Book Review - Later; Stephen King

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Later; Stephen King

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Audio

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction /Supernatural Thriller

FORMAT:  audio download /LENGTH: 6 hours and 32 min

SOURCE: Library download

SETTING(s):  New York

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A young boy with a special gift and his struggling single mother's efforts to protect him.

BRIEF REVIEW:  Jamie Conklin is a nice young boy who's just a bit different. He can see dead people but, it's a secret that Jamie and his single mother hope to keep to themselves.  The dead people don't stick around forever, once their spirit fades so do their voices and then they move on.

Mother and son's life has gone from very good living on Park Avenue, NYC  to money being tight and having to move.  When his literary agent mother asks Jamie for a special favor by using his special ability,  it's no longer just their secret as his mothers girlfriend Liz, a NYPD Detective becomes aware of his powers as well. Unfortunately, she is a crooked cop who takes advantage of Jamie's ability for her own evil purposes.

The very end of the book goes to something I hadn't even thought about and wasn't expecting. It's nothing bloody or gory just a OMG moment that made me wonder.

This is one of those shorter Stephen King books, it's a Hard Case Crime release and it was great on audio - very easy to follow with not too many characters.  The first person narrative worked really well and there aren't too many supernatural spirt encounters.  As always King's writing did not disappoint. The audio is narrated by Seth Numrich who did a great job.  Worth Reading if you like this genre.

RATING:  4/5 stars

MEMORABLE QUOTES: 

"I don't think the world starts to come into focus until you're fifteen or sixteen; up until then you just take what you've got and roll with it."

First Chapter First Paragraph - Tuesday Intros; End of Watch; Stephen King

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where I share the first paragraph sometimes two, of a book that I'm reading or plan to read soon.  

End of Watch; Stephen King

(Book 3 of the Mr. Mercedes Trilogy)

(Scribner - 2016)

April 10, 2009

Martine Stover

"It's always darkest before the dawn.

This elderly chestnut occurred to Rob Martin as the ambulance he drove rolled slowly along Upper Marlborough Street toward home base, which was Firehouse 3.  It seemed to him that whoever thought that one up really got hold of something, because it was darker than a woodchuck's asshole this morning, and dawn wasn't far away."

What do you think -- keep reading or pass? 
(Feel free to join in this week by posting your intro below?

Salem's Lot; Stephen King Readalong Wrap-Up

Thanks to Melissa, Care and Trish for hosting this fun read-along. So happy I decided to participate after initially dismissing it.

(love this cover image I found online)

I was late jumping onboard with the Salem's Lot bandwagon, but so happy my library cooperated and eventually made the audio download available.  After 35 years, I probably enjoyed this more the second time around...such fun. Ron McLarty did a terrific job narrating this selection.

(The Overview) - Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem's Lot in the hopes that living in an old mansion, long the subject of town lore, will help him cast out his own devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when two young boys venture into the woods and only one comes out alive, Mears begins to realize that there may be something sinister at work and that his hometown is under siege by forces of darkness far beyond his control.

(My Rambling Thoughts) - I loved the Marsden house and how it seemed to come alive as I read.  I loved how the first half of the books ratcheted up the tension for what was to some later on -- the details about the house, the town, the people etc.  Then wham, Ben and his vampire fighters really had their work cut out for them.  This book felt dated but I really loved that,  it took me back to those earlier days to what many of King's generation did for fun as teens (well minus the vampire fighting). I loved how these vampires were the good old-fashioned kind, no glitz and glamour or good looks, but scary, evil and smelly instead. I loved the characters King created, the sinister feel and, of course, the blood-sucking vampires of the night. 

Stakes, crosses, holy water - dark menacing and atmospheric, Salem's Lot is one of King's very best, in my opinion. It's a perfect horror selection to read most anytime, but something about October reading made it even more enjoyable.

Finders Keepers; Stephen King

Finder's Keepers; Stephen King

Scribner - 2015
(Book 2 of a trilogy)

I was anxious to see what would follow Mr. Mercedes (2014), and Finder's Keeper's did not disappoint.  I must admit that after the first chapter, this one seemed more like Misery, an all time favorite King book.  

This review was tough to write but I tried to keep out spoilers as most every review I've read since finishing this one gave away the whole story.

The story begins in 1978 with 20-something Morris Bellamy and two buddies breaking into the home of reclusive author, John Rothstein.  Rothstein hasn't written anything in decades, but was famous for his Jimmy Gold character. Morris, the ringleader here, had been a huge fan seeing himself in the Jimmy character until, in Morris' opinion, Rothstein ruined the character in his last novel.  By the end of the night Rothstein is dead, Morris' buddies are out of the picture and Morris now has the contents of Rothstein's safe --plenty of cash, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and loads of filled Moleskine notebooks which includes another unpublished Jimmy Gold story.

