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Later
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2021)The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.
Later is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King's classic novel IT, Later is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.
Later is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King's classic novel IT, Later is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.
264 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
About the author
Stephen King
2,620 books863k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,874 reviews
October 23, 2024
Stephen King's writing is like coming home for me. There's no doubt, it's my comfort zone. This story is no exception.
A coming-of-age tale with a supernatural twist, Later follows Jamie and his struggling single-mother, Tia.
Jamie first discovered his ability when he was just a young boy. He can see things others can't and sometimes it's really scary.
But it is an unchangeable part of himself and he learns the rules of it, as well as how best to live with it.
His mother knows what he can do, but she doesn't like to talk about it. It scares her too. She urges Jamie to keep it a secret.
However, when she is backed against a wall, Tia asks Jamie to use his ability to help her. This event exposes Jamie's gift to Tia's police officer girlfriend, Liz.
After their relationship sours and the women call it quits, Liz continues circling Jamie like a shark. She knows what he can do and eventually plans to use him for her own gain; legalities be damned!
Since this is the King, it does go a lot darker than I am letting on, but it's a short story; one best discovered for yourself.
I loved Jamie so much. The narrative is like you are sitting down with him, having a cup of coffee, or a whiskey, and he is telling you his story. It's natural, heart-warming, occasionally frightening, funny and whip-smart.
I also really appreciated the depth of Jamie's relationship with his mother. It was beautifully explored. King excels at writing complicated familial relationships and that skill is perfectly illustrated here.
He also is a master at writing from the perspective of children. Great character work overall, but I always love his younger characters.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves a Horror-based coming-of-age story.
Chef's kiss for days!!!
Original:
Constant Readers,
This is not a drill.
I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
We have new King!!
A boy with special powers stopping, what sounds like, supernatural crimes...
A coming-of-age tale with a supernatural twist, Later follows Jamie and his struggling single-mother, Tia.
Jamie first discovered his ability when he was just a young boy. He can see things others can't and sometimes it's really scary.
But it is an unchangeable part of himself and he learns the rules of it, as well as how best to live with it.
His mother knows what he can do, but she doesn't like to talk about it. It scares her too. She urges Jamie to keep it a secret.
However, when she is backed against a wall, Tia asks Jamie to use his ability to help her. This event exposes Jamie's gift to Tia's police officer girlfriend, Liz.
After their relationship sours and the women call it quits, Liz continues circling Jamie like a shark. She knows what he can do and eventually plans to use him for her own gain; legalities be damned!
Since this is the King, it does go a lot darker than I am letting on, but it's a short story; one best discovered for yourself.
I loved Jamie so much. The narrative is like you are sitting down with him, having a cup of coffee, or a whiskey, and he is telling you his story. It's natural, heart-warming, occasionally frightening, funny and whip-smart.
I also really appreciated the depth of Jamie's relationship with his mother. It was beautifully explored. King excels at writing complicated familial relationships and that skill is perfectly illustrated here.
He also is a master at writing from the perspective of children. Great character work overall, but I always love his younger characters.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves a Horror-based coming-of-age story.
Chef's kiss for days!!!
Original:
Constant Readers,
This is not a drill.
I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
We have new King!!
A boy with special powers stopping, what sounds like, supernatural crimes...
October 26, 2022
My nearly 20 years long waiting is over! Finally some fascinating King book is written in his old style released and made my quirky, loyal fan brain cells dance! As like they say: better late than never ( for this book: better “Later” than his last published books )
Our MC Jamie Conklin is only thirteen years old kid, who is soooo lovely, smart, perceptive, a great son, mature for his own age and has great sense of humor ( he might have inherited King’s dark sense of humor and that’s totally fine with me! At some parts of the book I truly laughed aloud! ) he can see dead people but don’t mix him with Haley Joel Osment ! He’s unique! At least he can keep his secret, adjusting in his normal life, perfectly compartmentalizing his unique ability.
Only his literary agent mother knows his secret. And both of them agreed to take it to the grave. Till one day they find themselves at the risk of bankruptcy and the only thing they can save them is James’s talking to the ghost of a recently passed away writer to learn how to finish his bestseller series!
It’s getting more interesting, isn’t it? When a third party: his mother’s girlfriend who is a NYPD detective also learns Jamie’s secret, things get out of control and Jamie finds himself pursue a dangerous criminal who is called Thumper already put nineteen bombs around the city! Somebody should stop him before he accomplish his final deadly mission!
This is absolutely fascinating, exciting, action packed unputdownable one sit horror story with lots of entertaining IT references!
I loved Jamie so much and I wish I can see him at the future works of the author. We observe his growing up and leaving him at his early twenties. I’m so curious to see his older times.
I’m sure he’ll whistle again and we’ll meet him sooner! As a dedicated reader I think that’s my final wish about this book!
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Our MC Jamie Conklin is only thirteen years old kid, who is soooo lovely, smart, perceptive, a great son, mature for his own age and has great sense of humor ( he might have inherited King’s dark sense of humor and that’s totally fine with me! At some parts of the book I truly laughed aloud! ) he can see dead people but don’t mix him with Haley Joel Osment ! He’s unique! At least he can keep his secret, adjusting in his normal life, perfectly compartmentalizing his unique ability.
Only his literary agent mother knows his secret. And both of them agreed to take it to the grave. Till one day they find themselves at the risk of bankruptcy and the only thing they can save them is James’s talking to the ghost of a recently passed away writer to learn how to finish his bestseller series!
It’s getting more interesting, isn’t it? When a third party: his mother’s girlfriend who is a NYPD detective also learns Jamie’s secret, things get out of control and Jamie finds himself pursue a dangerous criminal who is called Thumper already put nineteen bombs around the city! Somebody should stop him before he accomplish his final deadly mission!
This is absolutely fascinating, exciting, action packed unputdownable one sit horror story with lots of entertaining IT references!
I loved Jamie so much and I wish I can see him at the future works of the author. We observe his growing up and leaving him at his early twenties. I’m so curious to see his older times.
I’m sure he’ll whistle again and we’ll meet him sooner! As a dedicated reader I think that’s my final wish about this book!
Follow me ( or not 😃)
December 30, 2020
My granny got me hooked on Stephen King when I was young. I wish she was still here for this one. Couldn't put it down.
February 13, 2022
Some gifts given are more of a curse than a superpower, although it highly depends on what one makes out of it.
Did you hear that too?
Ah, fine to see the good old trope of masterfully executed by the King himself. I can´t say how often one experiences this concept in action, but by mixing the emotional with the paranormal frightening, the master fully lives up to the expectations readers have of a prodigy characterizer.
Guess who´s back, dark paranormal again.
How great it feels to have the good, horror focused King back, who made some trips towards more thriller and crime with some grains of horror sprinkled above it. Now, he´s back with what he is best at, thrilling suspense all way along and combining it with the crime thriller genre he discovered for himself pretty late as his career. And it just feels right again like in the good old days, when a different, more dynamic, action, and fantasy focused King created works that were more fantastic horror tales than realistic crime scene investigations with some psi element.
