Book Review: Salem's Lot

Lovely readers,

Hello again! I hope you all are having a wonderful Monday. I know I am! Also I'm very excited to have changed the layouts of these reviews, it makes everything so much easier. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

This time I'm very happy to present 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975). I'm on a quest to complete the entire works of King and I thought this was a good place to continue. 'Salem's Lot is King's second novel, set again in a quaint town in Maine in the 70's. The story follows a man named Ben Mears who travels back to his boyhood home of Jerusalem's Lot to attempt to finish his next novel, written around an old legend of the haunted Marsten House. This novel draws from the old-era horror stories: witches, darkness, vampires, haunted houses. I will include my breakdown below!

First Impressions:

• I went into this book hoping for a truly scary experience, and I wasn't disappointed. I haven't had a read a book with the lights on since The Shining. 
• My biggest surprise I experienced when starting this book was the talent. I was blown away when I discovered that this is only King's second novel. Again, his language and the way he produces his thoughts onto paper... it has the skill of a life-long writer. This story really swept me away. 
• After the first couple of chapters, I started to notice the little roots of The Dark Tower snaking throughout the pages of 'Salem's Lot. I will always stress how much more you find out after reading The Dark Tower. King knows how to bury the easter eggs. 

Plot: 

• 'Salem's Lot begins with Ben Mears, traveling into Maine. He is going back to his boyhood home to try and gain some inspiration for his newest novel. You find out quite early that his novel is based on the town's local legend: the haunted house on the hill, the Marsten House. The legend surrounding this house is one that the town is built upon. 
• While Ben's storyline continues, he meets Susan (a young women living in Jerusalem's Lot). They begin something of a fling. During this time, many strange things start happening in the town. People are being murdered, children disappearing from their homes, and a strange man comes in from out of town to purchase the Marsten House. This strikes Ben as odd, but as far as the middle of the book, they find no connection between Straker (the mysterious stranger) and the disappearances. 
• It is not until over half way through the book that the reader discovers the origin of Straker and his partner Barlow: they are vampires. 
• More and more people start disappearing, including children and Mears' female friend Susan Norton. Ben teams up with some townspeople and they band together to fight the vampires in the Lot. Among the team is Ben, Jimmy Cody (the town's doctors), Matt (teacher), Father Donald Callahan, and a young boy named Mark Petrie. They begin gathering folk lore about vampires and set out to collect things like wooden stakes, garlic, white roses, and holy water. 
• Eventually, the group thins out thanks to Barlow. Matt dies from natural causes, Jimmy is taken into the cellar of the Marsten House, Susan is infected, Father Callahan is marked and leaves the Lot. Ben and Mark end up being on their own as they travel into the cellar of Eva Miller's boarding house (the same house that Ben rented a room at in the beginning) and find Barlow's coffin below. 
• The ending of the book comes rather swift: Ben and Mark drive a stake through the heart of Barlow while he is resting in the coffin. They discover that the entire town has been taken over by these creatures, and it completely silent during the daylight hours. However, at night, the two are traveling out of the Lot and see huge groups of them... wandering aimlessly around the streets. Ben eventually travels back to the Lot without Mark later on (he leaves him somewhere safe, as he has no parents anymore) and sees that everything has closed. The vampire have taken over the small town permanently. Ben never finishes his book.

Opinon: 

• I now understand why this book is considered a pivotal work on vampires. The detail that went in to describing them and finding the folklore is impressive. 
• This book was a rollercoaster. There were many times I was impressed with the "community" motif. Ben, Jimmy, Mark, Matt, and Don all band together in the face of horror and death. They create a bond that can't be broken by vampires. Not in the Lot. 
• However sad and heart-wrenching 'Salem's Lot is, it is also one of my new favorite horror books. The ending will have the hair on the back of your neck standing up no problem. I suggest enjoying this tale with the lights on. 

Overall, a wonderful edition to King's horror collection. It's so hard for me to believe that this is only his second book, but then again how can I be surprised? King truly is the modern world's greatest horror/science fiction writer. Can't wait to dive into more of his books. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this review. 

More to come! 

Stay smart, keep reading, 

Love, 

K. 

Book Review: Insomnia

Lovely readers,

Another book, another review! I'm still very much on a King binge, and couldn't resist buying The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, and Doctor Sleep the other day so expect some new reviews coming up!
Anyway, back to business, Insomnia. I must say that choosing to read this book directly following The Dark Tower was a choice I would recommend. I used a website (Stephen King Connections) to check out all the connections between King's novels. There are a staggering number, and it was really interesting to see how Roland's universe expands into all others. But, I'm rambling, so let's get down to business.

I also wanted to make a couple of changes to the layouts of my reviews from now on. I want to start phasing out the pros and cons list, in favor of something a little more informative. Bear with me please while I start to take this transition to the next level; the next few reviews may be a little jumbled.

