Later is a short horror novel by Stephen King, that could best be compared to the movie The Sixth Sense as the young teen Jamie can see dead people, but that would do it a disservice as this book is more than that.
Jamie has always had the ability to see and speak to dead people, but only his single mother knows, who wisely tells him to keep his abilities to himself. Sadly, she does not follow her own advice and tells her cop girlfriend, who then uses Jamie’s abilities to her own ends. The first time she does so, a demon attaches to him with dire consequences. Told from Jamie’s perspective, this is more a slice-of-life story with supernatural underpinnings, rather than the horror story it claims to be. This pulp-style book gave me a Pet Sematary vibe, and other reviewers said it reminded them of It, but I never finished that book as it was much too long (I much prefer his smaller books and short stories). The ending tied up some loose ends, and it didn’t quite end on a cliffhanger, yet the narrative could definitely be picked up for more stories in the future. If so, I am ready for more adventures with Jamie!
July 19, 2022 at 5:57 pm
I love IT, so I might give this story a read.
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July 20, 2022 at 9:18 am
It is a fast read, unlike It, so if you are a fan of King it is a sure thing!
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July 19, 2022 at 7:53 pm
This was a great one for me. a bit lighter than I was thinking but surprisingly fun!
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July 20, 2022 at 9:21 am
I agree! I heard they are going to make a limited series of it with Lucy Liu as the mom, but I don’t know if it has started filming yet.
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July 20, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Oh wow, that could be so much fun! I hope they go for it. Liu is a great actress. 🙂
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July 20, 2022 at 3:16 pm
Glad to see how much you enjoyed this shorter King story! It really was wonderful. 😀
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July 20, 2022 at 3:44 pm
I typically prefer his shorter work- I adore his short story collections!
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July 21, 2022 at 10:10 am
I’ll probably give this a read since it’s short and the premise is interesting.
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July 22, 2022 at 12:48 pm
It reads fast- I brought it on vacation and had wished it lasted longer for my plane ride!
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