Fairy Tale

I am not, in the grand scheme of things, what anyone might call a big Stephen King fan. I have enjoyed a few of his works, appreciate his skill and talent, but overall, I prefer my fantasy reading of a lighter sort. However, I came across a book deal on this one and thought the premise sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. It was not at all what I expected, but I loved it anyway. Not in the way that perhaps I will go back and re-read it over and over again, but in the way where a story you read stays with you long after you’ve closed its pages, and you think of it fondly at random times for years and years later. I started by listening to the book through Audible (the narration was wonderful and “made” a big part of why I loved this so much), and became so enamored I went ahead and purchased the kindle version so I could surreptitiously read it anytime I had a free moment because I was in such a hurry to finish the story. I fell in love with Charlie, with Howard, with Dora, Woody, and most importantly, with Radar. I stopped the book only once, and committed the “sin” of googling a synopsis online to make sure that the one thing I feared did not come to pass in this book, because I was afraid my heart couldn’t take it. It didn’t, or so the summary said, and I progressed on, only to be sad when I reached the end that it was over so quickly. So, if you are like me, looking for something unexpected, an atypical fantasy- a little dark, perhaps, but not deeply or horrifically so- with flawed characters you cannot help but love, a book which reminds you both of all of the best of your childhood fantasies and the bittersweet tang of growing up, I encourage you to give this book (and its audible version) a try. I will give only one note, to those like me who might otherwise be afraid to read it without it— SPOILER ALERT*

(The dog does NOT die.)

I am not usually drawn to books written by Stephen King but there was something that was very intriguing for me about Fairy Tale that made me want to read it. After I started to notice that so many of the people I am friends with on goodreads had given Fairy Tale such high praise, I decided to give it a try. I decided that if I determined that it was not for me I had at least given it a try. Within just a few minutes I was completely immersed into the plot of Fairy Tale. Stephen King created engaging and likable characters for the most part. I listened to the audiobook that was brilliantly narrated by Seth Numrich and Stephen King, himself. Since I had Fairy Tale downloaded on my kindle, I also read certain parts as well. It was fast paced, so creative and well plotted. I was glad that I decided to read/listen to this book since in my opinion it was a creative gem.

Fairy Tale was told in the first person by twenty-four year old Charlie Reade as he looked back on his life the year he had turned seventeen. Charlie had been an only child. He lived in Sentry, Illinois with his mother and father. One afternoon when Charlie had been seven years old, his mother had decided to walk to town to buy a bucket of chicken for dinner. His mother left Charlie and his father watching a baseball game on the television. After buying the bucket of chicken, Charlie’s mother started to walk home. She was eating an extra piece of the chicken while she walked. As she started to cross “that G D bridge” on her way home, a truck came out of nowhere, hit her and she died instantly. Charlie and his father were devastated as they learned about her death. The only way that Charlie’s father was able to cope with his wife’s death was by drowning his sorrows with alcohol. Before too long, Charlie’s father was a certifiable alcoholic. Charlie was forced to grow up very fast. He became the caregiver for his father. When Charlie’s father’s drinking problems became so severe, he was fired from his job. Charlie envisioned that he and his father could potentially become homeless or worse. It was then that Charlie started to pray that his father would stop drinking. Charlie made a promise to G-d that day. If G-d would make his father stop drinking, Charlie would pay it forward and help someone else in need. Just in the nick of time, Charlie’s father’s friend stepped in. His father’s friend became his sponsor in Alcoholic’s Anonymous. Taking one baby step at a time, Charlie’s father found his way to sobriety.

There was a house at the top of the hill on the street that Charlie lived that was known by the neighborhood children as the “psycho house “. One day, Charlie was walking home and as he was passing that house he heard a dog barking frantically. The man who lived there was quite reclusive. No one knew a lot about him and he seldom left his home. One of Charlie’s friends had warned him that he had seen the dog that lived there several years ago and that it was quite vicious. Charlie pondered about what to do. He thought that something was wrong. Charlie decided to climb over the fence to see. When Charlie got to the backyard, he saw that the old man that lived there had fallen off a ladder and was hurt very badly. Charlie called 911 and got an ambulance to come and help the man. The man’s name was Mr. Bowditch. It was just Mr. Bowditch and his dog, Radar that lived in the house. Mr Bowditch did not have a wife, children or any living relatives. Before the ambulance took Mr. Bowditch to the hospital, Charlie offered to take care of Radar and feed him for Mr. Bowditch. That was the beginning of Charlie making good on the promise he made with G-d. Over the course of Mr. Bowditch’s recovery, Charlie became his caregiver and the two formed the most unlikely but beautiful friendship that anyone could have imagined.

