About this title: The residents of Jerusalem's Lot, a small town in southern Maine, have a vampire in their midst, which they discover when people suddenly start disappearing.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. 0451125452 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m...02609868 _ read more
Description: Good. 0451125452 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m...02506553 _ read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780671039745ISBN:0671039741
Description: Good. 0671039741 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m..._ read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1999
ISBN-13:9780671039745ISBN:0671039741
Description: Good. 0671039741 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m..._ read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Signet
Date Published: 1975
Description: Good. No Jacket. Ex-Library Copy With Usual Markings, Corners/Edges Worn, Cover/Spine Creased, Sm. Piece Skin Missing Front Cover, Text Is Unmarked, Good Reading Copy. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket
Date Published: 1999-11-01
ISBN-13:9780671039745ISBN:0671039741
Description: Fair. Light reading and shelf wear, except spine is cracked at page 180, but does not interfere with reading. Unconditional money back guarantee. read more
"King's early classic deals with vampires who take over the small New England town of Jerusalem's Lot, also known as 'Salem's Lot. Like his other early works, 'Salem's Lot is lean and mean, at less than 500 pages, and therefore is less wordy and hit with greater impact than many of King's later, longer books (with the notable exception of The Stand). King critiqued the final version of this book harshly because the editing was out of his hands; I think that that is what makes the book compelling, because not every detail is revealed and we are often left to guess as to the extent of some of the grislier aspects; plus it keeps the pace moving quickly. King has since gained full control of his works and as a result he oversees all the editing; the result is that he tends to get wordy and bogged down, or creates so much buildup that the climax tends to be somewhat of a letdown. King could gain instruction from his own book in this case and use it as a benchmark for reading satisfaction."
"This book is very scary to me and I do not know which is scarier, the vampires or the townfolks that are eager to greet them. It is like the Painted Bird novel, in which the town prepared themselves for the coming evil, and many would bow down and even grovel in its presence. The evil spreads like a virus, from the little sad petty sins confessed to the priest to unnatural acts of sacrifice.
One horrid scene is the scene in which a baby died, and I think when the troubled mother tried to feed the baby chocolate pudding, I think the baby bit down on her finger with a new pair of fangs, a deadly result of a visitor of the night.
Very grotesque, like a dead baby joke gone awry.
The book has a brillant and a beautiful ending in the form of a snow globe showing a gingerbread house, except there's no witch, but for the pale bloodless face that peers out of the door. Stephen King interviewed about that explained the metaphor of the snow globe containing evil or managing it. But it only adds to the creepiness of a ghost town filled with sleeping recipents of the Emperor of Ice Cream in the daylight, and knockings on windows and doors, pale faces peering in waiting to be invited...
I slept with a cross for three days after reading this."
"My dad was always trying to get me to read this book. He always said that, while it wasn't the best of Stephen King's books in his opinion, it was still his favorite, and he considered it an example of King doing all the things that make him a good writer.
I have to agree with my dad about that last part. I love the way that King sets up the Lot as a place. He really takes his time describing the personality of the town and its residents to the point where you feel lulled into a sort of creepy calm feeling. You know something horrble is going to happen but at times you almost forget about that and think that everything is going to be okay. In fact, no vampires show up at all until pretty far into the book. Then when he starts hauling out the big gory guns you're almost as shocked as the townspeople that something like this could be happening in your sleepy little hamlet.
I know that being a fellow Mainiac makes me appreciate King's use of setting more than the average bear because I know exactly the kind of town he likes to use; it's exactly the type of town that I grew up in, but I strongly believe that King's commitment to making his setting a character in the story he's telling is downright great. It works especially well in this book. And 'Salem's Lot' is hardly weak in the gruesome department. Lots of blood and guts.
I also appreciated that the edition that I read had a recently written introduction by the author. Stephen King is really self aware about his place in the literary world and I love reading his commentary on his own books because of that. He's committed to telling a compelling story with characters that the reader cares about and that's it. That's what he's in it for and I will always respect him for being up front about that."
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