First Impressions:

• This book was a pleasant surprise after the ending of TDT. It begins innocently enough with Ralph Roberts saying goodbye to his wife Carolyn. Cancer has taken her. Insomnia picks up shortly after Carolyn dies, centering on Ralph's escalating lack of sleep. The beginning was very interesting and different from the usual King introductions: it seemed completely normal. Takes you off guard. 
• I found this story actually very easy to read (despite it being 787 pages) and not overcomplicated. 

Plot: 

• The plot of this book starts out very strange, and only gets stranger as you read. As I said above, Insomnia begins with a man named Ralph Roberts. He is dealing with heavy insomnia after his wife passed away from cancer. Ralph lives on Harris Avenue in Derry, Maine (a town notorious for having been invented by King, used as a stage for many of his stories) along with a few others. The block is mostly populated by the elderly, and Ralph becomes friends with Bill McGovern (his roommate) and Lois Chasse (a neighbor). 
• As readers of TDT may know, Insomnia draws many parallels between the series. Ed Deepenu, one of the residents on the block, starts to show signs of insanity. He founds a group dedicated to stopping abortion rallies from taking place in Derry. Ralph, despite dealing with heavy bouts of insomnia waking him an hour earlier each night, catches wind of Ed's insanity. Little does he know that he is intertwined with Ed. 
• The book goes on to reveal that Ralph (and eventually Lois) are seeing auras. They can draw from them, kind of steal the energy like some form of vampirism. They encounter beings that control the powers of Purpose and Random. Eventually they are recruited by these beings to change the course of time by saving a boy. 
• Obviously there are insane amounts of detail that I am leaving out here, but I can't spoil all the fun! 
• Ralph and Lois eventually get married and begin to try and live life outside of the auras and the forces working beyond their comprehension. The book ends with Ralph honoring a promise he made long ago, to a pair of doctors. 

Opinion: 

• I can't say anything bad about this book, honestly. There were a few times where I felt my feet were dragging, but other than those I was completely consumed the whole time. 
• King has a way of writing age, if that makes sense. He has a certain air about him when he is writing from the perspective of an older person, Ralph was no exception. It was as if I could literally feel the insomnia, the aching joints, the headaches... seeping into my head as I continued. Very touching stuff. 
• I did find myself not as fond of the ending as I thought. I don't even know what I expected but I felt like there was unfinished business, and that King may have left something out... something for us to find later perhaps? 

Overall, an awesome read. King very rarely disappoints, and this book proved the rule. If you are a fan of The Dark Tower or King books in general, I would highly recommend you pick this one up. 

Thanks, and as always keep reading, 

K. 

Book Review: The Dark Tower VII (Part two)

Lovely readers,

Back again to continue my review on The Dark Tower VII! This series was by far my biggest triumph yet. Sure, Harry Potter was obviously a challenge, but nothing compared to this emotional rollercoaster. Stephen King has rapidly climbed to the top of my favorites list, and I feel a little dumb for not catching on to this series sooner. Anyway, I'm excited to get started! I will include my pros and cons below, but as I did in part one, I'll be including a bit of a responce to the series below my list. As always, thanks for reading!

If you have not started/finished the last book in The Dark Tower series, I highly suggest you click away from this review. There will be spoilers contained below, be warned. 

Pros:

• How can I even begin? The greatest pro I can give this book is that is was the perfect ending to The Dark Tower. I had a lot of anxiety about reaching the end, worried about how King was going to close such an epic tale. Let me just say that I wasn't disappointed in the end, but I did have trouble getting there. 
• Taking a step out of the plot for a bit, I want to talk about the characters themselves. King has always possessed a special talent of connecting readers to his characters, but this series takes the cake as far as that goes. Each person (Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, Oy, Pere Callahan, etc.) is given their own time. They each pull at your heart in one way or another, and become vivid and real. This is prevalent throughout the series, not only the last installment. 
• Another thing, sweepingly, that I've noticed is King's theatrical approach in the publishing of this series/book. There are gorgeous paintings in The Dark Tower VII and the chapters include codas, leading the reader places after the story has ended. This was always a pro for me, it made me feel included and part of the series. 

