Fairy Tale
Summary:
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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
Stephen King isn’t on my list of must-read authors for some reason, but honestly that’s because I’ve been spooked by the number of his books that have been adapted into horror films. This one got a big recommendation, and I am so glad that I picked it up. “Fairy Tale” feels like a “Chronicles of Narnia” or a “Phantom Tollbooth,” but geared towards adults. And with a dog. A fantastic dog named Radar that will wriggle into your heart even if you’re not typically a dog-lover. Don’t worry, I felt the horror elements were light, so for those who are a little squeamish, I wouldn’t let that keep you from giving it a go.
Charlie has a slow build through the looking glass with the first third of the book almost reading like a prologue and setting things up for adventures through the shed. If you’re an impatient reader this could cause some frustrations, but I found it endearing to see the dynamic between Charlie and Bowditch. If there’s anything to complain about it’s the willingness of Charlie to complete scrap senior year and go rogue which felt unrealistic. After that, we have a fun dynamic story with some clever tributes to other King books and other folk lore. In a sense, this is both a familiar, and completely unique fairy tale that had me thinking about it for a few days afterward.
Warning: Contains violence.
Rating: 5 stars!
Who should read it? Horror and fantasy fans looking for a slow build and uniquely King twists.