Later

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.