Using the special ability for ones´ own projects is a nice plot twist that gives it a fine dynamic
How the use of the protagonists´ superpower evolves throughout the story, and the reader of course guessing which direction it might go next, is the terror duct tape leading to a, for King not always natural and usual, satisfying conclusion. We see a decade in the life of the main protagonists, an interesting third party,
an antagonist entering the stage, and unconventional money making concepts explored.
Mother child relationships
King is a master of using kids´ perspectives to give his works a special touch, an outstanding ability to forge such amazing, absorbing points of view that make the essence of the terror and fear even more frightening, because it´s the POV of the innocent. To see it through the eyes of a child or a loving, caring mother, wife, which makes the psychological trauma much more disturbing as if a clinical, sociopathic male would say "Well, my family died. May I have fries with the burger, please."
King understands human nature
After having vivisected and driveled much about Kings´work, I would say that that´s the core of his ingenuity, the extreme empathy, and understanding of human emotions that lets hosts of credible characters jump out of his mind, letting them Chuck Norris life as if it was nothing. That´s astonishing in both Kings´quality and quantity, because it´s one of the hardest parts to get the nasty suspension of disbelief surrounding credible characters out of the way, and King is shining at it as if it was nothing. Best über author ever *fanboys*
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Did you hear that too?
Ah, fine to see the good old trope of masterfully executed by the King himself. I can´t say how often one experiences this concept in action, but by mixing the emotional with the paranormal frightening, the master fully lives up to the expectations readers have of a prodigy characterizer.
Guess who´s back, dark paranormal again.
How great it feels to have the good, horror focused King back, who made some trips towards more thriller and crime with some grains of horror sprinkled above it. Now, he´s back with what he is best at, thrilling suspense all way along and combining it with the crime thriller genre he discovered for himself pretty late as his career. And it just feels right again like in the good old days, when a different, more dynamic, action, and fantasy focused King created works that were more fantastic horror tales than realistic crime scene investigations with some psi element.
Using the special ability for ones´ own projects is a nice plot twist that gives it a fine dynamic
How the use of the protagonists´ superpower evolves throughout the story, and the reader of course guessing which direction it might go next, is the terror duct tape leading to a, for King not always natural and usual, satisfying conclusion. We see a decade in the life of the main protagonists, an interesting third party,
an antagonist entering the stage, and unconventional money making concepts explored.
Mother child relationships
King is a master of using kids´ perspectives to give his works a special touch, an outstanding ability to forge such amazing, absorbing points of view that make the essence of the terror and fear even more frightening, because it´s the POV of the innocent. To see it through the eyes of a child or a loving, caring mother, wife, which makes the psychological trauma much more disturbing as if a clinical, sociopathic male would say "Well, my family died. May I have fries with the burger, please."
King understands human nature
After having vivisected and driveled much about Kings´work, I would say that that´s the core of his ingenuity, the extreme empathy, and understanding of human emotions that lets hosts of credible characters jump out of his mind, letting them Chuck Norris life as if it was nothing. That´s astonishing in both Kings´quality and quantity, because it´s one of the hardest parts to get the nasty suspension of disbelief surrounding credible characters out of the way, and King is shining at it as if it was nothing. Best über author ever *fanboys*
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
March 5, 2021
Yes! To ALL of this book!
I'm a life-long SK fan and if he writes it, I will happily read it. There's been a few tiny bumps along the way but not with this book. 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 is total yummy Kingness!
"𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤. 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙪𝙩?"
𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.
I'm a life-long SK fan and if he writes it, I will happily read it. There's been a few tiny bumps along the way but not with this book. 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 is total yummy Kingness!
"𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤. 𝙎𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙪𝙩?"
𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙜𝙤 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.
March 8, 2021
Powerful characters and plentiful scares! Death is always a factor in King novels, but now that he’s writing later in life, it’s become more profound. What it means to live, what it means to die, and what might be waiting in the great beyond was expertly handled in an almost heavenly sense with his feel-good novel Elevation (2018). But if Elevation made you think of Heaven, Later will have you picturing Hell.
The scariest thing is its believability. King’s imagination has predicted the future all too often. How he describes the afterlife—or at least a portion of the afterlife—in this novel comes across eerily plausible. At first death seems like a peaceful, ordinary thing. But macabre entities of the spirit world make it more complicated than that, especially if you’re a kid who can interact with them.
While we all love a thick doorstop from King, he’s also a master of the short novel. Clocking in at under 300 pages, Later flies by in only a few breathless sittings. The limited cast and straight-forward premise allows all the characters to shine and every detail to become important.
I wouldn’t call it a “crime novel” or shelve it with the mysteries. The narrator continually describes his tale as a “horror story” although I don’t know if I would call it horror either. Speculative fiction, perhaps. We get a mainstream cinematic conclusion, but the narrative feels literary. Like Elevation. Then again, there are also traces of classic King, such as Pet Sematary and The Shining, along with many direct references to IT. I would go so far as to say it’s a pseudo coda to IT.
King fans, don’t hesitate. The master is still at the top of his game. You won’t be able to put this down, even if sometimes it’s creepy enough that you’ll want to.
The scariest thing is its believability. King’s imagination has predicted the future all too often. How he describes the afterlife—or at least a portion of the afterlife—in this novel comes across eerily plausible. At first death seems like a peaceful, ordinary thing. But macabre entities of the spirit world make it more complicated than that, especially if you’re a kid who can interact with them.
While we all love a thick doorstop from King, he’s also a master of the short novel. Clocking in at under 300 pages, Later flies by in only a few breathless sittings. The limited cast and straight-forward premise allows all the characters to shine and every detail to become important.
I wouldn’t call it a “crime novel” or shelve it with the mysteries. The narrator continually describes his tale as a “horror story” although I don’t know if I would call it horror either. Speculative fiction, perhaps. We get a mainstream cinematic conclusion, but the narrative feels literary. Like Elevation. Then again, there are also traces of classic King, such as Pet Sematary and The Shining, along with many direct references to IT. I would go so far as to say it’s a pseudo coda to IT.
King fans, don’t hesitate. The master is still at the top of his game. You won’t be able to put this down, even if sometimes it’s creepy enough that you’ll want to.
December 31, 2021
Overall I liked it. But with reservations.
Uncle Stevie and I go way back. I got that case of Constant Reader, having made my way through most of his impressive catalogue. Our literary love affair was fueled by titans like It, The Shining, 11/22/63, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and managed to survive even those clunkers of The Tommyknockers, The Regulators and Insomnia. I saw his books slowly reach the size of industrial doorstoppers, and laughed at sometimes half-baked endings (and so did King himself in one of his movie cameos).
So when this one came in a non-doorstopper size, I was excited by the change. But really, it actually should have been a bit shorter still. It’s really a novella that’s expanded to fill a novel, and a bit of editors’s red pen could have made it trimmer and snappier.
It’s a story of a boy who can see dead people, and King himself quickly inserts a reference to The Sixth Sense movie to forestall the inevitable jokes and comparisons. But Jamie Conklin does not have a charismatic Bruce Willis-style therapist; he gets a creepy ghost and a desperate drug-addicted ex-(crooked)-cop instead.