Fast forward to 2009, Pete Sauber's is a teenage who now lives with his financially strapped mom, dad and sister in Morris Bellamy's old house. Morris, has spent the last 30 years in prison for another crime and is about to be released. Pete is another fan of the late Rothstein's work. So how exactly are Morris and Pete linked and what happened to the loot from the robbery?

The story jumps back and forth in time between these two characters.  There are references to the Mr. Mercedes killer and, several characters from that novel reappear in this novel as well: retired detective Bill Hodges, Holly and Jeremy.  IMO new readers to this series would be just fine reading this one as a stand-alone, but as with any trilogy, most readers will want to begin with book one.

I liked Finder's Keeper's, it was a story that had me quickly turning the pages, and there wasn't any blood or gore in this one either.  King fans will be happy to know that the seed has been planted for the reappearance of Mr. Mercedes for the final installment. I think most King fans will be pleased with this one.

4.5/5 stars

(library copy)

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You - Finders Keepers; Stephen King

I can hardly wait for June 2, 2015

Finder's Keepers; Stephen King

Scribner - June 2, 2015

(DESCRIPTION) ---- A masterful, intensely suspenseful novel about a reader whose obsession with a reclusive writer goes far too far—a book about the power of storytelling, starring the same trio of unlikely and winning heroes King introduced in Mr. Mercedes.

“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Not since Misery has King played with the notion of a reader whose obsession with a writer gets dangerous. Finders Keepers is spectacular, heart-pounding suspense, but it is also King writing about how literature shapes a life—for good, for bad, forever.

Revival; Stephen King

 Revival; Stephen King

Scribner - 2014

I couldn't wait to read Revival, Stephen King's latest novel, especially after having enjoyed the last (3) King novels I tried: 11/22/63, Doctor Sleep and Mr. Mercedes.

In this story there are pretty much (2) characters, Jamie Morton, who we meet as a six year old child and Reverend Charles Jacobs, a preacher who comes to Jamie's local Methodist church when he was a young boy in Maine.

Unlike parents today, in the 1960's many parents thought nothing of sending a young child off to spend some time with an adult neighbor, friend or parish priest. Reverend Jacobs first arrives in town alone, his wife and son arrive later, and Jamie begins spending time with Rev. Jacobs who is somewhat of a mad scientist.  He shows him some secret experiments with electricity and later demonstrates their power to heal.

When tragedy strikes the reverend and his family, he gives a sermon which has him quickly removed from his congregation and the community.  Many are shocked by what was said by the preacher and yet devastated by his departure.

Fast forward to 1992, Jamie is a heroin addict and rock band member. His band members have pretty much abandoned him. At a state fair, Jamie crosses paths with the former Reverend Jacobs who now goes by a different name and new vocation. Can a fallen preacher, mad scientist, be just what Jamie needs to set him on the right track? At what price?

The novel covers a period of about 50 years, and while the first half of the book held my interest, the second half was slow going. It is, however, the last section that packs a wallop and stuck with me, it is here that the writing reminded me of the Stephen King style of writing I like best. Not a perfect story, but it did make me happy that I stuck with this novel. The audio version was read by David Morse who did a decent job.

3.5/5 stars

(Audio book and Kindle eBook)

Mr. Mercedes; Stephen King

 Mr. Mercedes; Stephen King

Simon & Schuster Audio - June - 2014

In Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King hooks his readers early on.  Picture the scene - hoards of people in line, waiting for the doors to open for a job fair in an economically depressed mid-west town -- I'm picturing somewhere in Ohio. People are making small talk to pass the time when a crazed psycho sees a chance to get his kicks.  The nutcase behind the wheel of a stolen "Mercedes" plows the vehicle into the crowd. Several dead, many injured, some maimed. The driver disappears, but he's not going away that easily.

The "Mercedes" driver is 30-something, Barry Hartsfield, a computer savvy loser who works fixing computers and also drives an ice cream truck. He's never had a girlfriend, lives with his doting, alcoholic mother and, she has more than few screws loose herself.

Hartsfield, still roaming free becomes brazen and begins corresponding with the now retired detective from the case, Bill Hodges. He sends Hodges a letter and continues to taunt him back into action in a game of cat and mouse.

There were several things I liked about this SK novel -- no real horror or gore, a great hook at the beginning to keep you reading/listening, and the fact that we are told who the "Mercedes" driver was early on. I loved how disturbed and creepy King made Brady and his mother feel and there was a good amount of tension at times as well. King also did a decent job fleshing out the ancillary characters --including the "Mercedes" owner. I wasn't thrilled with the very brief romantic relationship written into the story. It seemed kind of unnecessary to me. 