Mr. Bowditch was not your typical neighbor as you might have already surmised. He hoarded lots of things in his house and he was opposed to modern day conveniences and technology. His t.v. was probably as old as he was. It had rabbit ears and an antenna on the roof. He was not in the possession of a cell phone or a computer and he had no desire to own one either. One thing was apparent, though. Mr. Bowditch loved Radar with all his heart and the same could be said for Radar’s feelings towards Mr. Bowditch. When Mr. Bowditch came home from the hospital, he began to confide in Charlie about some things. Mr. Bowditch had to pay the hospital for his stay and the surgeries he had. Charlie learned about the gold that Mr. Bowditch was in possession of and that strange noises that could be heard coming from the padlocked shed on Mr. Bowditch’s property. Mr. Bowditch revealed information to Charlie on a need to know basis. One day, while Charlie was at school, he got a call from Mr. Bowditch. Charlie could tell that something was wrong. Mr. Bowditch was having a heart attack. He needed Charlie to know some very important things. Probably the most important thing Mr. Bowditch revealed to Charlie had to do with the shed on his property. Mr. Bowditch told Charlie that within the shed was a well that led to the “other world” where the sundial existed. Years ago, Mr. Bowditch had gone on the sundial to make himself younger. Mr. Bowditch had shared this information with Charlie already. As Charlie continued listening to the all that Mr. Bowditch had to tell him, tears welled up in his eyes. Charlie knew that Mr. Bowditch was dying. By the time that the ambulance got to Mr. Bowditch’s house, he was already dead. Charlie took Radar to his own house. Radar became his dog on that day. Unfortunately, Radar was also quite old and didn’t have long to live. That was when a plan started to formulate in Charlie’s mind. He could not loose Radar too. Charlie would do whatever he had to do to find the sundial and make Radar young again.

The next part of Fairy Tale took place in the “other world” known as Empis. The fairy tale characters were very creative yet believable. Charlie’s adventurous journey was full of discovery, magic, dangers, good, evil and monsters. Some of the scenes were gruesome and unpleasant but for the most part they were well plotted and even uplifting. The ending was quite satisfying and it tied everything up quite nicely. I found myself thinking about the characters long after the book ended. Charlie was my favorite character by far. I am so glad that I took a chance and read Fairy Tale by Stephen King. I highly recommend it.

Stephen King's Fairy Tale (2022) is part horror, part fantasy, and even part young adult if you don't mind the colorful language. The book begins with a sad, lonely boy, Charlie Reade, who gets a rough start at life when his mother dies in an accident. His father turns to the bottle and neglects Charlie as alcoholism and depression takeover.

Charlie spends his middle school years getting in trouble with an evil friend. His bad decisions are ignored by his father. Charlie turns to God in despair and prays for his father's sobriety. His prayers become bargaining tools. If God could bring Charlie's dad back from his blurry haze, then Charlie could change as well by doing good deeds instead of cruel shenanigans. And God hears him. Charlie's dad comes back from his personal hell through AA.

Now it's payback time. Charlie gets an opportunity to pay it forward. His neighbor, Harold Bowditch, a cantankerous elderly recluse, falls in his yard as Charlie is on his way home from school. Charlie helps the man by getting an ambulance and then promising to watch his dog as he recovers.

Several months go by and they form a relationship. Mr. Bowditch is a mystery. He oddly doesn't have Medicare or insurance to pay his medical bills. In his desperation, he asks Charlie to go into his safe and take some of his gold to a place that will buy it without questions. Charlie learns that Mr. Bowditch is beyond wealthy.

Once Mr. Bowditch is released from the hospital, Charlie continues to care for him and Radar, his German Shepherd that is also not doing well due to old age. He discovers more odd things about his neighbor and friend. When it becomes clear that Mr. Bowditch is going to die due to other complications, he tells Charlie about his shed, a winding staircase that leads down to another world, and a magical sundial that will restore Radar by making the dog young again. After Mr. Bowditch dies, Charlie and Radar descend into the unknown where the fairy tale begins. NO SPOILER!

