Later (novel)

Last updated
Later
Later (Stephen King).png
First edition cover
Author Stephen King
Audio read bySeth Numrich
Country United States
Genre Crime
Horror
Publisher Hard Case Crime
Publication date
March 2, 2021
Pages256
ISBN 978-1-78909-649-1

Later is a crime/horror novel written by American author Stephen King, published on March 2, 2021, by Hard Case Crime. The book is available in paperback format with a limited hardcover release. The paperback edition features cover art by Paul Mann, and the limited hardcover features cover art by Gregory Manchess. [1] The 7 hour audiobook is read by Seth Numrich. This is King's third published work with Hard Case Crime, following the release of The Colorado Kid and Joyland . [2]

Contents

The story is told in first person perspective using Jamie Conklin as the protagonist, who has the ability to see the ghosts of dead people.

The novel entered The New York Times fiction best-seller list at number two, in the week ending March 6, 2021. [3]

Story

Set in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Later is narrated by Jamie Conklin, a young boy living with his single mother, Tia, in New York City. Jamie has the ability to see and talk to the ghosts of dead people. These ghosts must answer all his questions truthfully. When he was very young, Jamie was traumatized after a man who was killed in a car accident near Central Park waved at him, despite being dead. When he is a few years older, he also talks to Mona, the late wife of the Conklins' neighbor, Professor Martin Burkett. At the beginning of the story, Tia is the only person who knows about his special skills. His uncle Harry (Tia's older brother) lives in a care home due to having early onset Alzheimer's disease.

Tia is a literary agent, and her star client, Regis Thomas, writes best-selling romance novels. Despite losing some money in the Great Recession, Jamie and his mother are still able to get by thanks to Thomas' work. Around this time, Tia begins dating Elizabeth "Liz" Dutton, an NYPD detective. When Regis suddenly drops dead before finishing his final book, Tia fears her agency will face bankruptcy. She and Liz drive Jamie out to Regis' house, where he talks to the deceased author's ghost and tells his mother the plot of the final book. After finishing the final book, Tia publishes it to massive success and the Conklins earn much of their lost money back. Soon after, Tia breaks up with Liz after finding drugs in her jacket.

One year later, Liz picks up Jamie after school one day. Desperate to not lose her job with the NYPD, she has him use his abilities to thwart the plot of serial bomber Kenneth Therriault, who has committed suicide after planting one final bomb somewhere in the city. Therriault's ghost reveals the bomb's location. However, unlike previous spirits, Therriault continues to haunt and harass Jaime for several weeks. Jamie talks with Burkett, who tells him about an ancient ritual, the Ritual of Chüd, that he could use to combat the demon possessing Therriault. When Jamie sees Therriault again, he lunges at the ghost and refuses to let go. Therriault, terrified, promises to leave him alone. Jamie also makes the mysterious force possessing Therriault's ghost (which Jamie calls the "Dead Light") promise to come to him if he whistles for it. Soon after, Burkett dies; before departing, his ghost warns Jaime never to summon the Dead Light.

Some months later, Jamie is kidnapped by Liz, who admits she used her position as a cop to participate in drug trafficking. She forcibly takes Jamie to the mansion of Donald Marsden, a drug kingpin, who is hiding what Liz believes to be a giant supply of Oxycontin pills. Liz wants to sell the pills and use the money to start a new life. After murdering Marsden, Liz forces Jamie to ask Marsden's ghost where he hid the pills. Marsden leads them to a panic room in his library. Liz is enraged when she finds the pill supply is much smaller than expected. Fearing for his life, Jamie summons the Dead Light, which kills Liz. The Dead Light, now stronger, tries to break free of Jamie's control. Refusing to give in, Jaime retains control of the Dead Light before forcing it to leave again. After it vanishes, Jamie calls the police and is returned home safely.

Years later, when Jamie is about to finish high school, Tia tells him that Uncle Harry has died of pneumonia. Jamie travels to the care home, talks to the ghost of his dead uncle, and asks who his father is. Harry says that he is Jamie's father. Jamie refuses to ask for the details of his incestuous conception and does not say anything to his mother. Jamie tries to remain hopeful about the future but is troubled by the fact that he might develop early onset Alzheimer's like his uncle. This could be found out by a simple test, which, however, he wants to have carried out only "later".

Limited hardcover edition and audiobook

Related Research Articles

Edward Groff Conklin was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories, wrote books on home improvement and was a freelance writer on scientific subjects as well as a published poet. From 1950 to 1955, he was the book critic for Galaxy Science Fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drizzt Do'Urden</span> Fictional character from Dungeons & Dragons

Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed him to replace one of the characters in an early version of the first book, The Crystal Shard. Drizzt has since become a popular heroic character of the Forgotten Realms setting, and has been featured as the main character of a long series of books, starting chronologically with The Dark Elf Trilogy. As an atypical drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark, in the drow city of Menzoberranzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Kennedy</span> American actor and comedian

James Harvey Kennedy is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the Scream franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in The Jamie Kennedy Experiment (2002–2004) on The WB. His other film roles include Romeo + Juliet (1996), Bowfinger (1999), Max Keeble's Big Move ( 2001), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), Finding Bliss (2009), and Good Deeds (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacemaker (character)</span> Comic book superhero

Peacemaker is the name of a series of fictional characters originally owned by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. The original Peacemaker first appeared in Fightin' 5 #40 and was created by writer Joe Gill and artist Pat Boyette.

