Now it might seem at first like King is just treading over familiar Horror terrain:; But Salem's Lot is full of energy, great characters, and, of course, a lotta horror.
King attacks his story with vicous relish from the get-go, starting with a brilliantly intriguing beggining. His main protaganist is Ben Mears, a writer who gets caught up in the evil that soon overtakes the small town when an evil(and ancient)vampire moves into the ancient old house on the hill.
Other characters include Straker, the evil henchman(igor reincarnate?), Mike, the old school teacher, and many others.

What makes Salem's Lot so frightening aren't the vampires, strangely enough. For me, it is King's portrayal of the deep secrets that lurk behind small-town America. Behind every closed door and smiling neighbor lies something dark, strange, and often, cruel. King's description of all this takes place long before the vampires ever hit the scene.

Intially, one feels King has a strong sense of the characters who people Salem's Lot. However, by book's end, I feel there is something lacking in his portrayals. True, we know their fears, addictions, ghosts, and early memories, but I don't feel their souls as I think I should. It's like reading a questionnaire about someone - you may know the answers, but it still doesn't give you a person's soul.

Salem's Lot is a page-turner and King should be applauded for that. But, it doesn't stay with me ultimately because it lacks depth in human feeling.

Salem's Lot, copyright 1975 by Stephen King

Since I have just finished re-reading Salem's Lot, I decided to add my thoughts while they are fresh. This was one of the first books I read by Stephen King, it made me afraid to turn my lights out at night.

Set in the small town of Jerusalem's Lot, two strangers come to town bringing terror and fear to the few people who figure out just what they are. This is a modern day vampire story, complete with a haunted house, horrific Vampire (Barlow) his faithful sidekick (Straker) and several heroic good-guys (Ben Mears, Dr. Jimmy Cody, Father Donald Callahan, Mark Petrie, Susan Norton and Matt Burke). Good versus Evil, Light versus Dark, Salem's Lot is like a midnight stroll through a dark alley.