Jamie keeps repeating that it’s a horror story, but it’s really not quite that. It’s really a story of a kid growing up while also having to deal with the unconventional abilities — the ones that, as his mother once warned him, would make less scrupulous adults try to use him for their own means. There are ghosts and dead people and murder — but still, it’s neither a horror story nor a Hard Case Crime story*. It’s a King story — a story of people making do despite the supernatural crap interfering with their lives, a kid with creepy abilities, and complete with a I-can’t-believe-he-went-there moment at the end.
As far as King goes, it’s quiet and tame and low-key — and yet insanely readable since Uncle Stevie knows how to spin a good yarn. As always, King excels at creating a believable kid character despite being in his 70s now.
And yes, Jamie at one point mentions a quote - “Books are a uniquely portable magic” - that is actually a Stephen King quote, and I was beyond happy about that.
Overall, I liked it, but it’s not among King’s best. It’s good, it’s entertaining, it hits all the marks, it flows well — but there’s a bit of King magic missing here. The references to It actually just reminded me of how much tamer and safe this one seems to be. It’s more of a King-lite, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I can’t place it in the same category as his best offerings.
Maybe if he writes a story with adult Jamie taking on the malevolent entity, I’ll retrospectively raise my assessment of this book.
3.5 stars that I’ll round up to 4 because even King-lite is better than most.
Uncle Stevie and I go way back. I got that case of Constant Reader, having made my way through most of his impressive catalogue. Our literary love affair was fueled by titans like It, The Shining, 11/22/63, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption and managed to survive even those clunkers of The Tommyknockers, The Regulators and Insomnia. I saw his books slowly reach the size of industrial doorstoppers, and laughed at sometimes half-baked endings (and so did King himself in one of his movie cameos).
So when this one came in a non-doorstopper size, I was excited by the change. But really, it actually should have been a bit shorter still. It’s really a novella that’s expanded to fill a novel, and a bit of editors’s red pen could have made it trimmer and snappier.
It’s a story of a boy who can see dead people, and King himself quickly inserts a reference to The Sixth Sense movie to forestall the inevitable jokes and comparisons. But Jamie Conklin does not have a charismatic Bruce Willis-style therapist; he gets a creepy ghost and a desperate drug-addicted ex-(crooked)-cop instead.
“Even a little kid knows certain basic things if he’s not soft in the attic. You said please, you said thank you, you didn’t flap your weenie around in public or chew with your mouth open, and you didn’t talk to dead folks when they were standing next to living folks who were just starting to miss them.”
Jamie keeps repeating that it’s a horror story, but it’s really not quite that. It’s really a story of a kid growing up while also having to deal with the unconventional abilities — the ones that, as his mother once warned him, would make less scrupulous adults try to use him for their own means. There are ghosts and dead people and murder — but still, it’s neither a horror story nor a Hard Case Crime story*. It’s a King story — a story of people making do despite the supernatural crap interfering with their lives, a kid with creepy abilities, and complete with a I-can’t-believe-he-went-there moment at the end.
* It makes no sense for it to be published by Hard Case Crime. Just like it made zero sense for Joyland to get the same treatment. I loved Joyland, but it’s not a crime story.
As far as King goes, it’s quiet and tame and low-key — and yet insanely readable since Uncle Stevie knows how to spin a good yarn. As always, King excels at creating a believable kid character despite being in his 70s now.
And yes, Jamie at one point mentions a quote - “Books are a uniquely portable magic” - that is actually a Stephen King quote, and I was beyond happy about that.
Overall, I liked it, but it’s not among King’s best. It’s good, it’s entertaining, it hits all the marks, it flows well — but there’s a bit of King magic missing here. The references to It actually just reminded me of how much tamer and safe this one seems to be. It’s more of a King-lite, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I can’t place it in the same category as his best offerings.
Maybe if he writes a story with adult Jamie taking on the malevolent entity, I’ll retrospectively raise my assessment of this book.
3.5 stars that I’ll round up to 4 because even King-lite is better than most.
May 11, 2021
Loved this one, couldn’t put it down. Great premise, great writing craft as always. Anytime there is a premise that sparks my imagination and I can easily see other storylines—endless storylines it’s a book I want to stay with and see what happens. I hope King does follow up with other books similar to this one. Loved it.
In most of my reviews I tout the voice as being the most important, The Fictive Dream, and that I want to be immersed in the story deep enough where my world falls away and I’m whisked off into a world of the writer’s creation. King does it here but at the same time he breaks one of the main rules of the Fictive Dream; Don’t let the reader see the magic, don’t let the reader see the author telling the story. King breaks the rule and I saw how the sausage was made the entire way. He did such a masterful job at it that it didn’t matter I was immersed anyway. What’s really mind blowing is that he did it on purpose, not only on purpose but he flaunted it in the reader’s face. He sets it up right at the beginning telling us that he is going to be over using the word, “Later.” That he’s going to purposely crash through the fourth wall. “Later,” is a reference to the author raising his ugly head and telling the reader, I’m here, I’m right here.” He does this by using, “Later on…or, “I’ll get to that later.” He does it often and yet just enough—masterful. Then…then he goes and uses this writing tick as the title. I was bowled over (but please keep in mind I’m easily amused). I highly recommend this one.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
In most of my reviews I tout the voice as being the most important, The Fictive Dream, and that I want to be immersed in the story deep enough where my world falls away and I’m whisked off into a world of the writer’s creation. King does it here but at the same time he breaks one of the main rules of the Fictive Dream; Don’t let the reader see the magic, don’t let the reader see the author telling the story. King breaks the rule and I saw how the sausage was made the entire way. He did such a masterful job at it that it didn’t matter I was immersed anyway. What’s really mind blowing is that he did it on purpose, not only on purpose but he flaunted it in the reader’s face. He sets it up right at the beginning telling us that he is going to be over using the word, “Later.” That he’s going to purposely crash through the fourth wall. “Later,” is a reference to the author raising his ugly head and telling the reader, I’m here, I’m right here.” He does this by using, “Later on…or, “I’ll get to that later.” He does it often and yet just enough—masterful. Then…then he goes and uses this writing tick as the title. I was bowled over (but please keep in mind I’m easily amused). I highly recommend this one.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
March 10, 2021
This was an entertaining story. Certainly not King's masterpiece but one that kept you reading. Jamie Conklin can see the dead, he doesn't know his father, his mum is a literary agent, her friend, she later separates from is a cop, they form a kind of lesbian relationship, there is reference to Dracula and Dickens' Scrooge, we later hear about the ritual of Chüd, it's about drugs and we solve the ultimate secret from Jamie's past. I liked the references to many famous horror flics (Final Destination or Saw) and economical episodes (Bear Stearns collapse and its consequences). Was it horror? At parts. Crime? Yes, somehow. But mostly it was coming of age with all the difficulties involved. For an author of King's age very refreshing and astonishing. He really stayed young at heart and me too as a true reader and follower since almost 40 years. Really recommended pulp meets crime meets horror stuff!
April 17, 2021
Jamie recalls that he was just a toddler the first time his unnatural ability reared its head; in this, his story, he recounts the main situations his ability got him into in is youth. This is another very good piece of suspenseful crime fiction from Mr King who appears to be determined to leave his mark in this genre!
