Stephen King

"In collaboration with Winterfall LLC"--Copyright page.

Later

SOMETIMES GROWING UP MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS 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.

🌞Laur🌞

Because, good times or bad, people are going to want to get high. 

We passed a sign pointing to the Cuomo Bridge, which everybody in New York still calls the Tappan Zee, or just the Tap. 

I did speak with professor Burkett again, but there were no drinks or snacks. He no longer used those things, because he was dead. 

Belief is a high hurdle to get over and I think it’s even higher for smart people. Smart people know a lot, and maybe that makes them think they know everything. 

But familiarity breeds contempt, so they say, and in this case the saying was true. 

Tell you what, the worst part of growing up is how it shuts you up. 

I was on my own, and that was a lonely, scary place to be. 

Adults have power, especially when they beg, and that’s what Liz was doing. 

That seems to have been a translation error which has been immortalized by Walt Disney, that homogenized of fairy tales. 

I know they say you can’t miss what you’ve never had, and there’s some truth to that, but I knew I was missing 

“I heard her,” Mr.Thomas said. “I’m dead, not deaf.” 

“Are she and your mother fucking? Mr.Thomas asked. 

And every day she cursed James Mackenzie for the thieving, money-grubbing, motherfucking, cocksucking, bleeding hemorrhoid on legs that he was. 

Celine

Tell you what, the worst part of growing up is how it shuts you up.

Patrick Book

** spoiler alert **
            Nice to see him with at least one foot planted in reality sometimes.

tori 👻

I started reading King's books ten years ago, when I was fifteen. I've always loved his stories and it's nice since I could always share it with my mom.
It's been a while since I read one of his novels and thought this is it though. Later was it. 
I was able to find that comfort that used to come through his spooky stories again and it made me remember why I love his books so much. Also, it made me so happy to go back to IT and The Shining just for a little bit.
Really solid book.

Ana Luiza

4,5
Estava preparada para dar 5 estrelas e favoritar esse livro, mas não sei o que acontece com o King no final que as vezes ele dá uma surtada... Aquele acontecimento lá não teve absolutamente necessidade nenhuma e ZERO significado pra história. Além disso, não gostei de como ficou aberto, queria uma resolução mais definitiva. Mas, apesar de tudo isso, os 90% restantes do livro foram maravilhosas, com uma escrita fluida que eu não esperava do King. A história me prendeu desde o começo, com capitulos curtos que me faziam sempre querer ler mais um. Acompanhar o crescimento de Jamie foi muito legal. Gostei tanto do plot e dos personagens que poderia dizer que queria mais, mas ao mesmo tempo acho que a história foi escrita do jeito que tem que ser (menos o final que eu não concordo rs).
King sempre o maior, mas esse não substituiu O Instituto, que continua sendo meu preferido dele.

André Silva

The first book I read by Stephen King. I love it. I liked the writing style, a diary style. The story of the young Champ seeing dead people is very interesting, although I think I might have missed a little bit because this was the first book I read from SK. I will get the others for sure

Raven 

i honestly don't even have the words to describe this.

Lara Engle

Later is what I would call King-Lite. It's told in first person by a somewhat naive narrator and I think that limiting the story to Jamie's perspective is a strength. It gives the story boundaries, which is what some of King's sprawling tales might need. And it's a good story! It throws in little references to IT, The Shining, Doctor Sleep, The Shawshank Redemption (movie), The Dark Tower series, and even On Writing, but not getting those references won't get in the way of the story. They're nice Easter eggs for King enthusiasts, though. I really like Jamie as a character. He's just a nice kid, but he also feels real. There's definitely horror here, but it doesn't get too bogged down in the mythology the way some King books can. Overall, a good quick read.

such an easy read but i was expecting more horror. also can we stop adding incest in to endings as a plottwist

Petaco

I thought it was ok. I do absolutely love the cover! Was this actually horror?

Judy Hutchins 

Easy read, interesting twists. However it really put me off to have a character quote the author.

I could totally see this book becoming a movie!

It has a really great concept up until the end. The ending is just kind of ???? I’m not sure how to explain it… rushed? random? strange? unfinished?

Other than that the book was great! I didn’t find it to have much of the horror aspect, but I did find parts thrilling. The characters were well written and had a lot of depth to them. 

This is my first Stephen King book so I am looking forward to reading more of his work. 

I could totally see this book becoming a movie!

It has a really great concept up until the end. The ending is just kind of ???? I’m not sure how to explain it… rushed? random? strange? unfinished?

Other than that the book was great! I didn’t find it to have much of the horror aspect, but I did find parts thrilling. The characters were well written and had a lot of depth to them. 

This is my first Stephen King book so I am looking forward to reading more of his work. 

