Later
Ratings247
Average rating3.8
Great story! This reminds me of King's old style writing. Definitely worth the read.
Much better than The Shinning in terms of length and pace. Nevertheless it could be 20 or so pages shorter.
More of a 2.5 stars for me.
Overall a pretty good crime book with a twist.
Pros:
King's writing is easy follow, accessible, and conveys great storytelling.
Decently creepy/scary even for a hard crime book.
A fast paced plot once it gets going.
Avoids being too predictable.
Cons:
Not a whole lot of characters and only two are really developed.
Really wasn't a fan of one of the choices in plot near the end.
It was ok. Had it been longer I wouldn't have finished it, I don't think. The premise was interesting - a boy who can talk to ghosts that can't lie - but I didn't feel like the story really did it justice. It was a bit plain; not much happened. It was written in the first-person, similar to a diary, where the narrator (the boy who can speak to ghosts, Jamie) sort of just outlined the times throughout his life he'd talked to ghosts and something mildly interesting occurred. There he would also sort of talk about his mum, his mum's ex-girlfriend, Uncle Harry and some others.
I think I just finished it because King is a good writer, but overall fairly boring story, in my opinion.
Minulla oli suuret odotukset tämän kirjan kanssa. Tämän piti olla sitä ”hyvää kingiä”, sitä kauhua, mistä hänet on tunnettu. Pettymys kuitenkin iski nopeasti.
Nuorena yksi suosikki elokuvistani oli Kuudes aisti, ja koska tässä oli suhteellisen samanlainen idea, olin varma, että tämä kirja sopii minulle todella hyvin.
Kirjan kerronta oli kuitenkin ärsyttävää, aikuisten on mielestäni vaikea kirjoittaa lapsen näkökulmasta, siitä yleensä tulee vain ärsyttävä tai teennäinen. Tässäkin minä-kertojan olisi voinut vaihtaa pois.
Myöskään se, että kirjassa lukee ”tämä on kauhua”, ei tee kirjasta yhtään pelottavampaa. Jos tätä teosta olisi hiottu hieman, tämä olisi voinut olla upea teos, koska lopussa viimeisen 60 sivun kohdalla saatoin jopa nähdä sitä hyvää kingiä.
I know a lot of people love Stephen King. I also know a lot of people don't. I'm not a true King fan by any stretch (although I do believe his book on writing/memoir is one of the finest guides to being a better writer I've ever seen), but I do enjoy some of his work. I've also disliked some of his work.
LATER is a book that's clearly not King's best work, but it's definitely compelling and definitely readable. It's a combination ghost story, horror story, and crime story–although it really doesn't oversell any of those. It's all those things, but not any of those things singularly.
The crime in the book is minimal and comes in at the end. The horror is also minimal, aside from a few gory descriptions, one or two literary “jump scares”, and a lingering possibility of what-might-be. The ghosts are constant through the book, but with the way they're treated, it's organic and interesting, not overly scary.
The characters are compelling. The story is interesting enough to keep you turning pages. The work itself is a solid tale.
LATER is not going to go down on any list of King's top ten books, but it is definitely enjoyable. It's worthy of a read. And would I read a sequel? Yes. Absolutely.
On a secondary note, I listened to this one on audiobook (as I sometimes do), and Seth Numrich was the narrator. His narration was excellent and a considerable reason I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I don't know that I would have liked it as much as I did without the narration.
Considerably smaller than his other works.
Did not have the quintessential “King horror” components, but an engaging story nonetheless.
If you're a King fan, you can let this one slide.
It had so much potential, the premise was very interesting but the narrative voice was weird. It felt detached somehow and that was strange considering it was narrated by the MC. It had nothing to do with the fact that I listened to the audiobook.
I was interested in the story, regardless, but the buildup was never really there. There was no suspense. The ending sealed this one in the 3-star rating.
The very last reveal felt unnecessary.
Amazing story with flashes from the Shinning, Doctor Sleep and It (3 of my favourites books from King).
I was a 5 stars plus book, and made me think about life and death, and the very thin wall between those worlds.
Jamie's discovery at the end was BRILLIANT
If you were to peek at my bookcase you will know that I am a big fan of Stephen King. I am the person who rereads IT every year in October just for fun. I am a big fan of the craft that is a book written by Stephen King. I really did enjoy this latest addition to the King catalog. The book once you start you will notice has familiar elements that hold to classic King novel. The big difference with this one is the added magic that is mystery and crime. I am not sure if any of the other books have that as I am still working my way through the catalog but I can say that I truly did enjoy this one.
There are familiar themes of a child forced to grow up and rely on himself in the face of less than stellar adults; supernatural powers are both a blessing and a curse. Always beautifully described so you can picture it all which is great. The fact that the protagonist is recalling his difficult childhood reminded me of other King books, but this one is more modern;
I was drawn into this story, even though the beginning is a little bit slower than some other crime novels. The action picks up later. I wish I could say I read this in one sitting buy I read it with a friend and we finished it in about four even though I am way behind writing this review. Now let's talk about more things that are great. I love the way King describes his characters; so that the feelings and emotions of the characters seem so realistic, even when their abilities are supernatural. I really liked the ending too, even though there was something that I didn't see coming.
If you are a true Stephen King fan then I think you will love it. It is different and unique. Even if you haven't read any of the classic King books this one is a solid read and worth the time for sure. It stands on its own well and is great. The only thing I wish about this book is that it was much longer. That being said this is a five-star read hands down.
Later is one to read sooner than...you know ;) In this short novel from Stephen King in the Hard Case Crime series a young protagonist named Jamie can see the dead. Does this sound like other King stories we know? Yes, but in this book King presents a bit of a different take on the concept than in The Shining, etc. Jamie gets caught up in the affairs of the adults around him and uses his powers to help his family and fight crime. It's interesting, amusing, and even thrilling. Despite this being a short book a lot of time is covered in this book and we see Jamie's character really develop over the course of the story. I liked the characters, I liked the premise, and of course the prose was solid. I listened to this book right after finishing Joyland, King's previous Hard Case Crime novel, and I sadly feel that this was a bit of a step down. In my opinion this one lacked some of the charm and nostalgia of Joyland (this isn't to say Later isn't charming or nostalgia inducing, just less so than Joyland in my opinion), and left the reader with unanswered questions/unfulfilled expectations. I don't think it's that controversial of a statement to say that sometimes King's endings aren't satisfying, and Later suffers from the lack of strong resolution. Despite the weakness of the ending, I nevertheless enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of Stephen King. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 rolled up to 5
I read this with a lump in my throat....literally. This is a horror story you know and I really enjoyed it, way more than I thought I would...
Laterwas fast paced, direct, and had the throw backs to some of my favorite writings by King. I really enjoyed the way Jamie unravelled the story to us. It called back to Bill from IT and the way he told us the story of what happened that summer. For Jamie he's starting in the Later and goes all the way back to the Then to put a thorough explanation out there for the reader, and the build up that creates is explosive.
More quality work from the King of horror! My only complaint is that it felt a bit short; everything happened so fast that there was no room to let the story breathe. Usually I prefer a brisker pace but I felt like there was a lot of meat left on the bone here. Still an excellent read, though.