With a plethora of reviews of this book around at the moment, I think I'll just comment on what I specifically liked: In my half a lifetime of reading I don't think I've ever read a writer who captures the details of youth / coming of age so well, from It to the amazing The Body, up to the recent Gwendy's Button Box he just does it so, and yet again does so in this book.
As a Constant Reader, I must admit that there wasn't much new in this read; it read and felt more like a novella, but still immersed me in a King reality. Scraping into an 8 out of 12, Four Star read for me; I probably need to read this again to enjoy it more, but not right now, but maybe... later.
..And yes, I spent a few minutes trying to engineer this review t o end with the word... later. :)
With a plethora of reviews of this book around at the moment, I think I'll just comment on what I specifically liked: In my half a lifetime of reading I don't think I've ever read a writer who captures the details of youth / coming of age so well, from It to the amazing The Body, up to the recent Gwendy's Button Box he just does it so, and yet again does so in this book.
As a Constant Reader, I must admit that there wasn't much new in this read; it read and felt more like a novella, but still immersed me in a King reality. Scraping into an 8 out of 12, Four Star read for me; I probably need to read this again to enjoy it more, but not right now, but maybe... later.
..And yes, I spent a few minutes trying to engineer this review t o end with the word... later. :)
March 10, 2021
This was cray 😜 and I loved it!!
“So yeah, I see dead people. As far as I can remember, I always have. But it’s not like in that movie with Bruce Willis.”
Jamie Conklin sees the dead, only for a few days before they disappear and only in places they lived or loved. On the down side they look exactly as they did when they died, or were murdered.
Usually it isn’t a big deal. It just...is. Until someone finds out about Jamie’s unique ability and tries to use it to their advantage.
This is a horror, but it is also a coming of age story, mysterious and even funny in places. I liked the twists and turns.
I would have liked more. As I usually always do in cases like this. I’m hoping there may be more to come with this story.
***************************
Fell into my basket at Tesco. At £3.50 it’d be rude not to! 😂
“So yeah, I see dead people. As far as I can remember, I always have. But it’s not like in that movie with Bruce Willis.”
Jamie Conklin sees the dead, only for a few days before they disappear and only in places they lived or loved. On the down side they look exactly as they did when they died, or were murdered.
Usually it isn’t a big deal. It just...is. Until someone finds out about Jamie’s unique ability and tries to use it to their advantage.
This is a horror, but it is also a coming of age story, mysterious and even funny in places. I liked the twists and turns.
I would have liked more. As I usually always do in cases like this. I’m hoping there may be more to come with this story.
***************************
Fell into my basket at Tesco. At £3.50 it’d be rude not to! 😂
April 12, 2021
Let’s talk about Uncle Stevie’s latest, Later, shall we?
Later is the third Stephen King novel published by the Hard Case Crime imprint. In HCC’s early days, the founder reached out to him (via his accountant) with a hope and a prayer that he would provide a supportive blurb for their mission to resuscitate the genre of old school pulp-style crime fiction novels. Months passed, and King’s agent eventually got in touch to say he didn’t want to write a blurb for them… he wanted to write a book. That book was The Colorado Kid (2005), and then Joyland followed some years after (2013). I love that story, so I thought I’d share.
That brings us to Later’s story, which is that of a young boy, Jamie, who can see dead people. It’s surprisingly set in New York City just before and after the 2008 financial collapse. I say surprisingly because NYC isn’t a very Kingesque locale, and that fire-orange illustration on the cover sure doesn’t emit 21st century vibes. Please adjust your expectations accordingly.
The book is told from Jamie’s first person perspective, and you know what? Jamie thinks/talks/writes a whole lot like Stephen King. The author has a very particular cadence, casual sentence structure, and way of turning a phrase. This signature style works well in third person narratives, but here it gave me pause. Would a 10-year-old in 2010 really know that term? Would he really think that way? Would he really use that sentence? Brace yourself, because I’m going to use a critical word against Mr. King here, but it felt a little lazy.
That aside, the 248-page plot moved at a swift pace, and my mind never wandered. The relationships between Jamie and various adult characters seemed genuine, and there was enough scary imagery to push the novel into horror territory. Plus the zinger of a twist at the end? Nailed it.
3.5 stars rounded up, because while Later wasn’t one of my all-time favorites, Uncle Stevie still is.
This review and more can be found on my blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
Later is the third Stephen King novel published by the Hard Case Crime imprint. In HCC’s early days, the founder reached out to him (via his accountant) with a hope and a prayer that he would provide a supportive blurb for their mission to resuscitate the genre of old school pulp-style crime fiction novels. Months passed, and King’s agent eventually got in touch to say he didn’t want to write a blurb for them… he wanted to write a book. That book was The Colorado Kid (2005), and then Joyland followed some years after (2013). I love that story, so I thought I’d share.
That brings us to Later’s story, which is that of a young boy, Jamie, who can see dead people. It’s surprisingly set in New York City just before and after the 2008 financial collapse. I say surprisingly because NYC isn’t a very Kingesque locale, and that fire-orange illustration on the cover sure doesn’t emit 21st century vibes. Please adjust your expectations accordingly.
The book is told from Jamie’s first person perspective, and you know what? Jamie thinks/talks/writes a whole lot like Stephen King. The author has a very particular cadence, casual sentence structure, and way of turning a phrase. This signature style works well in third person narratives, but here it gave me pause. Would a 10-year-old in 2010 really know that term? Would he really think that way? Would he really use that sentence? Brace yourself, because I’m going to use a critical word against Mr. King here, but it felt a little lazy.
That aside, the 248-page plot moved at a swift pace, and my mind never wandered. The relationships between Jamie and various adult characters seemed genuine, and there was enough scary imagery to push the novel into horror territory. Plus the zinger of a twist at the end? Nailed it.
3.5 stars rounded up, because while Later wasn’t one of my all-time favorites, Uncle Stevie still is.
This review and more can be found on my blog: www.confettibookshelf.com
March 18, 2021
If you identify as a Constant Reader, you approach a new King book with a personal reading journey decades in the making. Your first one. Your favorite one. The one that made you fall in love. The one that broke your heart. The book you tell everyone is the worst. The last one you read. The one you’ve read the most. The Top Ten. The Bottom Five.
Sometimes I feel like Constant Readers are the saltiest Stephen King fans there are.
We certainly can be the hardest to please. *Raising my hand*
When we hold a new King book in our hands, what are we looking for? For me, it’s the characters. Stephen King’s characters are EVERYTHING TO ME. They have lived in my reader’s heart since the moment they came to life on the page and they will never leave.
Oy the Billybumbler.
The Loser’s Club
Father Callahan
Dick Hallorann
Mother Abagail
Tom Cullen
Jack Sawyer & Wolf
Jake & Sadie
Roland
Danny
Andy Dufresne & Red
Gordy, Chris, Vern & Teddy
And on and on and on.
For me, King is in his wheelhouse when he’s writing from a kid’s POV and they have to stare down some unimaginable horror. That’s where the magic is for me. And so his new Hard Case Crime, LATER brought the magic home for me after a long spell of not feeling it.