The title, Fairy Tale, is just that. There are lots of tie-ins with the great fairy tales of the centuries. For example, Mr. Bowditch has a fairy tale library in his house. As Charlie reads these classics, King deftly reminds the reader about famous characters and story lines. There are many comparisons with lots of fairy tales, especially Jack and the Beanstalk. Charlie meets several princes, princesses, ogres, monsters, talking animals, and more once he descends into an alternative world below the shed of Mr. Bowditch's house. He gets put into a position to play the hero.

Fairy Tale is not Stephen King's best. My personal faves are The Stand and The Shining, but it's solid King that keeps you turning the pages, loving the characters, and connecting with the plot. One of the many interesting things that King does throughout the book, is illustrate the beginning of each chapter. The pictures resemble old wood-cuts from the Hans Christian Andersen tales.

Besides the fairy tale tie-in, King brings up God a few times with universal themes of good vs. evil. Besides the AA program with God as a higher power and Charlie's deal with God, King uses the name Gogmagog as the name of the evil force/character that has taken over the fairy tale world. Gogmagog is technically a famous giant and also goes with King's mention of Jack and the Beanstalk. Furthermore, Gog and Magog as separate words are biblical references from Revelation that focuses on the End of Days.

The characters in both Charlie's life and his alternative fairy tale life are some of the same, like a mirroring effect. We all have princes, villains, fairy godmothers, ogres, and other archetypes that show up throughout our lives. We have also played these archetypal roles for others. Joseph Campbell, author of Hero with a Thousand Faces, wrote about how mythological and fairy tale characters are ingrained within our psyche.

Lastly, Stephen King is currently 75 years old. For decades, he has never failed to entertain us with his infinite imagination. I will always be a fan. Fairy Tale does not disappoint! 5 Stars.

Who Says the King Can't Stretch Beyond Horror? Nobody. Stephen King could probably write in any genre if he wanted to, and fantasy is one of them. Now, I had high expectations of this book because one of my all-time favorites is The Eyes of the Dragon which I always recommend to King fans. Fairy Tale wasn't exactly like that because the world-building crosses over from our world to another. The book is about 17-year-old Charlie Reade, who doesn't really think of himself as a hero (we will find out why at the end of the novel). Early on, he saves the life of Howard Bowditch, a crotchety cranky old cuss of a man. Soon the two develop a tolerant relationship, and Charlie discovers that Bowditch has an entrance to another world, Empis. Bowditch owns an aging female German Shepherd, Radar or Rades, who plays a key role in the novel.

As the book description tells, the old man dies. He does so early on in the novel, which really upset me. He was one of my favorite characters, but that death and the information Bowditch reveals via a cassette tape impel Charlie to take Rades on a dangerous journey to save Rades, using a magical sundial to revert Rades' aging process. Sounds easy, right? Nope. Poor Charlie is going to go through hell before the story is over. In fact, I wasn’t prepared for the physical hardship he endures.

Empis is not your typical fairy tale setting as a tyrant has cursed the land. Though there are beautiful aspects like red butterflies and overlarge creatures, many of the people are deformed and growing more deformed by a curse. Their skin is grey, and overall, the world is decaying. The only residents that aren't afflicted with this degenerative disease are the royals who will play an important role. I don't want to spoil the plot, but the royals are connected to the tyrant ruling the land. Charlie's quest grows greater than saving Rades, and he embarks on a coming-of-age tale to save the people of Empis. One of the royals he encounters is a princess, and yes, he falls in love with her, but this is not your typical love story.

The novel is often dark because the kingdom has fallen so far from its former glory, and the people in the realm are dying a slow death. Charlie suffers through trials and tribulations along his journey which for me echoed the tone of the Talisman. It had the same depressing dystopian vibe to it. Nevertheless, I loved the characters he meets along the way like Dora who for all intents and purposes is the woman who lives in the shoe. There were many wonderful characters, including Hana who is one of the nastiest giants you will ever meet. The Snab was a magical cricket that is not what it appears, but even with all of these elements, the magic was twisted. Charlie reflects on how Empis is nothing like the fairy tales and definitely not Disney. It has many nightmare elements to it. There is a passage where he sees a caravan of refugees, suffering from the curse. There is another passage where he describes a dead mermaid in a fountain that was horrific.

