Book Review: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
The Details
Media Type: Print Book
Title: Fairy Tale
Author(s): Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner
Pages/Length: Hardcover, 600
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Source: Purchased
Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop
Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes deep into the well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for their world or ours.
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.
Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.
A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.
The Review
To say that I was excited for this book is a massive understatement. Ever since I saw hints of its existence, I was absolutely smitten. You probably all know that I’ll read anything that King puts out. However this book in particular really caught my attention because The Eyes of the Dragon is one of my favorite stories that King has written. Yes, I am well aware it’s a highly contentious opinion. I feel like King writing Fantasy will always be a bit contentious. Truly though, I just wanted to be transported back. Back to the first time I read that book, and got lost in the dark fairy tale. I needed that nostalgia factor, and I hoped that Fairy Tale could give that to me.
I’m happy to report that Charlie and I had quite a good time together. The nostalgia factor was definitely massive in this book, but what impressed me most was the first third or so of the book. We all know that King can write great characters, but the relationships, both those between Charlie and his father and Charlie and Mr. Bowditch, were just beautifully rendered. Charlie’s love for his father was just so deep, it made me tear up a bit. His memories of his mother, his hope for his father’s future, it all just wrapped around me and held me tight while I read. I also immediately fell in love with the ornery old Mr. Bowditch and his elderly, well-loved dog. The fact that Charlie slowly absorbed them into his little family just made me so happy.
I can’t even lie, this part of the book was probably my favorite. I’m a very character driven reader, and the vast depth that Charlie was given really spoke to me. I could have read an entire book about just these characters, and never even delved into the world that our brave main character finds himself in. However, I can’t say that I hated that part either. Once Charlie entered that parallel world, full of darkness and danger, I was smitten for an entirely different reason. Here we have a boy pulled into a hero’s role against his will. A story where he has to weight what he wants, against what is best for others. My absolute favorite kind of fairy tale. I loved every little bit of it.
My only complaint, and the reason that I pushed this down to 4 stars instead of 5, is because Charlie in the latter half of the book lost a bit of his shine for me. I know that it was necessary. His time in that other world is full of loss and violence, and it does make sense that he begins to sound much more like an adult that a teenage boy. However I really missed that bright spark that Charlie had at the beginning. I wanted a bit more hope, perhaps a bit more of that old Charlie shining through. Again, I do get it. There’s no denying that later Charlie was a little bit obnoxious at times though. Good thing he had Radar to keep him honest.
Still, I adored this book. It was so much fun, and King has once again proven why he remains one of my favorite authors. I’ll probably read this again at some point, but for now I just want to savor my first read-through. If you’re a fan of dark fairy tales, I recommend this book! I think you’ll enjoy it.
