Fairy Tale by Stephen King

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

Summary

Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in Fairy Tale—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 the stakes could not be higher—for that world or ours.

Synopsis

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 horrific accident when he was seven, 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.

Accolades and Praise

Magnificent, terrifying, and “spellbinding…packed with glorious flights of imagination and characteristic tenderness about childhood, Fairy Tale is vintage King at his finest” (Esquire).

“Good, evil, a kingdom to save, monsters to slay—these are the stuff that page-turners are made from.”
—Laura Miller, Slate

About the Author: Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King, born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine, is a highly acclaimed and prolific American author known for his horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense novels. He is often referred to as "The King" or "The King of Horror". King's books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide and many of his works have been adapted into successful films and television series.

Early Life and Career:

King grew up in Maine with his mother after his parents separated when he was a toddler. He attended the University of Maine, where he wrote for the school newspaper and met his future wife, Tabitha Spruce.

• After graduating, he taught high school English while continuing to write short stories.
• His first novel, Carrie, was published in 1974, launching his career as a horror author.

Literary Works:

• King has written over fifty novels, two hundred short stories, and nine collections of short fiction.
• His works include The Shining, The Stand, The Dead Zone, and It.
• He also wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
• Many of his novels and short stories have been adapted into films, including The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, 1408 and Misery.

Personal Life:

• King is married to Tabitha Spruce and they have three children: Naomi, Joe, and Owen.
• He is also a philanthropist, supporting education and community programs through his foundation.
• King has battled drug addiction in the past, but he has overcome it and is now a recovered addict.