'Salem’s Lot
by Stephen King · first published 1959
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Atmospheric small-town horror with slow-building dread and memorable characters. An early King favorite and a good entry point, with links to his wider universe.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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. (source)
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…than 500 pages. I read a story about Stephen King. Apparently, he hates being edited (most writers don't like it). When he was just starting out, he was forced into being edited. I remember reading 'Salem's Lot, back in the 1970s. It was an awesome book (Relatively short, succinct, scary as hell), and made me suddenly become a Stephen King fan. As he got more and more famous, he started being able to bully…
on “Ask HN: How to level up your technical writing?” ↗…is Stephen King. He is well-known for disliking editors, and, as his fame grew, he didn't need to use them. Back in the 1970s ('75 or '76, I believe), a friend told me about this awesome book, called 'Salem's Lot. I got it, and read it. It wasn't too long, and was fine for an addlebrained teenager. It was the first book that I ever read, that made me look under the bed before I went to sleep. After that, I couldn't…
on “Things I learned writing my first technical book” ↗…Stephenson) - Cryptonomicon (" ") - Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers) - All of the "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber) - The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin) - 'salem's Lot (Stephen King) - Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein) - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain) - the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman) - various Cory Doctorow short stories - Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard…
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗…Stephenson: Cryptonomicon, Anathem, Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World (twice or three times) Frank Herbert: Dune (three times) Tolkien: Lord of the Rings (three times) Stephen King: Salem's Lot, The Shining, It (three times each) Stephen King & Peter Straub: The Talisman (twice) Vernor Vinge: A Deepness in the Sky, A Fire Upon The Deep, Rainbow's End (each twice) Tracy Kidder: The Soul of…
on “Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?” ↗…probably because King doesn't feel constrained by convention or genre. And if you have read King's other works you will appreciate the connections to his universe throughout, particularly The Stand and Salem's Lot. Like others have said, the first 2 books are particularly good. But, be warned that the second book deals with a lot of racial and sexual issues, and King does not have a filter. The fourth book is…
on “The Animal Is Tired” ↗…time, but he's enjoyable while not feeling like you're reading YA or something age inappropriate. And his classics are classics for a reason. Can't go wrong with Carrie, The Stand, Misery, The Shining or Salem's Lot.
on “Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun” ↗The exact same thing happened to me. I re-read The Gunslinger a decade after my first read, and somehow found it even worse. For a long time I refused to read King, but I've since read Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary and The Shining and all were great.
on “Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works” ↗Elevation by Stephen King. I'd count King among my favorite authors. I regularly go back to reread classics like Salem's Lot and The Stand. But I've fallen out of the habit of reading him lately because his output is so prodigious, and his books have taken on a sameness that I find wearying. In that context, Elevation, which…
on “Ask HN: Favorite Fiction Books of 2018?” ↗…endorse the books that I read and enjoy. Here are the books I've read in the last 4 months, not in order: * Frank Herbert - Dune * J.R.R. Tolkein - The LotR trilogy + The Silmarillion * Stephen King - 'Salem's Lot * Stephen King (short story) - Jerusalem's Lot * Stephen King (short story) - The Night Flier * Stephen King (short story) - The Children of the Corn * Stephen King - The Stand (uncut version) *…
on “Intellectual Loneliness” ↗well, audio books: - Salem's Lot - the Moon is a harsh mistress - Stranger in a Strange land - The Stand (1990 edition, which initially confused me since I read the 1980 edition long ago) - The best short stories of Mark Twain -…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