Kristen Claiborn

I believe I have mentioned before that Stephen King is the author that helped me realize I genuinely love books. I will forever be grateful for every word this man has written. It's slightly odd to receive a Stephen King in the mail that isn't large enough to break bones in my foot if I dropped it, so I admit I was slightly disappointed before I even started. The disappointment lasted all the way to the end simply because I wanted so much more of this story. I'm not even sure what else I would have wanted, I just wanted more. Jamie Conklin might be one of my favorite of King's characters, especially of his newer books (I have his books separated into two groups: before Bag of Bones and after Bag of Bones). Jamie is unique in how normal he seems to be but with an extraordinary talent. He's somehow not afraid of himself...or what he is capable of, and I found that endearing in a relatively young lad. I hope that Jamie gets more of his story told.

Marloes

Jessica Geddis 

It was a good book, and there was nothing objectively wrong with it— I just think there could’ve been something more, because it wasn’t anything astronomical. I did like the IT references, but I think bringing up BLM was uncalled for. I don’t know if Stephen supports it or not, but as someone who does, there’s a myriad of other things the two could’ve argued about, but why did it have to be that?

Hellboy TCR

Where's the other half of the novel, Mr King? 3.5 stars for a well written deliberately short novel.

Jasmine

I loved this book so much...up until the end. 

Don’t get me wrong here. I absolutely adored Jamie and found him to be incredibly well written. King tends to capture adolescence in a way that doesn’t feel forced and it’s so easy to fall into, so Later is 100% worth the read based on that alone. The end doesn’t even ruin the story so much as it just ends things weirdly. I’m honestly glad that we’re still getting new King books so gift horse and what have you. 

This was 3.5-4ish stars from me

James Eaton

I loved this book. A fun idea in a pretty short book (which is not always true with King... I've read some big King books this year as well). 

If you are between series and need something to read, I would recommend Later.

Catarina Silva

4.5 stars?
I wouldn’t say this was a horror story (as king reminds us it is through out the book) but it had just the right amount of horror and paranormal to be really interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook

No one is ever going to beat Stephen King. 

TYLER

Ashutosh

Mirella Hetekivi

** spoiler alert **
           "Later" was so far beyond my expectations that I don't think I'm capable of writing a proper review. (Not that I ever understood how writing reviews does any good anyway unless they are constructive... or how to even write a proper one myself).

I've always had a hard time reading brick like books (even though I love Stephen Kings never ending supply of psychological mixer boards that grows under your skin for the rest of your life) due to poor ass ill fitting glasses and having my name as a synonyme for ADHD in the thesaurus. Thus "Later" was a relief in that lack of being a brick way. I goosebumped myself through this book in one sitting. My favorite King work has always been "IT". And without saying too much. This book was IT. 

I'll be damned if this one isn't put on the big screen ASAP.

Sabetha Danes

Such a weird book. 

The story is written as if it's a memoir being written by the main character. He speaks to the audience to tell us that "he'll explain something later" almost as if he is telling someone how it all got started. Thinking back to how this book is written, I am now curious if there will be another story in this universe where Jamie will find himself face to face with his fears. 

We follow Jamie from when he is 6 to the age of 22, his lesbian mother and a few key people in his youth. It covers all the paranormal events in his life, plus the hardships his mother faces trying to navigate being a single parent. The book ends with the suspense that there is more to come, so it feels a bit lackluster as far as endings go. Nothing was resolved, and there isn't any hard finality to the story. 

In the last few chapters there is a big reveal, that I just don't get the point of. It doesn't add anything to the plot or to Jamie as a character arc. It seems like it was more thrown in for shock factor if anything. 

There are plenty of nods to It, that a King fan will appreciate. Plus references to real people and events, setting the book solidly in modern day New York. 

Overall, I wasn't blown away by the story, and it wasn't freaky or anything. I enjoy Kings writing style so in that sense the book was enjoyable, but if you are looking for something to be your first King book, I wouldn't start here.

B.H. Pitt

Classic King fare.

Stephen King once referred to himself as "the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and fries." Which I feel isn't entirely accurate. His books are more like a pub burger from your favorite bar--sure, sometimes you find yourself eating it too often and you realize that there are healthier options out there. But sometimes you go a long time without having one and you realize all over again why they're so easy to scarf down.

Maria🧸

I could NOT put this book down. I finished it in about two days. At just over 240 pages, it's easy to devour quickly. 

I've been a Stephen King fan for a long time and have read a lot of his work, both old and new, but this is one of my favorites. Even though it's on the shorter side for his work, each page is just dripping with information. So much happens in those 240 pages and while it was satisfying at the end, it was so good that I wanted more. 

The story is told in the first-person and the character King created feels so real, like someone you could easily imagine. And the characters surrounding our main, feel so familiar. Like people you probably know in your everyday life. Everything about this book is so easy to visualize. The scenes just jump off the page and play out in front of you as you're reading each word. 

As a seasoned horror fan, it's not terrifying. But it's scary enough to give you just the slightest shiver.

If you're looking for a quick, thrilling read — I recommend this. If you're a longtime King fan — I recommend this. If you're a new King fan, or new to the realm of horror/thriller novels — I recommend this. It's excellent cover-to-cover. While reading it, I couldn't help but imagine how incredible this would be on screen as a movie or limited series. Maybe you'll see what I mean after you read it for yourself.

Later

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