LATER is the story of a young boy named Jamie who lives a pretty comfortable life with his mother. They have a sweet relationship. Fairly early on, it’s revealed to readers that he has supernatural gifting (because it’s a Stephen King book and we show up for this).
Jamie is open to his mother about his gift but for the most part, he internalizes the depth of the struggle he goes through bearing the weight of it. As Jamie grows older and new relationships come in and out of his life, he realizes that some people can be trusted with knowing about what he is able to do and some cannot.
Jamie’s narrative sucked me right in. It was like coming home. I walked up to the first page and King reached out his hand and I just fucking left the world behind. There is this familiarity with the style and the storytelling where I was just like, “Yep. This is the shit right here.”
As Jamie gets a little older and begins to understand the power of his gift, he encounters something with even greater power and this scared the shit out of me.
It has been a minute since King tapped that for me. It felt awesome!
My husband was in the living room while I was reading and a few times I held out my paperback like Simba the lion cub in the circle of life moment shouting, “YES!! THIS!!”
There are so many things to love about this book-it's like a love letter to fans who have been with him for a long time because he tucks in some little tie-ins to the King universe that made me cry.
Literally. Fucking. Cried.
And you know, this book is not perfect. But if anyone else BUT the King wrote it, people would be like, OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!! But we hold Stephen King to this whole other standard. And I’m not shaming anyone because I do it too.
SLEEPING BEAUTIES? Meh. (I didn't even finish it)
ELEVATION? Meh.
THE INSTITUTION? Meh.
As I said, it has been a minute.
This book is a five-star for me. There was exactly one thing I didn't like about it. One. And I’m going to forgive it because for the most part, I was in blissed-out, Constant Reader euphoria and it felt damn good. He still has it for me. He’s still the man.
Sadie
Sometimes I feel like Constant Readers are the saltiest Stephen King fans there are.
We certainly can be the hardest to please. *Raising my hand*
When we hold a new King book in our hands, what are we looking for? For me, it’s the characters. Stephen King’s characters are EVERYTHING TO ME. They have lived in my reader’s heart since the moment they came to life on the page and they will never leave.
Oy the Billybumbler.
The Loser’s Club
Father Callahan
Dick Hallorann
Mother Abagail
Tom Cullen
Jack Sawyer & Wolf
Jake & Sadie
Roland
Danny
Andy Dufresne & Red
Gordy, Chris, Vern & Teddy
And on and on and on.
For me, King is in his wheelhouse when he’s writing from a kid’s POV and they have to stare down some unimaginable horror. That’s where the magic is for me. And so his new Hard Case Crime, LATER brought the magic home for me after a long spell of not feeling it.
LATER is the story of a young boy named Jamie who lives a pretty comfortable life with his mother. They have a sweet relationship. Fairly early on, it’s revealed to readers that he has supernatural gifting (because it’s a Stephen King book and we show up for this).
Jamie is open to his mother about his gift but for the most part, he internalizes the depth of the struggle he goes through bearing the weight of it. As Jamie grows older and new relationships come in and out of his life, he realizes that some people can be trusted with knowing about what he is able to do and some cannot.
Jamie’s narrative sucked me right in. It was like coming home. I walked up to the first page and King reached out his hand and I just fucking left the world behind. There is this familiarity with the style and the storytelling where I was just like, “Yep. This is the shit right here.”
As Jamie gets a little older and begins to understand the power of his gift, he encounters something with even greater power and this scared the shit out of me.
It has been a minute since King tapped that for me. It felt awesome!
My husband was in the living room while I was reading and a few times I held out my paperback like Simba the lion cub in the circle of life moment shouting, “YES!! THIS!!”
There are so many things to love about this book-it's like a love letter to fans who have been with him for a long time because he tucks in some little tie-ins to the King universe that made me cry.
Literally. Fucking. Cried.
And you know, this book is not perfect. But if anyone else BUT the King wrote it, people would be like, OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!! But we hold Stephen King to this whole other standard. And I’m not shaming anyone because I do it too.
SLEEPING BEAUTIES? Meh. (I didn't even finish it)
ELEVATION? Meh.
THE INSTITUTION? Meh.
As I said, it has been a minute.
This book is a five-star for me. There was exactly one thing I didn't like about it. One. And I’m going to forgive it because for the most part, I was in blissed-out, Constant Reader euphoria and it felt damn good. He still has it for me. He’s still the man.
Sadie
March 3, 2021
Audiobook....
.....read by Seth Numrich
Seth was FANTASTIC....
We meet Jamie Conklin, a literary agent kid.
Smart, sensitive, observant, and....see’s dead people ; but not like the Bruce Willis movie.
Jamie is adorably lovable.
I mean he believed ‘Goldie Locks’ was a real girl as a kid, for goodness sake.
Ha....Jamie was smart enough to know the bears weren’t real.
Jamie’s relationship with his mom, Tia, is totally endearing, too.
And....
I only got ‘scared’ once ....
In some ways this book reminded of Joyland, a pocket book that’s filled with heart.
“Later”.... is also
FILLED WITH HEART....
It blends several genres — coming of age, mystery-crime, paranormal, and thriller
“Later” is simply a darn enjoyable Stephen King classic.
LOVED IT!!!!
.....read by Seth Numrich
Seth was FANTASTIC....
We meet Jamie Conklin, a literary agent kid.
Smart, sensitive, observant, and....see’s dead people ; but not like the Bruce Willis movie.
Jamie is adorably lovable.
I mean he believed ‘Goldie Locks’ was a real girl as a kid, for goodness sake.
Ha....Jamie was smart enough to know the bears weren’t real.
Jamie’s relationship with his mom, Tia, is totally endearing, too.
And....
I only got ‘scared’ once ....
In some ways this book reminded of Joyland, a pocket book that’s filled with heart.
“Later”.... is also
FILLED WITH HEART....
It blends several genres — coming of age, mystery-crime, paranormal, and thriller
“Later” is simply a darn enjoyable Stephen King classic.
LOVED IT!!!!
March 9, 2021
I've enjoyed reading Stephen King’s books since I was a teenager. Hell, his books are part of the reason I became a life long reader. That's not to say I love all of his books, he's certainly had his misses (Oh Tommyknockers, I'm not sure if I'll ever finish you, but I'll always leave to marked where I left off just in case). I honestly wasn't that interested in this one. I picked it up entirely because I have this compulsion that I buy all of King's new books even if it's just to save them for later. I only started because it was shockingly short (There is also a saga where I had a big misprint in my copy and had to get a different one but that's a story for another time). I have no issues with King wanting to branch out into other genres, but I just haven't been that big of a fan at his attempts at crime (except for Joyland). Well, this one has ghosts according to the plot-line, so I'd give it a shot.
I'm so glad I did. This one shouldn't have been on the Hardcase Crime line. There is crime in it, but our narrator tells us repeatedly, this is a HORROR story. He is not lying. The plot takes place mostly in the 2010s, but it feels like classic King. It could be one of his missing books from the 80s (back when he still knew how to write books under one million pages).
The book is honestly King at his best. He's writing about the life of one character, he follows him for several years and gives you a chance to see him grow and see his family life around him. Sure it's another kid with a supernatural power story... please show me an author who does such stories better than King. I would love to read them.