Overall, I'd say this story did live up to the hype that was created. The audio version, read by Will Patton, was very well done.  Readers who enjoy a good cat and mouse story should try Mr. Mercedes -- the first of a trilogy.

4/5 stars 

(audio book)

Doctor Sleep; Stephen King

Title:  Doctor Sleep 

Author: Stephen King 
Publication Year:  2013
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Edition: audio 
Reader: Will Patton (excellent)
Source: publisher
Date Completed: Sept - 2013
Rating: 5/5

Stephen King fans are in for a treat with Doctor Sleep; it's much better than I could have imagined. I anticipated for months how this sequel to The Shining might possibly play out, and my imaginings never came close to predicting how this one might shake out. Plan to read this one when you are sure to have a uninterrupted time, as you will not want to put this one down until you've finished the entire novel.

So yes, Danny Torrance, the little boy with the "the shining", is back in the sequel. He's all grown up now. He's battled alcoholism, and is winning the fight. He works at a facility for hospice patients called, the Rivington House in a small NH town. To his coworkers, he's referred to as, Doctor Sleep, as he, along with Azee the cat, have a way of helping guests there leave this world behind when the their time has come.

As Danny has aged, and since he has stopped drinking, his "shining" abilities are not as powerful as they once were. There is, however, someone who has been communicating with Danny in unusual ways, whose "shining" abilities far exceed anything Danny was ever capable of. Her name is Abra (Abby) Stone. Abra, even before she could walk and talk was trying to warn others about bad things that would and did happen. At just 11 years old, her powers are stronger than ever, and her parents and Danny fear for her safety.

Rattlesnake, Rosie the Hat, Snakebite Andi, Crow Daddy, Walnut, Mr. Business Man, Mr. Dealer Man and more, are a motley crew, part of a group called: The True Knot, the Steam Heads. The group travels cross country in RV clusters, and to the average person, their attire of cheap sun glasses, fishing hats, stretch pants and attention getting bumper stickers makes them appear like many other retirees traveling in RVs. Believing that they are regular folks would be dangerous, because they really are not interested in seeing the sites in their RV. They have a special agenda, and a special interest in talented young "shining" ones like Abra.

Although Doctor Sleep is a sequel to The Shining, it can be read as a stand-alone novel. I was happy that there were references to the Overlook Hotel, and also to other characters from The Shining. Most were referred to briefly like: Jack and Wendy (Danny's parents), Richard (Dick) Hallorann, who saved the lives of the Torrance family when the Overlook was destroyed by fire. Also mentioned was Mrs Massey, Room 217, Horace Dorman, as well as Tony, Danny's imaginary friend. It was good to have their names reappear, even briefly in Doctor Sleep.

For me, this one is "classic Stephen King". When I read phrases like "eyes dripping and bloated", I smiled. This is the Stephen King, I love the best. READ IT!
(audio book provided to me by Simon & Schuster)

Doctor Sleep; Stephen King - read-along

I was so excited to learn about this "read-along" on Ti's Blog.  I loved The Shining (book and movie) and can't wait to read/listen to the sequel Doctor Sleep. This Read-Along is being hosted by, Tif Talks Books and Charlene's Cheap Thrills. 

Here are some of the basics:

Doctor Sleep is being released on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 -- one week from today!  However, to allow participants enough time to get their hands on a copy of the book, the kick off will be on Monday, September 30.  

Monday, September 30:  Doctor Sleep Read-along Kick-off!
Monday, October 7:  Discussion #1 (approx. pages 1-180)
Monday, October 14:  Discussion #2 (approx. pages 181-360)
Monday, October 21:  Wrap-up Discussion (total 544 pages)

I received the audio version for review, but like you I'm expected to wait until the official release date to begin:)

Doctor Sleep; Stephen King

Great way to get psyched about Halloween!

Won't you join us?

Joyland; Stephen King

Title: Joyland

Author: Stephen King
Publication Year:  2013
Publisher: SImon & Schuster Audio
Edition: audio

Reader: Michael Kelly (very good)
Source:  publisher
Date Completed: Aug - 2013
Rating: 3.5/5

Devin Jones, is a 21 year-old college kid from New Hampshire who is going through a rough time. His girl friend Wendy calls it quits so he decides he needs a change of scenery and something to keep him busy over the summer. He takes a job at a North Carolina, beach community amusement park. It's 1973 and the amusement park run down and barely surviving. No modern or fancy rides, instead it's draw tends to be the kinds of things that we've seen in the movies in years gone by. There's a boardwalk, a few rides and the types of attractions sometimes found at a county fair: a fortune teller, some sexy girls who take pictures of the visitors and then pressure them to buy a photo or take a chance etc. 

