Just Finished Rereading Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot

I first read Stephen King's second blockbuster novel 'Salem's Lot many years ago...later, when I was reading his Dark Tower fantasy series, one of the characters made a surprising appearance, rekindling my interest in this tribute to Bram Stoker's Dracula.  So yes, 'Salem's Lot is about vampires and, naturally, the setting is another one of those rural, peculiar Maine towns in King's fertile and sometimes rather dark imagination...

The setting is the autumn of 1975, which for Stephen King was also the publication of this book.  An established fiction novelist Ben Mears, who lived for a short spell during his childhood in the town of Jerusalem's Lot, moves back to collect research material and inspiration for a new book he is writing...as well as to confront a traumatic experience he had back then at the Marsten House, the town's haunted house that towers over everything else from the top of a hill.  Failing in his attempt to rent it out for himself, he discovers that a reclusive pair of men, Straker and Barlow, have recently purchased it...just what is their game in Jerusalem's Lot, people wonder.  Soon thereafter the two Glick boys are attacked while walking through a wooded shortcut to a friend's house...Ralphie is found murdered while Danny returns in an amnesiac daze, sickens, and dies of anemia.  The local police immediately suspect the newcomers Straker and Barlow...as well as Ben.  Meanwhile, Ben has befriended Susan Orton, with whom he establishes a romantic relationship.  As the town's population gradually disappears, a dread is growing that something evil has taken root.  Well, we know what that "root" problem is: vampires!  Other characters like the boy Mike Petrie, physician Jim Cody, English teacher Mark Burke, and Father Callahan join Ben in the mortal struggle against their adversaries...

In 'Salem's Lot, Stephen King established a pattern in his novels that he rarely deviated from: believable, ordinary people like you and me are put into a situation that not only places them and their loved ones in peril and makes them question their own moral strength and courage, but also strongly challenges their sense of what is real and what isn't.  And also as often is the case with his other works, the influence of an all-powerful and all-knowing...and jealous and vengeful...God is there...

Although I enjoyed the entirety of 'Salem's Lot, it really won me over by its ending: perfect!  There seemed to be room given for a sequel, although other than in the Dark Tower series, no further reference has been made to it.  There was a miniseries based on this novel a few years back, but seeing how generally skeptical I am about screen adaptations of Stephen King's stories, I've felt no desire to watch it.  But the book was very good...