And fans of King who love his connections to other books, you'll get a kick out of this one. One reference actually had me put the book down, trying to recall if he'd ever referenced it in any of his other books. It's a great one.
I debated on the rating for this. On one hand I feel like there are some flaws. I try to keep my reviews fair and point them out... On the other hand, here, I really don't care. In terms of sheer enjoyment this is already one of my favorite reads of the year. It may be one of his shortest, but I don't think King has written anything as good as this in quite some time. To hell with it, for sheer delight I give it 5/5 stars.
I'm so glad I did. This one shouldn't have been on the Hardcase Crime line. There is crime in it, but our narrator tells us repeatedly, this is a HORROR story. He is not lying. The plot takes place mostly in the 2010s, but it feels like classic King. It could be one of his missing books from the 80s (back when he still knew how to write books under one million pages).
The book is honestly King at his best. He's writing about the life of one character, he follows him for several years and gives you a chance to see him grow and see his family life around him. Sure it's another kid with a supernatural power story... please show me an author who does such stories better than King. I would love to read them.
And fans of King who love his connections to other books, you'll get a kick out of this one. One reference actually had me put the book down, trying to recall if he'd ever referenced it in any of his other books. It's a great one.
I debated on the rating for this. On one hand I feel like there are some flaws. I try to keep my reviews fair and point them out... On the other hand, here, I really don't care. In terms of sheer enjoyment this is already one of my favorite reads of the year. It may be one of his shortest, but I don't think King has written anything as good as this in quite some time. To hell with it, for sheer delight I give it 5/5 stars.
May 31, 2021
He's my favourite author, but I'm certainly not going to be bias here.
I found this one very predictable and repetitive.
When I finished it, I felt like it was incomplete and sloppy.
It's basically a short story padded out into a short novel with thin characters and plot.
(My 56th book I've read of his and this is the 2nd one I've not enjoyed, can't like them all but 2 books out of 56 is good going)
Bring on Billy Summers!!!
I found this one very predictable and repetitive.
When I finished it, I felt like it was incomplete and sloppy.
It's basically a short story padded out into a short novel with thin characters and plot.
(My 56th book I've read of his and this is the 2nd one I've not enjoyed, can't like them all but 2 books out of 56 is good going)
Bring on Billy Summers!!!
April 7, 2021
I’m a long-time Stephen King fan and have read nearly everything he’s written. When I heard the details of this novel, it immediately reminded me of “Joyland.” This is another hard crime novel by King and also published by Titan under the ‘Hard Case Crime’ imprint. Well, I loved “Joyland” and so my expectations went high on this one. For me, if you considered “Joyland” a home run, like I did, “Later” is a triple, which slid in just under the tag (baseball’s opening day was yesterday).
I really enjoyed the book, and once again King shows his storytelling skills. This book flows along and is an easy, fast read. With less than ten key characters and largely following a single plot line, it’s one of King’s more straightforward tales. I liked the good guys, but the story didn’t quite have the level of peril that I felt in other King books. The supernatural aspect also isn’t as unique or creative as King can be, although it’s certainly creepy and I enjoyed learning the subtleties of the main character’s abilities. First person works well in these kind of crime novels and puts you right into the mind of the main character. I did enjoy how the book allows our MC to step out of the story at times, which explains the title and provides some interesting thoughts at the end.
However, as I read the tale, I couldn’t help but think it was missing something. Somehow, despite spending an entire novel with our main character, Jamie Conklin, I never felt like I knew him. Sure, he loved him mom dearly, his supernatural ability made him pay a price, he played tennis, and had a few girlfriends, but despite following him from Kindergarten to high school he still felt a little generic. Yes, we get to see much of his thinking, and it feels realistic, but for me, it’s missing that King magic of revealing the quirky and intriguing personal traits that many of King’s most famous characters have, especially with first person narration. In addition, there isn’t quite enough of the crime mystery in this one, although there are a few solid twists. It fits in the genre with cops and murders and such, but I was looking forward to an intriguing crime mystery laden with clues.
A well-told story, that leverages King’s talent to intertwine the supernatural with a hard crime plot that entertains and satisfies but fails to live up to some of King’s best work in the space (such as Mr. Mercedes and Joyland). Just barely Four Stars from this devoted King fan.
I really enjoyed the book, and once again King shows his storytelling skills. This book flows along and is an easy, fast read. With less than ten key characters and largely following a single plot line, it’s one of King’s more straightforward tales. I liked the good guys, but the story didn’t quite have the level of peril that I felt in other King books. The supernatural aspect also isn’t as unique or creative as King can be, although it’s certainly creepy and I enjoyed learning the subtleties of the main character’s abilities. First person works well in these kind of crime novels and puts you right into the mind of the main character. I did enjoy how the book allows our MC to step out of the story at times, which explains the title and provides some interesting thoughts at the end.
However, as I read the tale, I couldn’t help but think it was missing something. Somehow, despite spending an entire novel with our main character, Jamie Conklin, I never felt like I knew him. Sure, he loved him mom dearly, his supernatural ability made him pay a price, he played tennis, and had a few girlfriends, but despite following him from Kindergarten to high school he still felt a little generic. Yes, we get to see much of his thinking, and it feels realistic, but for me, it’s missing that King magic of revealing the quirky and intriguing personal traits that many of King’s most famous characters have, especially with first person narration. In addition, there isn’t quite enough of the crime mystery in this one, although there are a few solid twists. It fits in the genre with cops and murders and such, but I was looking forward to an intriguing crime mystery laden with clues.
A well-told story, that leverages King’s talent to intertwine the supernatural with a hard crime plot that entertains and satisfies but fails to live up to some of King’s best work in the space (such as Mr. Mercedes and Joyland). Just barely Four Stars from this devoted King fan.
July 9, 2021
O melhor dele que já li, mas... realmente essa questão do final não precisava nem um pouco.
March 26, 2021
3.5 stars
I made a reading vlog dedicated to this book which you can see here: https://youtu.be/JEGEo8b7k1w
I made a reading vlog dedicated to this book which you can see here: https://youtu.be/JEGEo8b7k1w
April 23, 2021
"Get busy living or get busy dying." - Stephen King
Stephen King has done it again!
Jamie Conklin just wants a normal life. He is the son of a struggling single mother trying to pay the bills which includes paying for the care facility his uncle is in. He is a good kid but has a special "gift". He can see and speak to the recently deceased. Is this a gift or a curse? This is Stephen King after all, and it is as he writes "a horror story".
Stephen King can spin a yarn and he does so in this paranormal coming of age tale. He shows Jamie using his gift, his mother cautioning his to keep it quiet, and we see what happens when the cat is out of the bag. When a NYPD detective learns of his ability, Jamie is put to the test as is his ability.
I continued to be amazed how King can not only come up with new storylines, but those storylines are full of characters who are so likeable, relatable, and easy to root for. They are flawed, they are doing the best that they can, and sure one might see dead people, but no one is perfect.
There is a sweetness to this book. The relationships forged especially with their neighbor. Characters care for each other, the perform acts of kindness, they feel real and fully formed. But not everyone is being kind in this book. It is King after all. There are also touches of humor and I loved hearing Jamie's thoughts!