It doesn't take Devin long to get and make a few friends. He meets a few other college kids who live at the same boarding house and are also working at the amusement park. Together with Tom Kennedy and Erin Cook, the threesome find themselves becoming good friends, doing what teens do. The also find themselves focused on and unsolved murder case of a young girl that happened years earlier in the House of Horrors at Joyland. The girl may be gone but her ghost seems to alive and well. There's also Annie and ten-year old Michael, a boy with MS and is in a wheelchair, who play a significant part in the story.

 

So is Joyland a horror fest, crime fiction, a murder mystery or ghost story?  Honestly, I suppose it's a little of all of these, except for the horror perhaps -- there wasn't any of that like some of King's other works. The story is narrated by Devin (Dev) some 40 years later and I think that worked well. I liked listening to the 60 year-old Dev, reflect on that impressionable summer he spent at Joyland. King did a great job on his character, and everything about being a college kids in 1973 seemed to feel right. For me, Joyland seemed like a cool coming of age story -- the 70's setting, the colorful characters etc. However, for such a short novel, by King standards, it felt like something was missing.  I listened to the audio version which was well done, read by Michael Kelly. Not perfect, but overall, a decent summer book.

Under the Dome; Stephen King - a summer readalong

 I was determined to finish this book before last night's premiere of the 13 week Under the Dome series.  I finished the book and liked most of it, but was exhausted and couldn't stay up from 10-11pm to watch it, BUT I was able to DVR it. 

I avoiding reading about the tv version until I get to watch it this weekend......just tell me, those of you who watched it....did you like the kick off of the miniseries?????

Here's and overview of the novel and some of my thoughts:

The 1,000+ page novel focuses on of the rural Maine town of Chester Mill, which is instantly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible "dome".  Trapped inside, the residents (good and evil) work both together and against one another to save their town, which is set off from the rest of the US and for that matter, the world.

What I Liked and What I Disliked:

•  I thought it was an interesting premise for a novel, and I was hooked early on. I'm not a fan of the SF genre, but this story will make me take a closer look before rejecting something based on the genre alone.
• The characters were fairly well drawn, especially the evil ones. Big Jim Rennie, a used car salesman and a town council bully, is the biggest of the "bad guys".  His son, Junior, isn't far behind when it comes to evil. There are dozens of characters in this novel.
• I would have liked to see the "good guys",  Dale Barbara (AKA...Barbie) explored even deeper. He was a man who spent time in Iraq as a former Army Captain, and just can't seem to find his place after the war. He is a short-order cook in town, and he's haunted by memories of something that went terribly wrong for him in the war. When the "dome" descends on the town, the President (Obama) puts "Barbie" in charge of maintaining order. Other "good guys" in the novel are Julia Shumway, the editor of the local newspaper, a physician's assistant, and a computer wiz kid to name a few.
• Although there are not any real elements of horror in this novel, there is a good amount of gore, as well  a couple of rape scenes, but compared to some of King's work, I would not consider this one over the top. 
• For all the foul language, there is some humor/satire as well which I loved. King's "good versus evil" takes things a step further, extending into the political arena: democrats versus republicans, which made me chuckle.
• The story started out fast paced and kept me turning pages and some some cases listening longer than I planned to, but then there were parts that really seemed to drag as well. 
• Overall, there is plenty of entertainment factor in Under the Dome: people dropping like flies, political corruption, large scale drug operations, ego manics, power struggles and even religious zealots. For me though, reading about what happens when humans are isolated and how differently people react when feeling desperate was what I enjoyed the most about this novel.
• What caused the "dome" to appear over Chester Mill?  It was somewhat silly, but actually I couldn't have come up with an alternate ending if I tried, so who am I to criticize Stephen King? 
• Overall rating - 4/5 stars.

Are you participating in the readalong? How is it going for you. A Big Thanks to Natalie for hosting,

Under the Dome ; Stephen King - Read-Along

Need a Stephen King Fix?  Why not join in an informal read-along?

Thanks go out to..

• Jill from Fizzy Thoughts,was the brain-child earlier this year for an Under the Dome readalong
• Natalie from Coffee and Book Chick, along with Trish at Love, Laughter, Insanity, Lesley at Prairie Horizons, and Lisa at Lit and Life  have pitched in with the corrdination as well -- Thank you all!

The Under the Dome, mini-series will premiere in exactly one month on CBS, the summer readalong starts now and will extend past the mini-series premiere.

Doing a kick-off post? Then feel free to give details on:

• Show us your copy! Audio or print?
• 
• Have you read Uncle Stevie before?
• Oh.....yes....more than half of his novels...the creepier tne better!
• What are you familiar with about Under the Dome or Stephen King?
• It's still a mystery to me- plan to start it over the weekend I hope.
• What are you looking forward to?
• Reading other bloggers thoughts!

Won't you join us?  

Sign up- http://www.coffeeandabookchick.com/