REVIEW:

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. (If you’d like to read more about the origins of the Hard Case Crime imprint and Stephen King’s involvement, click the logo below the publisher synopsis.)

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 that I would round up, because while Later wasn’t one of my all-time favorites, Uncle Stevie still is.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

#1 bestselling author Stephen King returns with a brand-new novel about the secrets we keep buried and the cost of unearthing them.

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.