Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

"When the fickle finger of fate points at you, all roads lead to the same place, that’s what I think.” Stephen King has delivered LATER, his third novel for Hardcase Crime, preceded by JOYLAND and THE COLORADO KID. And, yes, Stephen King has done it again. LATER is a mismatch of many genres—thriller, ghost story, supernatural-coming-of-age. This is something King has always done throughout his career, and he is only getting better and better at it. The novel clocks in at a brisk 250-something pages, when all is said and done, and it features some very fine, sharp, and precise writing. I am always attracted to first-person narrators, and Jamie Conklin is a character I won’t soon forget. His voice and his perspective is handled with care, and King really has a penchant for writing about children, and the bittersweet experience of growing up. Of course, his characters are always forced to grow-up in ways that both frighten and delight us. I don’t want to betray more than the synopsis offers—that would be a disservice to the reading experience. What I will say is there are some surprising easter eggs tucked in this spectacular little gem. What starts off as a slow-burner, (King is building the world, the characters) quickly escalates into a page-turner, with supreme tension and suspense. In fact, this is a particularly violent, bleak, and dark Stephen King novel. It almost reads like a Richard Bachman novel. Almost. There is still a little more heart here. Maybe there is a bit of a Salinger-esque vibe, if Holden Caulfield had a supernatural awakening to accompany all the angst. What keeps me coming back to King, a lifelong Constant Reader, are the characters that come alive in his stories. The plots often take a backseat, though they are just as alluring and expertly underscore his work. Many critics say many things about Stephen King—good and bad. LATER, his newest, is exemplary of all that I love about Stephen King at the top of his game. If you're looking for a launching point into King's canon, this isn't a bad place to start. If, like me, you've been reading King for a long time, you'll be delighted to surrender to a Master Storyteller at work. There is a reason we come back, again and again. Pick up a copy. Sooner, rather than later.