'Salem's Lot

Stephen King

Dec 2008 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

With a stunning new cover look, King's chilling classic of a small new England town about to be engulfed in terror.

Turn off the television - in fact, why don't you turn off all the lights except for the one over your favourite chair? - and we'll talk about vampires here in the dim. I think I can make you believe in them. Stephen King, from the Introduction.

'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with the usual quota of gossips, drinkers, weirdos and respectable folk. Of course there are tales of strange happenings - but not more than in any other town its size.

Ben Mears, a moderately successful writer, returns to the Lot to write a novel based on his early years, and to exorcise the terrors that have haunted him since childhood. The event he witnessed in the house now rented by a new resident. A newcomer with a strange allure. A man who causes Ben some unease as things start to happen: a child disappears, a dog is brutally killed - nothing unusual, except the list starts to grow.

Soon surprise will turn to bewilderment, bewilderment to confusion and finally to terror . . .

Ratings and reviews

Great writing and fun story. I love his American take on the classic Gothic, and particularly enjoyed the section at the end with the letters from the 1800's. As usual, King's characters are phenomenal and his descriptions are breathtaking. Some parts were a bit much for me (obviously not the horror, as that would be a silly thing to say after reading a Stephen King book about vampires) such as the abuse of an infant and some twisted sexual excerpts, but I guess it comes with the territory to a degree.

Well that was a hell of a ride. A book that blends elements of Bram stokers Dracula and 30 days of night. While it doesn't reinvent the myths of vampires it tells a truly gripping tale. Just bare with the first section. It's a bit of a mess (and imo could've been cut entirely) but once the story true begins you're in for a ride

Very early King but still a good read, was a bit of a slog to get into it but very gripping when you get there. I'm not a real fan of anything Vampire but am working my way through all SK books so has to give it a read, wasn't disappointed though.

About the author

STEPHEN KING is the author of more than seventy books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His crime thrillers featuring Holly Gibney include Mr Mercedes, winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, and The Outsider, both of which were adapted into successful TV series, as well as Finders Keepers, End of Watch and the title story from If It Bleeds. Many of his titles are the basis for major motion pictures including IT, Stand By Me (adapted from The Body) and The Shawshank Redemption, which is IMDb's top-rated movie of all time. King is the recipient of The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2022, the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.