It is going to hit the fan, but it does not hit it quite so hard as it does in his previous books. I think this book will appeal to more readers. Yes, King writes that this is a horror story, but it is also a mystery, a coming of age, and a paranormal story as well.
Did it scare me? No. Give me the creeps? No. But it was enjoyable and all King. Not every horror story needs to be truly horrific, does it? Because this one was a pleasure.
Looking forward to what he comes up with next.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Stephen King has done it again!
Jamie Conklin just wants a normal life. He is the son of a struggling single mother trying to pay the bills which includes paying for the care facility his uncle is in. He is a good kid but has a special "gift". He can see and speak to the recently deceased. Is this a gift or a curse? This is Stephen King after all, and it is as he writes "a horror story".
Stephen King can spin a yarn and he does so in this paranormal coming of age tale. He shows Jamie using his gift, his mother cautioning his to keep it quiet, and we see what happens when the cat is out of the bag. When a NYPD detective learns of his ability, Jamie is put to the test as is his ability.
I continued to be amazed how King can not only come up with new storylines, but those storylines are full of characters who are so likeable, relatable, and easy to root for. They are flawed, they are doing the best that they can, and sure one might see dead people, but no one is perfect.
There is a sweetness to this book. The relationships forged especially with their neighbor. Characters care for each other, the perform acts of kindness, they feel real and fully formed. But not everyone is being kind in this book. It is King after all. There are also touches of humor and I loved hearing Jamie's thoughts!
It is going to hit the fan, but it does not hit it quite so hard as it does in his previous books. I think this book will appeal to more readers. Yes, King writes that this is a horror story, but it is also a mystery, a coming of age, and a paranormal story as well.
Did it scare me? No. Give me the creeps? No. But it was enjoyable and all King. Not every horror story needs to be truly horrific, does it? Because this one was a pleasure.
Looking forward to what he comes up with next.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
March 29, 2021
This was going to be a full 5 Stars for me, but he just had to put a few people/things in the book I hate so much, that I’m just going to give it a four star. (I inked out those parts) 😃 Anyhoo..
The cover is EVERYTHING!! And I loved the story so much! I loved Joyland too. I haven’t read the Colorado Kid (I just watched that show).
I’m actually wanting to read some more authors that write these hard crime books. Oh!! And I wish I could read those books by that one author that was in the book 😂🤣
That’s all folks!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
The cover is EVERYTHING!! And I loved the story so much! I loved Joyland too. I haven’t read the Colorado Kid (I just watched that show).
I’m actually wanting to read some more authors that write these hard crime books. Oh!! And I wish I could read those books by that one author that was in the book 😂🤣
That’s all folks!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
March 14, 2021
4 or 4.5 stars. TBD! But I did really enjoy this. This is the King I LOVE. Full review to come.
March 31, 2021
Jamie Conklin, narrator of this novel: “So yeah, I see dead people. As far as I can remember, I always have. But it’s not like in that movie with Bruce Willis.”So seeing dead people is Jamie’s “unnatural ability” that is hinted at in the Goodreads description of this novel. I’m not sure why it’s only hinted at, as the revelation comes in the first few pages, along with the two facts that do, all jokes aside, make the “I see dead people” story here quite different from The Sixth Sense. The dead people here know that they’re dead and, more importantly, the dead are incapable of lying if asked a direct question.
Me, reading those lines: “Okay, but it’s pretty much exactly like that movie.”
With that setup, Later tells a good story of a young boy with a power he never asked for, who’s pressured several times by the adults in his life to help them out of a jam by extracting a secret from someone recently deceased. And before Later is over, Jamie will cross paths with evil, human and otherwise.
As Jamie tells the reader several times throughout the tale, “this is a horror story.” Specifically, it’s a horror story with a couple of very particular references to Stephen King’s classic It. The references are nothing you won’t understand if you haven’t read that book; they’re just callbacks that you’ll get if you have. Though, if you haven’t read It, please do yourself a favor and correct that mistake immediately for all the reasons that I gush about here. 😄
Later is a really good Stephen King story, especially for his more recent works. As always, there’s great storytelling here, and King’s such a gifted writer. He creates a narrative voice that sounds like a young adult recounting the experiences from when he was a kid. King has a great sense for which of his plots work best as short stories, supersize novels, or as in this case, a short novel with only about five primary characters. Later tells a complete story, while leaving open the possibility for a return to some of these characters in the future. Finally, for a book that revolves around the power and potential damage caused by keeping or discovering secrets, there’s a bittersweet one saved for the very end. Recommended.
March 18, 2021
Jamie is a young boy with a very special ability, one which his mom encourages him to keep under wraps. I liked this kid. The elderly professor who was "old school" was a keeper, too. The absolute importance of listening comes into play. The "sell by" date takes on additional significance.
It almost feels disloyal to give a measly three stars to this, but it was a true case of liking it but not loving it. I wasn't really expecting to be scared, but it would have been nice. Still and yet, definitely worth the read.
It almost feels disloyal to give a measly three stars to this, but it was a true case of liking it but not loving it. I wasn't really expecting to be scared, but it would have been nice. Still and yet, definitely worth the read.
June 11, 2021
Later is considered a horror story, which is usually not a genre I read. But, hey, it’s Steven King. And it was short enough to give it a go.
The premise is that Jamie Conklin has the ability to see and talk to dead people. He makes a point of saying “ not like Bruce Willis”. And dead people must tell the truth. It’s not a problem until it is. Because normally the dead aren’t dangerous and also, they disappear after a few days. But a dead serial bomber defies that “rule”.
But the bigger premise of the book seems to be the young Jamie’s realization about how adults act. And how their moral character is often grey, not black or white.
King makes the title into a joke. Actually, it works well with this first person narrative told from the viewpoint of an older Jamie looking back.
This is a horror story, as Jamie tells us multiple times, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with the horror aspect until the very end. That’s probably it’s strength. In it’s own strange way, it comes across as believable.
Seth Numrich did a super job as the narrator.
The premise is that Jamie Conklin has the ability to see and talk to dead people. He makes a point of saying “ not like Bruce Willis”. And dead people must tell the truth. It’s not a problem until it is. Because normally the dead aren’t dangerous and also, they disappear after a few days. But a dead serial bomber defies that “rule”.
But the bigger premise of the book seems to be the young Jamie’s realization about how adults act. And how their moral character is often grey, not black or white.
King makes the title into a joke. Actually, it works well with this first person narrative told from the viewpoint of an older Jamie looking back.
This is a horror story, as Jamie tells us multiple times, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with the horror aspect until the very end. That’s probably it’s strength. In it’s own strange way, it comes across as believable.
Seth Numrich did a super job as the narrator.
March 16, 2021
Nunca imaginé que lo iba a amar tanto. De un momento al otro, se transformó en uno de mis favoritos, dentro de los más recientes de King. Una historia que lo tiene TODO. Simplemente me encantó.
April 30, 2021
This new book by Stephen King was just great!
Ranging between a 4 to 4.5 stars!
Later has a bit of everything in a plot that I love about books, and King's books in particular.