<i>A Storm of Swords</i> Novel by George R. R. Martin

A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, a fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 8, 2000, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following in November 2000. Its publication was preceded by a novella called Path of the Dragon, which collects some of the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel into a single book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaime King</span> American actress and model

Jaime King is an American actress and model. In her modeling career and early film roles, she used the names Jamie King and James King, which was a childhood nickname given to King by her parents, because her agency already represented another Jaime—the older, then-more famous model Jaime Rishar.

<i>A Feast for Crows</i> Novel by George R. R. Martin

A Feast for Crows is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. The novel was first published on October 17, 2005, in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following on November 8, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Rider</span> Comic book superhero

Phantom Rider is the name of several Old West heroic gunfighter characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally called Ghost Rider, and was renamed following the introduction of Marvel's motorcycle-riding character of the same name.

<i>SilverFin</i> Novel by Charlie Higson

SilverFin is the first novel in the Young Bond series that depicts Ian Fleming's superspy James Bond as a teenager in the 1930s. It was written by Charlie Higson and released in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2005 by Puffin Books in conjunction with a large marketing campaign; a Canadian release of the same edition occurred in late March. The United States edition, which was slightly edited for content, was released on April 27, 2005 by Miramax Books.

<i>Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales</i>

Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales, published in 1991, is a collection of short stories for children by the author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques.

<i>The Hour of the Dragon</i> Fantasy novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard's suicide, although not the last to be written. The novel was first published in serial form in the December 1935 through April 1936 issues of the pulp magazine Weird Tales. The first book edition was published by Gnome Press in hardcover in 1950. The Gnome Press edition retitled the story Conan the Conqueror, a title retained by all subsequent editions until 1977, when the original title was restored in an edition published by Berkley/Putnam. The Berkley edition also reverted the text to that of its original Weird Tales publication, discarding later edits. Later editions have generally followed Berkley and published under the original title.

Sweet Valley High Senior Year is part of the Sweet Valley High franchise and the last spin-off series to be published. A double edition of the final book, Sweet 18, included the first book from the SVH series, Double Love, and a letter from creator Francine Pascal. The series is considered the most contemporary and realistic of the franchise.

<i>The Devils Backbone</i> 2001 film by Guillermo del Toro

The Devil's Backbone is a 2001 gothic horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro, and written by del Toro, David Muñoz, and Antonio Trashorras. Set in Spain, 1939, during the final year of the Spanish Civil War, the film follows a boy who is left in an orphanage operated by Republican loyalists and haunted by the ghost of a recently-deceased boy. It stars Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Irene Visedo, Fernando Tielve, and Íñigo Garcés. Released in Spain by Warner Sogefilms on 20 April 2001, the film received highly positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Hill (writer)</span> American writer (born 1972)

Joseph Hillström King, better known by the pen name Joe Hill, is an American writer. His work includes the novels Heart-Shaped Box (2007), Horns (2010), NOS4A2 (2013), and The Fireman (2016); the short story collections 20th Century Ghosts (2005) and Strange Weather (2017); and the comic book series Locke & Key (2008–2013). He has won awards including Bram Stoker Awards, British Fantasy Awards, and an Eisner Award.

<i>Escape to Witch Mountain</i> (1975 film) 1975 film by John Hough

Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 American fantasy science-fiction film, based on Alexander H. Key's 1968 novel of the same name and directed by John Hough. It was released on March 21, 1975 by Walt Disney Productions and Buena Vista Distribution Company. It is the first film of the Witch Mountain series.

<i>The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill</i>

The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. It the fifth comic book miniseries based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of novels. It is plotted by Robin Furth, scripted by Peter David, and illustrated by Richard Isanove and Jae Lee. Stephen King is the Creative and Executive Director of the project. The first issue was published on December 3, 2009.

<i>The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins</i>

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics. It is the sixth comic book miniseries based on Stephen King's The Dark Tower series of novels. It is plotted by Robin Furth, scripted by Peter David, and illustrated by Richard Isanove and Sean Phillips. Stephen King is the Creative and Executive Director of the project. The first issue was published on May 19, 2010.

The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, Storm Front—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books.

<i>Traitors Sun</i> 1998 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Adrienne Martine-Barnes

Traitor's Sun is a science fiction novel by American writers Marion Zimmer Bradley and Adrienne Martine-Barnes in the Darkover series. It was first published by in hardcover by DAW Books in 1998. The book falls in the Darkover time periods that the author called "Against the Terrans: The Second Age ".

Paco Testas is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

References

  1. "Later". Stephen King. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. Weiss, Josh (August 3, 2020). "STEPHEN KING REVEALS NEW, HARDBOILED GENRE DETECTIVE NOVEL 'LATER' COMING IN 2021". SyFy Wire . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  4. "Limited Editions: Later". Stephen King. Retrieved January 6, 2021.