Book cover of Fairy Tale

Book description

A #1 New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice!

Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest 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…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

17 authors picked Fairy Tale as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This wasn't what you'd think of as a typical Stephen King; it took his storytelling skills to a whole other level. The main character came totally alive for me, and I hated putting the book down every single time.

The vivid depictions of another world, the characters and the totally immersive sense of place are what King does best.

In some ways, this is an odd choice for this list because the protagonist, Charlie, is really on a solitary journey for much of the story. I enjoyed the book because I liked how the character dealt with the strange and fantastic world that was revealed to him. He is a bit of a reluctant hero navigating a somewhat broken home life, but he doesn’t give up despite the daunting trials he faces.

I feel it fits this list because of the connections he makes with the people who help along the way, particularly the ones who join him in…

If you love Fairy Tale...

Ad

Book cover of Friends Like These

Friends Like These by James V. Irving,

Joth Proctor is an under-employed, criminal defense lawyer based in Arlington, Virginia, where a mix of southern charm, shady business dealings, and Washington, D.C. intrigue pervade the story. Upon the suspicious death of the wife of a close friend, Proctor enters a tangled web of drug and alcohol abuse, real…

FAIRY TALE is Stephen King at his best. He spent a lot of time with Charlie Reade's (the main character) back story, which really made me feel I knew him, and felt for him and his trials with his father after losing his mother. My favorite character was Radar, and the relationship Charlie had with him. And Mr. Bowditch, part antagonist, later ally, really drew me in. But wait till you get to the world the fairy tale takes place in. It's the classic elements of a fairy tale twisted in King's inimitable way. A must read!

I don't know how Stephen King--or even a team of Stephen King clones--can write so many good books at such a remarkable rate. He knocked it out of the ballpark again with Fairy Tail. The world and characters he created are believable and compelling, and the story is even more so. It's a long book, but I never felt bored. Just wanted more.

This book gripped me like no other in recent years. I had not read King for a while and thought I might find the plot predictable but it wasn't and King has a way in which he creates several story lines and works them together, so the reader learns about the characters, and relate to them and understand their motivation for actions. The reader is drawn in not just to the world of the main character, but in this case, to the lives of several people, each going through a different path and so much of this touches on reality,…

If you love Stephen King...

Ad

Book cover of Stealing Time

Stealing Time by KJ Waters,

A devastating hurricane. A time travel betrayal. Will Ronnie survive the witch hunt or forever be lost in time?

Stealing Time is the first book in the best-selling "Breathtakingly original" time travel series that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

As Hurricane Charley churns a path of…

This book left me utterly speechless; words alone cannot capture the depth of my admiration and love for it. As a long-time fan of Stephen King’s work, I had stopped reading his recent novels because I felt they didn't measure up to his earlier masterpieces. However, when my daughter recommended it to me, insisting I would love it, she was absolutely right.

I devoured all 598 pages over a single weekend. The story captivated me from start to finish, rekindling my appreciation for King's unparalleled storytelling. I was especially drawn to the characters Charlie and Radar, the dog, whose journey…

From Tempest's list on inspiring resilience against the odds.

One of my favorite writers revisits a common trope from his own books—a mysterious portal conveying our hero to another land/time/dimension. King has used this before in books such as From a Buick 8, 11/22/63, and, indeed, his magnum opus, The Dark Tower, but here he sets the story in a fantasy, fairy-tale world.

I enjoyed his use of common fairy tale themes—the pot of gold, the evil dungeon, talking horses, the old crone—though these are woven into the storyline with his usual deftness in such a way that they don’t seem clunky or contrived.

Of course, one…

I love fantasy worlds. Fairy Tale took me to unimaginable places with characters so bizarrely unique that each new encounter left me amused and astonished! And who wouldn’t love a story about a boy wanting to save an old dog?

This Stephen King book is unlike any of his others, so don’t expect to be horrified. Expect, instead, to be carried along on a challenging adventure that never quits. Yes, there are monsters, but the focus is on how Charlie is able to meet them all and somehow remain alive—and changed—by the end of the story.

King brings old fairy…

If you love Fairy Tale...

Ad

Book cover of A Brush With Death

A Brush With Death by Jody Summers,

Former model Kira McGovern picks up the paint brushes of her youth and through an unexpected epiphany she decides to mix ashes of the deceased with her paints to produce tributes for grieving families.

Unexpectedly this leads to visions and images of the subjects of her work and terrifying changes…

I’m a big fan of Stephen King so when I saw he was writing what I nicknamed Narnia for grown-ups I was very excited and this book did not disappoint. 

King is a master of the slow-burn character build up, and when the time came, I was almost disappointed to be leaving his version of the ‘real world’ in favor of exploring the fantastical. The relationship between our main characters was is well crafted and I was so invested that it wasn’t until Charlie started getting curious about the Shed and the Money that I even remembered we were building…

If you love Fairy Tale...

Ad

Book cover of Friends Like These

Friends Like These by James V. Irving,

Joth Proctor is an under-employed, criminal defense lawyer based in Arlington, Virginia, where a mix of southern charm, shady business dealings, and Washington, D.C. intrigue pervade the story. Upon the suspicious death of the wife of a close friend, Proctor enters a tangled web of drug and alcohol abuse, real…

Want books like Fairy Tale?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 68 books like Fairy Tale.

Browse books like Fairy Tale

Book cover of The Black Prism
Book cover of The Dragonbone Chair
Book cover of To Kill a Mockingbird

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,276

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Fairy Tale, you might also like...

Book cover of Forget to Remember

Forget to Remember by Alan Cook,

Carol Golden isn't her real name. She doesn't remember her real name or anything that happened before she was found in a Dumpster, naked and unconscious, on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California.

After helping her get some initial medical treatment, government at all levels officially declares her…

Book cover of Killing Me Softly

Killing Me Softly by Elizabeth Revill,

Killing me Softly is the beginning of a fast-paced new series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Allison and Sergeant Mark Stringer who have the chilling task of tracking down a serial killer who is to terrify a city with his bizarre and cold-blooded murders of innocent women.

They are ordinary men…

5 book lists we think you will like!