That’s another one thumped. Continuing my quest to fill in the holes of my Stephen King bibliography retroactively in publication order, I read ‘Salem’s Lot in October. What an enjoyable romp! I love Stephen King’s ensemble novels, e.g. The Stand and Under the Dome. The man is a master of creating a picturesque setting and populating it with lively characters you either love to love or love to hate.
I feel like even in these large populations, at least in the King novels I have read, there is a primary hero with whom King intends readers to most identify. In The Stand, it was Stuart Redman. Under the Dome had Dale Barbara. This novel starts with Ben Mears and in his first sequence, readers learn he is an author returning to the town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine where he spent his childhood. Readers also learn Mears is a widower. Right away, I identified with Ben’s interest in returning to the place he lived when he was innocent, before adulthood, before life grew difficult and painful and tragic. Back when he was happy. As a person who also writes — one manuscript in a drawer and a second on the way — I identified with Ben’s professional side. I also empathized with Ben’s tragedy. I found Ben immediately likable.
In short order, Stephen King also introduces us to the rest of the town of ‘Salem’s Lot. This is a typical small town with the sheriff and his one deputy, the market, the ice cream parlor, the bar with its ‘flies, the binocular-wielding retiree who feeds the town’s hunger for gossip, the church, the school with its earnest teacher(s), the hospital with its heroic staff. All of these locations are so clear in my head and I can see each of the town’s denizens too. I’ve been to these places and been glared at as an outsider by their people.
As the situation unfolds in Jerusalem’s Lot, a motley crew of protagonists assembles and it felt to me almost like a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party. The wizard archetype is fulfilled by the teacher Matt Burke with his piles of research books. The cleric role is shared by two characters: the priest Father Callahan with the religious perspective and divine powers, and by Dr. James Cody with is ability to provide medical and health advice. I felt the precocious kid Mark Petrie and the stalwart Susan Norton filled the rogue role specializing in operating silently…unless they roll a one on their Stealth check. Ben is the fighter of the party, the frontline operator. Any other D&D players out there catch the same vibe from these folks?
There is also the old house on the hill. Of course there is. And of course it isn’t just any old house. Things happened there. And because we are in Stephen King’s world, things will happen there again and so it is a spooky old house. That is why we are here after all. While not as frightening as some other King stories, this novel certainly had a couple of scenes that made my hair stand on end. Barlow is a good main villain, but I found myself much more unsettled by Straker probably because I was never quite sure what he was and that made him much more frightening. I am not huge into vampire fiction — zombies are more my thing — but the lore shared in this novel piqued my interest and I plan to explore more vampire fiction to see what I am missing. I just have to make sure I find time to continue reading Stephen King’s work as well. If my log is correct, his Bachman Books collection is next.