Later

Another great one from Stephen King. I adore pretty much everything he has ever written, so there's no surprise that I loved this one as well. Mr Kings greatest strength in storytelling (according to me) is his amazing ability to write believable and loveable characters, which really makes you want to get into the story. This one is very good, and I enjoyed every second.

This is a horror story. Is it though? Who am I to say what is and isn't horror? There was a recent kerfuffle, yeah I said kerfuffle, where it was said that there cannot be horror in space so what do I know about what defines something as being horror? So, is this a horror story? After thinking about it, yeah Uncle Stevie, or in this case our protagonist Jamie Conklin is right, there are some pretty horrific things that happen in LATER by Stephen King. Now don't get me wrong, it's not on the same level of horror as IT or PET SEMATARY or ‘SALEM’S LOT but that doesn't mean it's not horror, right? Horror can be found at any place and any time, in any shape and any size. Just because something isn't horrifying to one person doesn't mean it won't scare the bejesus out of someone else. So what have we learned after this long tangent? This is a horror story. With that out of the way let's actually talk about the book some shall we? Jamie Conklin is just a kid and he sees dead people. Now that's not a spoiler as you find that out very early on in the book. Think about that for a second. Seeing dead people. That sounds pretty horrific to me, especially as a kid. And I don't mean Jamie sees ghosts. No, he sees full on dead people exactly how they looked the moment they died. So if someone is killed by getting their head smashed in Jamie sees that in all it’s brain leaking gory goodness. It is this secret, this gift (curse?) that Jamie must come to terms with and make a decision on if he will use his ability for right or wrong, for good or evil. Someone once said “With great power comes great responsibility,” wait, that’s a different universe but you catch my meaning. I'm a Stephen King fan so am I a bit biased? Maybe. Probably. But even trying to set that aside this was a good book. A fast paced coming of age crime thriller with great characters and of course bits of the supernatural as the cherry on top. Yeah, this is a Hard Case Crime novel, but it’s also from the mind of King so having supernatural elements is something that we should come to expect by now. I really enjoyed the gritty crime aspects of LATER and the hard connection to one of King’s most popular works. I am a sucker for connected universes and this was a fun tie in that I think raised way more questions for me than it provided answers. Some may complain that King is just rehashing material from his older books, and I can see that viewpoint, but for me this was new and original enough that I didn’t mind if bits felt as if they had been borrowed and incorporated into this story. Something I did feel indifferent about was a revelation that we get about Jamie right at the end of the book. I didn’t hate it, but I also felt that it was introduced so late in the game that it didn’t have any real impact on the story one way or another. I don’t have a fancy blurb to write here at the end of the review like I usually try to do, I mean it is Stephen King for goodness sakes. If the day comes when King needs me to blurb his book I will be living the high life. Just know that I had a lot of fun with LATER and thoroughly enjoyed this quick and grimey ride into the Kingverse. Reading King for me feels like coming home, and yeah I know that sounds cheesy but that’s the best way I can describe it whenever I crack open a book by him that I have yet to read. And once again for all those in the back who may not have heard and missed it... This is a horror story.

Stephen King has been my go to writer for many years. The first I ever read or listened to was the first book Gunslinger series. I was hooked. And this story is great! I didn't want to stop. I wanted to know more about Jamie. I am catching up on my reading since,I have more time, I enjoyed this greatly. Don't miss the opportunity to catch this one. It is a "Keeper"!

King is indisputably awesomely talented of course but IMHO this is great for another reason. I think this shows he was trying a new genre sort of and it works. He did this as part of a release from Hard Case Crime who specialize in pulp novels, think detective noir and the like. It seems like he had fun with it. Later is a quick read compared to many King works. It does have some detective "whodunnit" mystery to it and some thriller-style small twists which is slightly different than King's usual more horror-centric stuff. It has heart too which makes you care about what happens to the characters. After I read this book I saw an article in Rolling Stone where King basically describes the idea behind the release and the book as a retro thriller and IMHO it does show in the writing and it works while King's distinctive He doesn't over-describe anything either which is one of the few frequent criticisms of King. Arguably warranted I guess but I'd rather have an author like that who over world builds w/ a good editor than the opposite. I love the 40s/ 50s retro cover too, which is the style of every cover in this release and has a whole list of star authors.

Big fan of the author and hadn't seen this one before. Really enjoyed it, just short but wish it had been longer. Great plot and characters.

Genial y a.su tiempo

King horror

... masterly written by The Kingster - Steven King himself. Which in MY eyes is an absolute must-read, not only for the FANS, but for all those who like a supernatural horror story, that is perfectly interwoven with the strangest coming-of-age tale some adolescent boy has to tell. And telling he does! He spills the bucket until even the most skeptical reader is hooked for sure! Jamie Conklin only wants to have a relatively quiet childhood and be a normal teenager, living with his single mother. Who is often struggling personally and financially. An uncle, too is to be looked after, struck by early inset Alzheimer's disease only in his early 40ies. That costs money. And Mum has lost her most valuable client in the finishing of the last book of a series of high success! Noone knows how that series will end - 'The Secrets of Roanoke'. The biggest mystery in the history of the US of A. But in steps Jamie. He has an 'ability' that is more that a psychic disturbance: He can see and speak to the Dead. Only to those who have left this world a short time ago and linger around their nearest and dearest. And the Dead talk back - and have to say the truth, the absolute truth. That comes in handy with Mom's best but late client and the world takes a better turn for Jamie, Mum and Uncle Harry. But there is Liz, Mum's ex-lover, who works for the New York Police Department. And Liz is bent, crooked, an alcoholic who deals coke, too. She is about to lose her job - so she uses Jamie's ability to solve an almost unsolvable task: To find the last bomb of the Thumper, to save many lives - and Liz' dwindling career. But with making Liz quasi a hero Jamie transforms his future life into a living hell: The Trumper wants his revenge - from beyond the grave and at every cost. And here the REAL horror show begins... and years have to go by, years of Jamie's tales of abnormalities, almost impossible to comprehend, of fights inside and outside - with all his might. Like a lonely teenager fighting against a gang of 'Hells Angels' - literally! LATER is really Stephen King at his absolutely best, a terrifying and yet touching story of a boy who has to grow up in great velocity. To learn fast to be able to decide what is right or wrong, to fight inner and outer demons in disguise and to stand up to evil in all the masks it wears. A great read, really worth MY time and money. Had to read through the night until the very end. I personally can only recommend this fantastic Rollercoaster ride.

I thought this was a graphic novel but I was wrong it is a novel! but I will still read it!