Will I love Fairy Tale?

The “King of suspense” boldly trades his horror routine for dark fantasy and boundless adventure in Stephen King’s fairy tale epic, simply titled Fairy Tale.

As a King connoisseur with early reader’s roots in the Harry Potter books, I felt like I had to read this one. King doesn’t dabble in sugary story beats found in modern fantasy. He dives headlong into Grimm-style sacrifice, archaic and believable magic, and a Lovecraftian antagonist named Gogmagog whose sole purpose is to destroy worlds—including our own.

The steady pacing, crass dialogue, and re-manipulating of story structure are familiar tools King employs with… show more.

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… show more.

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,… show more.

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… show more.

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… show more.

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… show more.