✔️ The characters are fleshed out and there’s a mixture of characters to love and hate.
Jamie's Mom was a trip. Who's really the parent?! ha!
I also really liked Professor Burkett. He was a nice addition to this book!
✔️ The plot is intriguing enough that you just keep reading longer than you planned.
His books have that ability to be binge worthy and Later is like this. I read it in only a few days.
✔️ The plot twists are well done and there's one in particular that I did not see coming. Woah!
✔️ The scare elements in the book are good, not necessarily scary in my opinion.
I’ve read other books by King that have scared me more. I still enjoyed all the unease when Jamie Conklin had interactions with Therriault though.
✔️ I love the coming-to-age story of Jamie as a little kid dealing with having this "ability". King takes us from the age of 6 until he’s in his early 20s. He goes through some scary stuff as a kid and I can’t even imagine the situations that he’s put into as a teenager.
I don’t know how King keeps knocking 'em out but I’ll be here until the end.
Even a mediocre King book is better then most books out there!
Definitely read this if you are a fan of his books.
If you like mystery, ghost stories and coming-to-age stories, I think you’ll also really enjoy this one as well!
Ranging between a 4 to 4.5 stars!
Later has a bit of everything in a plot that I love about books, and King's books in particular.
✔️ The characters are fleshed out and there’s a mixture of characters to love and hate.
Jamie's Mom was a trip. Who's really the parent?! ha!
I also really liked Professor Burkett. He was a nice addition to this book!
✔️ The plot is intriguing enough that you just keep reading longer than you planned.
His books have that ability to be binge worthy and Later is like this. I read it in only a few days.
✔️ The plot twists are well done and there's one in particular that I did not see coming. Woah!
✔️ The scare elements in the book are good, not necessarily scary in my opinion.
I’ve read other books by King that have scared me more. I still enjoyed all the unease when Jamie Conklin had interactions with Therriault though.
✔️ I love the coming-to-age story of Jamie as a little kid dealing with having this "ability". King takes us from the age of 6 until he’s in his early 20s. He goes through some scary stuff as a kid and I can’t even imagine the situations that he’s put into as a teenager.
I don’t know how King keeps knocking 'em out but I’ll be here until the end.
Even a mediocre King book is better then most books out there!
Definitely read this if you are a fan of his books.
If you like mystery, ghost stories and coming-to-age stories, I think you’ll also really enjoy this one as well!
May 24, 2021
A creepy, horrifying, and entertaining coming of age story with a twist..
I enjoyed this short (for King) audio! The narration by Seth Numrich drew me in like I was listening to a story around a campfire! I looked forward to listening, and his voice relaxed me.
I definitely raised my eyebrows a few times because of the plot, which often made the hairs on my arms stand on end. So creepy, a bit scary but not too bad, and totally engaging. Expect plenty of secrets, lies and battles between good and evil!
I liked Jamie, I felt for him, the horrors he went through, both a result of his talent, and also because of some of the people in his life.
The ending got very weird, which I didn't like, and it felt like it ended abruptly (unusual for this author, whose audios average above 18 hours) so I couldn't give a full five stars!
But I had fun listening, what more can you ask for?
I enjoyed this short (for King) audio! The narration by Seth Numrich drew me in like I was listening to a story around a campfire! I looked forward to listening, and his voice relaxed me.
I definitely raised my eyebrows a few times because of the plot, which often made the hairs on my arms stand on end. So creepy, a bit scary but not too bad, and totally engaging. Expect plenty of secrets, lies and battles between good and evil!
I liked Jamie, I felt for him, the horrors he went through, both a result of his talent, and also because of some of the people in his life.
The ending got very weird, which I didn't like, and it felt like it ended abruptly (unusual for this author, whose audios average above 18 hours) so I couldn't give a full five stars!
But I had fun listening, what more can you ask for?
March 18, 2021
This is a little experiment I like to call . . .
Told the way I tell it best . . .
Let me begin by briefly summarizing my opinion of this latestmoneygrab release . . .
Luckily I have an awesome library system and was able to get it for free on release day, but just because it’s free does not make it a good story.
I’ve been having a rough go of it with everyone’s favorite Uncle for a minute now, but when I saw that throwback cover and “Hard Case Crime” it conjured visions of Joyland and my fond feelings for that title so I was just sure this would be a winner for me as well. What I know now????
This was not like Joyland whatsoever. What it was instead was a regurgitation of . . . .
Leaving me with very much a feeling of . . . .
The only good news is I didn’t have to wade through 1,000 pages before it finally shit the bed on the ending . . . .
Oh and one more thing? Dear Stephen, stop trying to write from the perspective of youths. You, sir, are not awake . . . .
It almost causes physical pain to see you struggle in your attempts with real hep cat vernacular. “Funny as a rubber crutch” – is Jamie 16 or 60????
I’m not exactly sure what this means when it comes to me being first in line for the next release. As long as I can get them for free as loaners I’m sure I’ll keep on being a sucker, but I think it’s probably safe to say . . . .
Told the way I tell it best . . .
Let me begin by briefly summarizing my opinion of this latest
Luckily I have an awesome library system and was able to get it for free on release day, but just because it’s free does not make it a good story.
I’ve been having a rough go of it with everyone’s favorite Uncle for a minute now, but when I saw that throwback cover and “Hard Case Crime” it conjured visions of Joyland and my fond feelings for that title so I was just sure this would be a winner for me as well. What I know now????
This was not like Joyland whatsoever. What it was instead was a regurgitation of . . . .
Leaving me with very much a feeling of . . . .
The only good news is I didn’t have to wade through 1,000 pages before it finally shit the bed on the ending . . . .
Oh and one more thing? Dear Stephen, stop trying to write from the perspective of youths. You, sir, are not awake . . . .
It almost causes physical pain to see you struggle in your attempts with real hep cat vernacular. “Funny as a rubber crutch” – is Jamie 16 or 60????
I’m not exactly sure what this means when it comes to me being first in line for the next release. As long as I can get them for free as loaners I’m sure I’ll keep on being a sucker, but I think it’s probably safe to say . . . .
March 21, 2021
Das. Ist. Mein. King!
Wenige, aber dafür gut ausgearbeitete Charaktere, die sich in einem spannenden aber simplen Setting bewegen und für jede Menge Gänsehaut sorgen. Es hat mich emotional gepackt und mit seinen Verknüpfungen zu anderen Werken von King begeistert. Das Ende war auch hier, King-typisch, etwas drüber, aber insgesamt einer der besten und vielseitigsten modernen Kings, trotz (oder gerade wegen? 🤓) der schlanken Seitenzahl. 4,5 Sterne!
Wenige, aber dafür gut ausgearbeitete Charaktere, die sich in einem spannenden aber simplen Setting bewegen und für jede Menge Gänsehaut sorgen. Es hat mich emotional gepackt und mit seinen Verknüpfungen zu anderen Werken von King begeistert. Das Ende war auch hier, King-typisch, etwas drüber, aber insgesamt einer der besten und vielseitigsten modernen Kings, trotz (oder gerade wegen? 🤓) der schlanken Seitenzahl. 4,5 Sterne!
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