(1975)Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Author Ben Mears returns to ‘Salem's Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead.
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Review: I started this book with no real idea of where it was going (having never seen any film adaption or having heard anything about it). I wasn't even sure how true to the idea of 'vampires' it would stay - whether directly supernatural elements would be exposed, or whether the truth would be left open to the reader with the possibility of a rational explanation.
Apparently, the former. The book, I found, for the first half or so stayed very quiet and realistic, and then suddenly jumped into Dracula mode. Having said that, I loved the introduction to the characters throughout the first half, I loved that the events didn't just have an as-necessary-to-plot boundary, but the boundaries were really those of the town – I got a real feel for the place and its inhabitants. You get to know the townsfolk and the way things mosey through the days in the town. Then when the book jumps into Dracula mode, it manages to retain a distinct level of credibility due to the realistic roots under the surreal events. Along with most of the main characters being very likeable, this made the whole story very easy to immerse oneself in.
The character development is somewhat lacking, although this mainly shows up in the relations between characters. I didn’t find the relationship between Ben and Susan credible, when Ben told Mark he loved him, I had to ask, 'since when?!' and really the most believeable pairing I found was old Ava and Weasel. I was actually kind of happy for them when they got their sort-of happy ending. Other than that, I thought each character had a good distinct identity. Most of the identities weren’t strictly necessary to the story, but the variety of personalities, no matter how one-dimensional, all added up to a well layered portrayal of a town. As such, I was willing to overlook the somewhat undeveloped relations between characters. Mark in particular stood out for me, from his very first scene where he outsmarts a bully. He’s a really wonderful character.
I also liked the old-school vampire interpretation. I know it was written in the 70's and the Louis’ and Angels’ and Edward Cullens we all love hadn't been invented yet, but having never read an old-school vampire book other than Dracula, it was really refreshing to read such a style in a relatively modern text.
Overall, having only found one flaw with the book, it turned out to be one of the best novels I’ve read in quite a while. A genuinely enthralling traditional vampire tale.
Rating: 5/5
