I love Stephen King. I have loved his books practically my whole life. The Stand and It still hold up, as well as some of his other books and short stories. But his book Later is no classic. I would call it terrible, but it’s more inert than that.
Later follows narrator Jamie Conklin from childhood to his early 20s. Jamie can see and talk to the dead (just like The Sixth Sense, which is mentioned). The dead must always tell him the truth, and he encounters many ghosts throughout the book. There is nothing scary about this, and it’s not meant to be, until he encounters a malevolent criminal who becomes inhabited by something called the deadlight. There is a heartwarming relationship with his mother, murders, kidnappings, incest, and a fight for control with an evil entity. Oh, what was that next to last one? Incest? Yes it was. Worse, it’s pulled out as a twist that’s never explained. I would apologize for the spoiler, but you really shouldn’t read this book.
There is a horror element, but it’s weak and not particularly scary. It’s kind of your usual Big Bad—mysterious in origin, overwhelmingly evil from who-knows-where, and lurking around waiting to be summoned to wreak destruction. Jamie’s epic struggle with the evil entity involves extended hugging. Seriously.
The book is pretty short, but still not worth your time. I see bored people.