Cons/other:

• When part one ended, we left off right after the death of Jake and Eddie. It was hard to find any real pros (not style related) in this part, so I'll kind of pick up on the story in this section. After the ka-tet is truly broken (and many other things happen), Roland, Susannah, and Oy continue together on the road to The Dark Tower. They come finally into Empathica and stumble upon a cabin in the snowy mountains. I can't include too much detail here, as it would truly spoil the story, but here they meet Dandelo. There are ensuing problems, but the three come out alive. This particular part gave me a lot of anxiety, as it was clear the story was coming to a close. 
• Things become alright. The trio gather supplies, and stumble upon a young man named Patrick. He will later be known as The Artist, but we will get there. Patrick has a beautiful gift for drawing and, as they get within 200 miles of TDT, they discover how important this gift is. Patrick draws a door, scrawled with the title The Artist. Sadly, it opens on New York in Keystone World. And Susannah decides to leave Roland and Oy behind, hoping to be reunited with Eddie and Jake. This broke my heart, personally. 
• Despite losing The Lady of the Shadows, the new trio travel on. But, there is always the feeling, that in the shadows, Mordred (in search of his White Daddy) is waiting to pounce. And eventually he does, killing Oy tragically, but meeting his death anyway. In the darkness, Roland hears the cry of the Crimson King at the death of his son, and Roland cries for Oy. 
• It is here that the story gets very close. Roland and Patrick reach the field of roses in which The Dark Tower rests. It is getting difficult for me to say, as I don't want to spoil the story, but Roland makes it through the door to the Dark Tower. 

This story ends in a way that only it could. Roland makes it to the top of the Dark Tower (with help from The Artist's amazing ability... and eraser), but what he finds shook me. He climbs the tall stair case, past floors resembling his life, and reaches the door to the top balcony. Roland pushes the door open only to find a vast desert... the same desert he traveled across so long ago. The desert that he met the wayward son and his bird, Z. The same desert he crossed to Tull, where he bedded a woman, where he passed through the oracle's grasp. He has returned. 

(Ka is a wheel, say thankya)

The book closes on the phrase: The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed. 

This series touched my life far greater than I expected. I was completely ensnared, obsessed, consumed with this tale. I have even begun reading every other King book that's even remotely related to The Dark Tower. I can't stress how highly I recommend reading this series, and I can't express how happy I am to have been able to review it myself. It was a blast, a very rewarding journey. 

As always, thank you for reading and sticking through this with me. 

Keep reading, stay awesome, 

K. 

Book Review: The Dark Tower VII (Part one)

Lovely readers,

I am so happy to say that as of today I have finished The Dark Tower series. Excuse me for getting emotional, but I honestly can't believe it's finally over... or partially over. I want to stress this: If you have not started/finished the last book in The Dark Tower series, I highly suggest you click away from this review. There will be spoilers contained below, be warned. 

I am still trying to peice together exactly what I want to say about this amazing book, so I've decided to split this review into two parts. The first part will end before the journey begins its end. The second will pick up after the final ka-tet is broken. Along with the normal lists, I'm going to include a different kind of ending to this review. You'll see! My pros and cons are included below, and thank you again for reading.

Pros:

• How can I even begin to list my pros for this book? I find it best to just keep it simple. This book was the perfect ending to The Dark Tower series (I can't include much because part two is yet to be started). I'll just say that through all the ups and down of this journey, the last book really was the icing on top. 
• This book really tested the loyalty of the reader. There were many times throughout The Dark Tower VII that things happen to the characters we've come to love. It proves to me that a truly good story needs no happy ending, only a meaningful one. 
• Broad generalizations aside, the epic journey contained in just the last book is inconceivable. Not only do our gunslingers successfully form the Tet Corporation (for protecting the rose), but they also meet another gifted person along the way (quite a few actually), they reunite with Sheemie from Mejis, and discover the truth about the Dark Tower, Mordred, and The Crimson King. It's a fantastic journey, heartbreak aside. 

Cons: 

• As with many wonderful journeys (LOTR and Harry Potter are the first two to come to mind), there are many deaths along the way to victory. During the first half of The Dark Tower VII, Father Callahan dies at the hand of the lowmen at the Dixie Pig. The ka-tet remains strong until after Thunderclap is taken... where, blowing many readers out of the water, Eddie is shot fatally. This truly when the ka-tet breaks, as Susannah stays behind to care for Eddie while Roland and Jake (and Oy) return to Keystone World (the "real" world, where time moves correctly). The three are returning to protect Stephen King from a fatal car accident. To the horror of readers everywhere, Roland is able to save King's life... but Jake dies in the process. It just kills me to think of how broken Roland must have felt to have lost his son again. 
• I'm sorry to say that this a con, but I couldn't handle how close the deaths were together. There didn't seem to be any real space between Eddie and Jake's deaths. That caused a hard emotional time for me (I get very involved in the story, bite me). 

Now for the rest. I loved this book. It brought me to tears several times and still makes me sad to think about... but also curious. That's the beauty of Stephen King's writing abilities... no matter how dark the story, he is always able to grab ahold and cling on to readers. That's just a beautiful thing to me. This series is not for someone who get overly involved/emotional about the story... a lot of terrible things happen. But a lot of good things do too, a lot of universes and ideas. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes to be taken for a ride. But I'll include more in part two of this review. 

As always, and with love, 

Keep reading, 

K.