Another interesting aspect of the book is the way the chapters are titled which are accompanied by gorgeous illustrations; the titles are often elaborate. For example, chapter 27 is titled "A Conference. A Snab. No Disney Prince. Prince and Princess. The Pact." Phew that is a lot. Many of the chapters have these engaging titles, and the illustrations accompanying them reminded me of old fairy tale books with ornate artwork. That in itself might nudge me to get the hardback if the price were to drop a little more, and I would love to see the art in color, but the Kindle versions are a treat.

My one criticism is that throughout the novel, Charlie asserts that he has done horrible things and is no hero; when he finally reveals what he did, I was underwhelmed. He repeats this assertion so much, I thought he had killed someone or committed some heinous crime, but no, Charlie despite his being so hard on himself was a teenage jerk–one dealing with the death of his mother and a recovering alcoholic of a father. Was what he did bad? Sure, but not horrendous.

This is not a horror novel, and it’s not a traditional fantasy novel, but it is a great coming-of-age tale. Plus, the ending is just beautiful, though bittersweet and realistic. Charlie is extremely responsible when it comes to the Empis portal and will not do as Bowditch did going back and forth between realms. There is a sadness to that choice because it’s not like CS Lewis characters that keep going back to Narnia. I mean who can resist a magical kingdom? Years after going to Empis, Charlie becomes a college professor, and as a college professor from Chicago who teaches composition, literature, and creative writing–that development was gold.

I do recommend this book and hope Mr. King indulges his readers with more works of this caliber, using fantasy and/or magical elements (and like Eyes of the Dragon which should be a movie). In fact, I’ve been waiting for a sequel to Eyes of the Dragon for decades, but definitely read Fairy Tale.

This is not King as a horror writer but King as a fantasy writer just like in Eyes of the Dragon.

And just like that novel and all his others, King shows his masterful storytelling talent in this fantasy filled, magical world book.

Even though the build up took some time, it was well worth it because it got you more invested in Charlie's character. And once things started rolling, concerns for Charlie and what happened to him increased. It got to the point that I kept on wanting to read on to see what happened next. And then when I got near the end, I wanted it to keep going.

Yes, this is not King's normal genre, but if you appreciate good stories it does not matter who the writer is and this was a great story.

Enjoy!

Back in the '80's I read Salem's Lot. I loved it. Could not put it down. Then Needful Things. As life got busier and I got older I quit reading as much non-fiction, but have always missed it. Now, in my mid 60's and with time on my hands, I decided to pick up King's Fairy Tale. Let me tell you I was NOT disappointed. I feel it is a story of epic magnitude and the 600 pages whizzed by. The characters are unforgettable and the relationship of a boy and his dog, as told by Mr. King, brought tears to my eyes more than once. You will not be sorry for the time invested in this read.

I am a long-time King reader, going back to high school in the '80s. Early on, my favorites were always the horror centered stories. As I got older and wiser, I really appreciated how many different genres Mr. King could explore. There is always a hint of the supernatural in almost everything he writes, but, also, so different in so many ways. Fairy Tale was a fantastic journey that I deeply enjoyed. The last 100 pages were read in a rush trying to quickly get to the end, only to have me regret and wish that it would go on as I got to the last 10 pages. Great book.

One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about Stephen King getting older is watching him play around in other genres and in books that stretch his comfort zone or even leave it entirely. By this point, King has little to prove, so why not try to play in new worlds? And thus we’ve gotten crime stories like Mr. Mercedes and thrillers like Billy Summers, and now a fantasy novel – more or less – in the form of King’s newest book, Fairy Tale. But in this one, it turns out that King might not be as equally adroit in every genre he wants to play in.

That’s not to say that Fairy Tale isn’t engaging and fun. Opening with a variation on the “young man befriends grouchy old man” trope that King’s been enjoying as of late, Fairy Tale does the idea justice, genuinely investing me in the relationship between the two and bringing both our naive narrator and the jaded older man to life vividly, to the point where I found myself honestly moved at some of the developments. But this is a King book, and as such, we know something is up – there’s the sounds from the shed, and the odd bits of gold, and the secrets that are obviously being kept…and when we discover that there’s another world beyond our own, it feels inevitable that we’re diving into its wonders.

