In Print: 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

This was the first time I attempted to read a book by Stephen King. He's hailed as a great writer, but I don't know a single person who actually likes his style. But this is a vampire story, and a piece from my childhood memory, so I wanted to try reading this book.

I have a vague memory of when the TV miniseries for 'Salem's Lot came out. It had to be the mid to later 70's. My brother and I were both young enough that our parents told us that we were to be in bed before it came on because it would be too scary for us to watch. I have no recollection of the series at all, so it appears that I followed their orders, but my brother remembers a scene with a ghastly face hovering in a window before running back to bed. Clearly our parents weren't kidding about the scary part.

Back to the story. My entire life I was under the impression that 'Salem's Lot must've been about Salem, Massachusetts, site of the witch trials hundreds of years ago. Instead, the book takes place in a fictional Maine town named Jerusalem's Lot, or 'Salem's Lot for short. Essentially, Stephen King wrote a tale about what would happen if Dracula came to a modern day small town in the US. The story is well written and fun to read. Once I got started, I just kept turning the pages. There's lots of character development, and right when you start getting attached to these people, King starts killing them off. Brilliant and terrifying writing. The bleak ending might even mess you up a little. Maybe.

This is some very impactful writing by a skilled man in the horror genre. I enjoyed this as my initial foray into the twisted world of Stephen King. If you like a good vampire story, this is very rewarding.