Product Description

Stephen King's second novel, Salem's Lot, is the story of a mundane town under siege from the forces of darkness. Considered one of the most terrifying vampire novels ever written, it cunningly probes the shadows of the human heart -- and the insular evils of small-town America.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #980726 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From AudioFile
A dark wind is blowing into Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, in the guise of antique furniture dealers R.T. Straker and Kurt Barlow. Novelist Benjamin Mears has returned to the village near Portland to exorcise his childhood demons. Immediately, townspeople begin suffering from strange flu symptoms, or disappearing altogether. Mears and local high school teacher Matt Burke understand the peril the town faces. Soon they're joined by an artist, a doctor, an alcoholic priest, and an 11-year old boy, forming a modern-day team of vampire hunters. Ron McLarty goes straight for the jugular as he reads Stephen King's second novel. His voice is gently welcoming as he portrays the townspeople, giving them authentic rural Maine accents. But he also commands a menacing tone that will have listeners checking over their shoulders and under their beds. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Lisey's Story and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He was the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Ron McLarty has appeared on Broadway in That Championship Season, Our Country's Good, and Moonchildren. His film credits include Two Bits, The Postman, and The Flamingo Kid. He has starred on television in Spenser for Hire and Cop Rock. Mr. McLarty is also a novelist and an award-winning playwright.

Customer Reviews

Great book - LOUSY READER!
This is a great book - I read it as a little kid when it came out. I listen to dozens of audiobooks each year, and this guy is the second-worst reader I have ever heard (behind the guy who reads the unabridged version of Harris' Red Dragon - what a disaster that was!).

All of the characters sound exactly the same to me, with the exception of the 10 year old boy. Of all books to let this guy read, a Stephen King book is probably not the one I would have picked.

I know that Frank Muller is out of commission, but couldn't they have found someone else? BAD CHOICE.

salems lot review
Tom Hanson
May 25, 2004
Period 2

Review of "Salems' Lot"

Stephen King is world famous for some of his novel's which include Hearts in Atlantis, The Shining, and The Stand, and that is to just name a few of his accomplishments. This horror book is a book that can teach you that if you have faith in yourself and god that you can overcome any evil.
The novel like almost all other of his novel starts slow at the gate but then it takes off right after the first 100 pages. This is one of the most exciting books that I have ever read; it sent chills up my spine in some parts.
The book starts off with The main character, Ben Mears coming to the town that he had spent time at as a boy and he has decided that he is going to write a book about the creepy house on top of a hill that a murderer used to live at and where he killed himself. The house is known as "The Marsten House". As he goes through the town you start to meet the other characters of the book as they go about their daily lives in a small town.
This is the boring part of the book, all it does is talk about the town and its people it doesn't get into the good stuff until the incident with Danny Glick and his little brother Ralphie. They are walking in the woods on the way to Mark Petri's house to play. A mysterious thing attacks them. Ralphie was kidnapped and Danny shows up and was bitten by a vampire. In the story they don't know that this happened they just think that Danny is in shock and then he mysteriously dies of what appeared to be no reason. But the fact is that he really didn't die he was just biding for his time to rise at night and inflict horror on the little town.
After this one of the high school teacher by the name of Matt Burke found one of his former students named Mike Ryerson in a bar awful looking. He talks like he can't remember anything and doesn't feel good. Matt takes him home and later that night he hears Danny's voice in the door he is too scared to enter but he remembered locking the window before leaving. Next morning he was dead and after that his body vanishes from the morgue.
This is not the only vanishing body stint that happens. The people are starting to die like nothing else and there is always any real explanation for the sudden deaths in a town that barley sees one death a year. Ben Mears and Matt Burke are so far the only ones that believe in the vampire theory for sure. Ben's girlfriend, Susan Norton kind of believes but is not 100%. Ben decides to watch Mrs. Glicks body in the morgue with the doctor, Jimmy. That night they watched her rise from the dead and called for Danny. The person who answered was Ben and the doctor. They confronted her with a crucifix but she still almost go a chance to infect Jimmy. After this they were definitely sure of the Vampire theory.
I am not going to go any farther with the book summary because I will ruin it for you the reader and I want you to discover for yourself how great, how exciting, and how hard it is to put this book down.
Besides some of the boring and descriptive parts of the novel it was a very good book. Some of the best things that I liked about it was how the novel was written. How it would tell the reader the different story's of different people in the book. I also liked that the book was time framed; I don't like it when story's always skip ten years at a time. This is a very good novel and I would suggest that you at least be 12 years old and that you read it during the day.

Definitely Worth The Price of Admission!
It doesn't matter how many times you've read 'Salem's Lot (my current record is 8--unfortuantely, for a King fan, that's rather LOW), when you actually HEAR it, it's like the first time you've ever ventured into this menacing village!

Ron McLarty is a very enjoyable reader, especially when that wonderful ol' timer Maine accent comes into play from some of the characters.

My recommendation?

Light 3 thick candles
Turn out all the lights
(try putting one candle in front of you and the other 2 on either side...clustering all 3 in one spot leaves too many questionable 'shadows' around you)
Put on your headphones
Sit back, and fall right on in.

Now, if they'd ONLY get started on the UNABRIDGED audio versions The Shining & Carrie next....

Hope you enjoy it!!