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#0013 'Salem's Lot

Writer's picture: AlexanderAlexander

Today, I’m writing about another research book for The Visions of Bezek, ‘Salem’s Lot.

 

Back when I was a kid, I remember ‘Salem’s Lot playing on TV late at night. The details are a little fuzzy, but I knew about this book since I was a kid. It wasn’t until I was over 30 years old that I realized the title starts with an apostrophe, because the actual name of the town is Jerusalem’s Lot. Everyone just calls it ‘Salem’s Lot. Who knew? Not me.


Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about this book. It was a written in 1975. It’s the second novel by a little known author named Stephen King. Maybe you’ve heard of him?


Sarcasm aside, this is probably the most well‑known author from my research books, and this is the first book I’ve read from him. Here’s the synopsis:


Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Mears begins to realize that something sinister is at work. In fact, his hometown is under siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that is growing within the borders of this small New England town.

I selected this book because it’s in the horror genre and it takes place in a small town. This was one of the most helpful books for my research. King masterfully crafts an entire community within this town and ties it together in the chilling tale.


“The town has a sense, not of history, but of time, and the telephone poles seem to know this. If you lay your hand against one, you can feel the vibration from the wires deep within the wood, as if souls had been imprisoned in there and were struggling to get out.”

It takes a while to do such a thing, though. This book was quite long, well over 400 pages. With that said, I found the overall storyline lacking compared to today’s standards. Times have certainly changed and writing styles have changed with it. To clarify my complaint, the storytelling is superb, but the storyline is lacking. It feels generic. Even though that's the case for me, there are still parts of the story that will stick with me forever.


“If a fear cannot be articulated, it can’t be conquered.”

A few weeks later I watched the 1979 movie. It wasn’t as good as the book. It’s a kind of painful to watch. Abby fell asleep about thirty minutes into it, and I wished I’d fallen asleep. It’s a good bit outdated and may have been much better back in 1979. Either way, I don’t recommend it, but I do recommend the book. It’s worth reading for how well the story and town are crafted.

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