Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Read by Seth Numrich
Publication Date: September 2022
Summary from Goodreads:
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.
Confession:
This was a very long audiobook, (24 hours long), but you don’t really notice the length for the most part. King has such a way with telling stories that it is almost like talking to a friend and listening to them tell you a tale. The narrator, Seth Numrich, has an excellent voice for this tale, being able to use different voices for the many characters in this story.
The book is really three books in one. There are three very distinct stories that blend together to tell the fantastical adventures of one young man. Charlie is a wonderful protagonist that you will like, even when he is telling you about some of the bad things he has done in his life. You can tell how much he regrets those things which makes you like him even more. His relationship with Howard Bowditch is also endearing. Charlie is able to ignore some of his meaner and crotchety ways and actually become his friend. The story of how they meet and how Charlie comes to love both Bowditch and his dog, Radar, is the first third of the book.
The rest of the book has to do with the adventures that Charlie partakes in once he enters the portal. He initially goes, because Radar is also dying and he discovers that there is a way to save her in that magical world. Once there he does get caught up in the politics and almost against his will, decides that he needs to save that world as well. He is forced into the hero role, but he does it well and of course there is the age old battle of good vs evil.
The world building of this fairy tale world called Empis is well done. There are hints that it is a parallel world which is possibly the source of some of our fairy tales. There are a lot of people that Charlie meets that could be representatives of characters from those stories. The ending was a little bit rushed and muddled but otherwise the pacing throughout the book was good.
Overall, even though this was a long one, it mostly didn’t feel long. The ending was a bit drawn out, but was satisfying. If you are taking a long road trip this summer, this is an audiobook that I would recommend you take with you.
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