[.uk] Salem's Lot (ISBN 0743536967)

Unfailingly brilliant.:
This review is for the Audio book of Salem's Lot. Read by Ron McLarty. Although I own this book, I also have the Audio Book because the story is so deliciously horrifying and brilliant that I want to hear the words aloud. To me its like listening to a favorite CD over and over again, I love to surround myself with the visuals that Stephen King so eloquently penned into this book. At 17.33 hours, it's a long orgasmic poetic nightmare that you never want to wake up from. Ron McLarty does an excellent job, seeing as this book is written from so many points of view, female included. Listening to someone read a favorite book is comforting, and I also have found that I see things differently, hear things I haven't heard before, the story is more alive in some way through audio. If you love the book, get this, if you have never read the book, get this. When you are through share it with a friend, they will thank you.

Reddragon:
The product came quickly. It was exactly as advetised and met expectations. Thank You. I hated the story very boring. Shipping and product was in good condition.

Disturbing and well-written.:
I had only seen the miniseries of Salem's Lot starring David Soul prior to listening to the unabridged audiobook...a couple times when I was a kid and very easily scared, and a few times on Halloween since. But I wasn't prepared for King's wonderful but often times disturbing story of this small Maine town. Ben's vivid recollection of the hanging Mr. Marsten set the tone very early, as did the description of the 10 month old baby being beaten by his mother because he was hungry and screaming...beaten so badly that his eyes were swollen shut. And yet, when he had finished his bottle, he was smiling, seemingly oblivious to the beating he'd just received by the very person who had also just fed him. It's that kind of sickening, unfortunate and stomach-turning reality of life that lends itself so well to fantasy; when the two are indistinguishable in a story you know you're hearing or reading something good, and the rest of the book follows suit. As for the reader, Ron McLarty, I was not so impressed. I can certainly appreciate his skills as a reader, but I don't feel his light-hearted voice and loose style fit the story. There's no doubt he'd be a perfect match for other subjects, but I personally was hoping for someone with an edge...someone a bit more somber in his approach to the text.

Disappointing on every level. Pick a different King.:
I remember reading a few of King's novels as a kid, if more for the characters than for the monsters. Salem's Lot disappoints on both counts, with most of the characters remaining strangely lifeless (no pun intended) and the book's misogyny being much scarier than the actual monsters. To add insult to injury, I was not a big fan of the reader either (but that part of course is highly subjective), and the pace is rather slow at times. Still, I'm not much of a quitter so I managed to hold on for most of the story. But eventually, I had to give up in disgust, two discs from the end: A first. Corollary: If you want a story of King's at all, I suggest you pick a different one.

An Addicting Read:
I first read Salem's Lot in college; I had been on the lookout for a new author and finally had ascented to my Dad's suggestion to give King a try. Salem's Lot was not the first King book I picked up, that would be It, but it soon became one of my favorites; the rare book which could not only scare me but also make me think! Flash forward about a year or so; I was just completing my student teaching and was living at home. Wandering through the library looking for a good Audiobook to keep me company in the car, I stumble upon this edition of "Salem's Lot". With a small grin, I grab it and am soon popping it into my car; sure enough, listening to the book has the same effect on me that reading it did, I get out of my car and am half expecting to see some monster waiting for me at my house. If this version of the book had only done that alone it would have deserved 4 stars but, oh no, this audiobook also managed to convert an avowed hater of horror into a devoted Stephen King fan. I was driving in the car with my Mother one day when I popped the first disk in without telling her the name of the book. By the end of the first chapter she was hooked, and there was a look of horror and suprise on her face when I finally revealed the name of the book and the author. Over the next two weeks she spent every moment in the car listening to this book and has now become a very big Stephen King fan. So, there you go, a story so good that people who HATE horror will love it!