Zone (which I think is #1 on my personal list), Firestarter, Needful Things, and Cujo, and I like them all more than 'Salem's Lot.

Anybody else feel this way? Is there something wrong with me? Should I seek professional help?

[davidbo32]

I also read Salems Lot a long time ago, while I was in the Norwegian army in 1991-92, so I don't remember it so well. But I remember I absolutely loved it at the time. I think maybe if I re-read it I would feel the same way as you do, so I don't think I will .
I haven't re-read many S.K books except Dead Zone (which I agree is one of his best), The Dark Half and Needful things.

[crazycrashink]

I enjoyed Salem's Lot, but I see where you are coming from. It definitely isn't my top 5 either. The head vampire's henchman (Stryker) was super creepy though!

[bopropadop]

Short answer. Yes, seek professional help.

LOL!

To each his own. I'm one of those who enjoyed Salem's Lot. I particularly enjoy vampire tales so it was a good match for me. It's not my favorite but it's in my top 5. I agree with you about Dead Zone. Great novel IMO.

[ConstantSam]

When I read 'Salem's Lot I had the same feelings that it was a bit overrated. A good book, sure, but not one of King's best. I thought the pace started to slack a bit once they began hunting down the vampires---a time when the pace should have accelerated. Still, I have to give this book credit for one of the most frightening King scenes---the graveyard part with the dead boy's burial. Creepy stuff.

[Ubasti]

I liked 'Salem's Lot. It was my first King book.

I do see your point and I have to agree that it could be a more difficult to get in to with all of the vampire hype that's going around lately.

[wally wonder]

I've read it several times. I also index stories when I re-read. I only re-read stories I've enjoyed the first time through. But I noticed whilst indexing the Lot that a bunch of characters (or just names) are introduced in the opening 40 pages or so. Maybe there are 40 of them. And to make a comparison, the same number of characters are introduced in The Dark Half. We know that the two stories were written a number of years apart, but I liked The Dark Half more than the Lot.

You could populate a good-sized town with all of the characters in an SK story and by story I mean the doorstops as well as the shorts. Okay, maybe not so much the shorts, but you catch my drift. I liked the writing more in The Dark Half. But in each, a number of characters are trotted out onto the stage, they interact w/each other, they talk like real people, they react to strange situations like real people would react.

And while playing trivia (a social group here on the brd) a number of questions about 'Salem's Lot have come up and while looking for answers, I've been amazed at some of the other things about the Lot that I didn't realize on initial reads. Dunno if I can articulate what they are, believing, as I do, that everything SK has written is good--they're stories and they're full of a kind of poetry that I get off on, images, ideas, and arse-kicking action, and the whole world of SK seems connected like one big web and some of those same ideas. images, what have you, are repeated with different colors added to them.

[Cody44]

Hmm, I felt that it was better than the Shining, which in my opinion is somewhat overrated.

[Crimson Door]

I just recently finished salems lot again and i still think it's great i don't like all these new romantic twilight vapire things they don't even drink blood =(

[mae_west]

My friend from high school had the paperback (when it first came out in paperback- with the black cover and the drop of blood----oooooh, creepy!) and she did not like it and did not finish it. I thought it seemed like something I could read and turned out to be the first Stephen King book in a long, long line of books. It scared me, and I guess that is why I liked it. I have re-read it and it was just as enjoyable for me.

PS- I thought the David Soul version was great. Maybe that is just me!