I've got about 200 pages left in 'Salem's Lot. It's hard to imagine readers back in the 70s who didn't know anything about Stephen King discovering the one/two punch of Carrie and this vampire tale. I can see how he became the sensation that he did. These books are really spectacular. They are not high literature, but they have an art to them that really captivates. There are several passages in The Lot that have knocked my sox off. There is one bit, when King is introducing us to Matt, the high school English teacher who is the first to encounter the vampires, where Kin gets into describing high school and community theater. It is so spot on that I had to stop for a minute and reread the page. It was hilarious.
Another great section is when King takes a break from his story about midway through to reflect and describe the elements that make up the small town. It really is beautiful, and if I wasn't already on board with the people of Salem's Lot, I would have been after that passage.
Finally, there is a bit that I hit yesterday in the section of the book where King focuses on Mark, the heroic kid who fights off Straker. King's knowledge of and ability to translate the experiences of children in terrible situations is probably the most astounding piece in his large bag of tricks. When we are placed in the shoes of a child, the terror becomes that much more real, because it is something that everyone in the world can identify with. King's kids are always my favorite part of his writing. Naturally, I can't wait to get to IT.
I've also recently been watching Under the Dome, the television series based on King's book. For more about it, check out my 60 (90!) Days of Horror Blog. But I will say that I enjoy the show enough to keep watching, even though this second season hasn't kept me as into it as the first one did. Dwight Yoakam's cameo is about the high point of this season, which at this point has completely departed from anything contained in the novel.
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