Fairy Tale
Master storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this #1 New York Times bestselling and spellbinding novel about a young man who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for that 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 horrific accident when he was seven, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from that shed.
Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
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 horrific accident when he was seven, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from that shed.
Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
I enjoyed this book. Definitely has the tone of a Stephen King novel, but truly is a fantasy fairy tale as intended. He did a good job of weaving in what makes his style so unique but giving the story what it needed to become an epic fantasy. His world-building was pretty fascinating and a little dark. I probably could have done without the premise of the book being written by the protagonist as a memoir of sorts, but it did add an extra layer to the story. Overall, I would recommend it. It might be my new Stephen King favorite...
Actually enjoyed the story prior to the main story. Slow Burner Steve, but I loved it . I enjoyed the humor, and it was a great audiobook. The voices actor, Seth Numrich, did amazing .I hope there's a continuous storyline to this book. Well done.
I had this on my TBR list for a long time, but the length of the book kept me from starting it. I finally got it because it was a bookclub read. I'm so glad that I finally read it.
I was originally put off because of the length and, because I was familiar with the author and his work, I assumed it was going to be a gory horror story, but it wasn't. It was definitely more of a fantasy. It did have its share of blood and gore, but it wouldn't be a Stephen King book without that.
I do recommend this book. It's worth reading all those pages.
I was originally put off because of the length and, because I was familiar with the author and his work, I assumed it was going to be a gory horror story, but it wasn't. It was definitely more of a fantasy. It did have its share of blood and gore, but it wouldn't be a Stephen King book without that.
I do recommend this book. It's worth reading all those pages.
King delves into a genre that isn't his typical comfort zone and does it with gusto. Where Fairy Tale no doubt is a King novel including his standard tropes and themes and darkly realistic writing style he adds an interesting spin to a Happy Ending. The plot ascends slowly keeping the interest of the reader with curious events and strong characters you can't help but love or hate. The allusion to pop culture books, movies, shows throughout Charlie and Radar's adventure draw the reader's attention to fairy tale themed stories within propelling the plot up to a thunderous but abrupt climax. The wind down is done well with a neat wrap up leaving the reader without questions and extremely satisfied. Full of unexpected turns and trials Charlie makes his way through many obstacles and occurrences he never even believed possible. Highly recommended.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.