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The Walkin' Dude

Well-Known Member
Jul 5, 2016
47
267
30
Charlotte, NC
'Salem's Lot is definitely one of the big must-reads for Stephen King, however as someone who's been reading King for over a decade now, I never got around to it until just recently. About halfway through this I couldn't decide if I really liked it or not. My problem was that the threat and the conflict in this story is immediately obvious and I prefer my King stories where the evil is a bit more of a mystery and builds that suspense throughout. Once I had finished this book I decided that I actually liked just how straight-forward and to the point this one was, and accepted it for what it is: A damn good vampire novel. It's great to see King's first attempt at having the town itself become a living and breathing character, and it's incredible that this was only his second book. This one leaves an impression and a thirst (pun intended) for a continuation of the story. I've heard that the Dark Tower series has some answers? I certainly hope so.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
'Salem's Lot is definitely one of the big must-reads for Stephen King, however as someone who's been reading King for over a decade now, I never got around to it until just recently. About halfway through this I couldn't decide if I really liked it or not. My problem was that the threat and the conflict in this story is immediately obvious and I prefer my King stories where the evil is a bit more of a mystery and builds that suspense throughout. Once I had finished this book I decided that I actually liked just how straight-forward and to the point this one was, and accepted it for what it is: A damn good vampire novel. It's great to see King's first attempt at having the town itself become a living and breathing character, and it's incredible that this was only his second book. This one leaves an impression and a thirst (pun intended) for a continuation of the story. I've heard that the Dark Tower series has some answers? I certainly hope so.
...indeed, you will find what you seek as you follow the Ka-Tet......
 

Steffen

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,233
12,800
Salem's Lot is my favourite King novel. He wrote it as a homage to Stoker's Dracula. No matter how many times I read it, that book still gives me chills. I think of it as a great snapshot of 1970s small-town America, and it still resonates with me because I grew up in a "small-town" type neighbourhood (cue the John Mellencamp song) where I could readily identify with a lot of the characters King wrote about. Also, I have a soft spot for Ben Mears: such a tragic character.

To answer your questions, one of the characters in SL features prominently in the Dark Tower books, so feel free to dive in to that series. Incidentally, I recall reading many years ago that King considered writing a sequel, but at the time felt there was too much of a gap since the first book was published. However, you would be happy to know that some closure to the events of SL is also given in the Tower books.
 

Steffen

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2015
2,233
12,800
Salems Lot was never one of my favorites. Not the story itself, but I always felt the dialogue felt forced and didn't flow naturally. I haven't really changed my mind on that despite rereads. Ah well, life would be so boring if we all liked the same things.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that and one should never apologise for liking something that others don't. One of the reasons I like this Board is that I am just as interested in why someone doesn't like a book that I do, and vice versa. Other perspectives are always good. Lisey's Story, for instance: it took me three years to finish that. I just couldn't get into it. But many people have a whole lot of love for it, so clearly people see something in it that I don't. It's cool to exchange opinions, as long as nobody's a troll about it (goodness knows I saw enough of that nonsense on King's Facebook page, so I quit posting there and wound up here).
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
'Salem's Lot is definitely one of the big must-reads for Stephen King, however as someone who's been reading King for over a decade now, I never got around to it until just recently. About halfway through this I couldn't decide if I really liked it or not. My problem was that the threat and the conflict in this story is immediately obvious and I prefer my King stories where the evil is a bit more of a mystery and builds that suspense throughout. Once I had finished this book I decided that I actually liked just how straight-forward and to the point this one was, and accepted it for what it is: A damn good vampire novel. It's great to see King's first attempt at having the town itself become a living and breathing character, and it's incredible that this was only his second book. This one leaves an impression and a thirst (pun intended) for a continuation of the story. I've heard that the Dark Tower series has some answers? I certainly hope so.
Welcome to the SKMB Dude
11-22-63 Welcome.JPG
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
6,946
25,119
65
dublin ireland
Absolutely nothing wrong with that and one should never apologise for liking something that others don't. One of the reasons I like this Board is that I am just as interested in why someone doesn't like a book that I do, and vice versa. Other perspectives are always good. Lisey's Story, for instance: it took me three years to finish that. I just couldn't get into it. But many people have a whole lot of love for it, so clearly people see something in it that I don't. It's cool to exchange opinions, as long as nobody's a troll about it (goodness knows I saw enough of that nonsense on King's Facebook page, so I quit posting there and wound up here).
Glad you wound up here. It is interesting to other peoples point of view. Fortunately we have very few trolls.