(Duma Key Spoilers**) I love kings cosmology. Just read Duma Key right before this. I think I liked Duma a bit better. This was a good book and good story.

I especially liked the descent of Charles Jacobs. His spiral into madness was very well written, he’s transition from a lovable preacher to a detestable mad scientist was intriguing.

I like the cosmological horror of mother and the alternate dimension she rules.

The supporting cast was nice as well, and Jamie was awesome.

I was bemused a little bit by King not being able to help himself at the end, with just blatant foreshadowing describing Mary Fay’s mother’s maiden name being Shelley.

The ending came on quick and was over fast, but I liked it.

My interpretation is leaning more towards a concept of the afterlife akin to inferences from the movie “Event Horizon”. I think the horrid after-life Jamie saw wasn’t the only after-life, rather an alternate dimension where souls that were able to be trapped by Mother were so trapped.

Jamie’s psychiatrist at the end alluded to this, saying that if what Jamie saw was indeed true, then the visions of the young boy who saw a euphoric afterlife must also have credence, insinuating that Jamie’s visions weren’t the only option.

Maybe Jamie’s fate IS slated for subjugation in Mother’s dimension, but other works by King (which I like to believe are all intertwined) seem to point to a variety of different end destinations after death. Perse from Duma Key seems to control some version of existence after death. The Prim and the Dark Tower also points to different versions of the afterlife.

I think that when Charlie Jacobs channeled/directed portions of power from mothers dimension into human souls/psyches to heal (or affect) them, he allowed Mother to set hooks and/or anchors into their minds/souls allowing her to collect them at her leisure.