Ok i havent read them all but while i will admit that books like Stand and Shining were awesome, i never felt connected with the main characters. Here when the book is over you really feel that you have lost some friends that will never come back. Its the saddest part of the book. Horror elements are also great but i kinda preffered Salems Lot here because in my opinion the idea of a family member becoming a vampire and coming to bite you is far more scarier than a shapesifting clown