Title: FAIRY TALE
Author: Stephen King
ISBN: 9781668002193
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 599
Source: Private Copy
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. 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 it.
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.
Official Summary
08 May 2025
Fairy Tale is Stephen King at his absolute storytelling best—spinning a deeply human story with all the magic, darkness, and wonder you’d hope for from a master of the craft.
At first, it doesn’t even feel like you’re stepping into a fantasy novel. It feels like a slice-of-life story about Charlie Reade, a regular kid who has already carried more than his fair share of heartache. King takes his time building Charlie’s world, letting us really know him—the grief over his mother, his father’s battle with addiction, and Charlie’s resilience through it all. It’s only after we’re fully invested that King opens the door (literally) to something extraordinary.
Radar, the elderly German Shepherd, absolutely stole my heart. Charlie’s bond with her is one of the emotional anchors of the book, and honestly, it’s one of the best human-animal relationships I’ve read in fiction. It felt raw, real, and heart-achingly beautiful.
Once Charlie discovers what’s inside the locked shed, the story explodes into something grand and very imaginative: a portal to another world. And this world, let me tell you, is pure King—strange, terrifying, whimsical, and dangerous all at once. There are echoes of classic fairytales here, but they’re turned inside out, darker, and much more complex. It’s not a sugary, happily-ever-after kind of world; it’s brutal, broken, and full of danger.
King’s pacing is deliberate, and while the first part of the novel is slow-burn, it’s worth every page. When the fantasy elements kick in, the adventure becomes sweeping and intense. Yet, even with the epic scale, Fairy Tale never loses its emotional core. At its heart, it’s about loyalty, courage, sacrifice, and finding your strength when everything feels impossible.
If you’re looking for a classic Stephen King horror novel, this isn’t quite that. Fairy Tale leans much more into dark fantasy and adventure. But if you’re ready for a beautifully layered, moving story with unforgettable characters and a rich, vivid world, this book will absolutely sweep you away.
Magical, haunting, and full of heart.
Also By Stephen King
HOLLY
Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns to investigate the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a Midwestern town. In this novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.
When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.
Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harbouring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.
Holly must summon all her formidable talents to out-think and outmanoeuvre the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.
While Fantasy is not my favourite genre, I have always loved Stephen King’s writing, so it was just a matter of time before I read this one. It is very imaginative and full of dark fairy tale elements, everything I normally steer clear of. But this one was worth it. Have you read this one? I would love to know what you think, please leave a comment below. Until next time… Happy Reading!