The best things about that world is the way it frees up King to play and let his imagination roam wonderfully, giving up a slew of ideas that don’t always fit together perfectly, but deliver a world full of imagination and unease. (Longtime readers will understand when I say that it reminds me of The Waste Lands‘s city of Lud but even more so.) Dead creatures of wonder, nightmarish giants, undead warriors, supernatural carousels, melted faces – Fairy Tale plunges you into a world of wonders, and reminds you of just how dazzling King’s imagination can be.

But the book also reveals the weaknesses of King’s famous “I discover plot, I don’t organize it” approach. Fairy Tale sets up interesting villains and then tosses them aside abruptly; we start arcs that end within a chapter without much resolution; odd moments come and go without apparent meaning, only for the book to zigzag in a new direction and then settle in for a huge chunk of time. None of these derails are bad ones – a long stretch in a dungeon with the threat of a deadly tournament is a tense, well-crafted sequence – but following Fairy Tale‘s plot often means just sitting back and letting it unfold, following it all on some zen level that doesn’t quite make sense but works anyhow.

I had a lot of fun with Fairy Tale – that early stretch of this odd friendship is truly great, and there’s never a sense of boredom or a chance for the wonders to get old. But the book is definitely messy and shaggy – a collection of great ideas and images that don’t quite pull together into a coherent whole. It’s not a bad book – it’s too well-crafted for that – but I wouldn’t put it in the top tier of King’s work, either. Rating: *** ½

Thank you to my sweet, wonderful, and considerate partner who bought Fairy Tale by Stephen King when I had Covid last year. Whilst I didn’t get to read it then, it was a comfort just to have it. Other people might want matzah ball soup when they’re sick, but I prefer a good Stephen King novel.

In Fairy Tale, the teenage protagonist, Charlie, lost his mother when he was a little boy and subsequently came close to losing his father to alcohol. One day, Charlie makes a foxhole prayer for his father’s sobriety and his prayers are answered. Several years later, when he saves an elderly neighbor after the man falls off of a ladder, Charlie feels that he has been called upon to make good on his desperate promise.

In helping the ailing man in his recovery, Charlie is introduced to Radar, the man’s wonderful dog, and to a strange world locked behind the door of a shed. Eventually, Charlie decides to risk his life for a miracle cure for the elderly dog. Charlie’s quest brings him to the magical world below our own, where, in his search for Radar’s cure, he discovers a kingdom that is in dire need of being saved.

Empis, the world Charlie enters, is far away from what he is used to. There are gigantic insects and a curse that turned the people gray and left the royalty without important sensory receptors. One without a mouth, another blinded, and a third made deaf. On his quest, Charlie meets them and is in turn aided by each one.

As Charlie delves into his quest to save Radar, he also finds himself targeted by the force that brought the curse to Empis.

The plot of the novel is the young man’s quest into the magical land, but it also is an homage to fairy tales and the work of HP Lovecraft and other fantasy and science fiction writers. There are direct references and less direct allusions.

Would I teach Fairy Tale? It’s a firm maybe. Much of Fairy Tale is well-plotted, Charlie has a clear personality and a mission, and the world building is quite engrossing. I wish that some of the allusions were less obvious and left readers a chance to pick it up on their own. Trust your reader!

The lack of trust in the reader to pick up on what King is throwing down detracts from the plot. In addition, the book could do with some serious whittling down.

On the other-other hand, the novel is ripe for discussion of the purposes and functioning of folklore. The people in the land below think Charlie and his possessions are magical. Royalty play an important role in the story and it is interesting to contemplate how royalty are alternately idealized and villainized in fairy tales.

Charlie’s own quest and the difficulties he encounters are ripe with archetypes. King, in his own letter in the afterword, addresses how he wrote the book under the specter of Covid which continues to haunt our world. We need both stories that challenge us and stories that offer a reprieve to the new normal that will never return to the normal of 2019.

If I were teaching a course on modern fairy tales or a course on popular, contemporary novels, I would consider Stephen King’s Fairy Tale.