Fairy Tale | Stephen King

Fairy Tale: A Novel

Extended Synopsis

Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in Fairy Tale. Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, and 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 quickly 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. It is a parallel universe where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for that world or ours.

Intended Audience

This spellbinding novel is perfect for fans of dark fantasy, supernatural thrillers, and epic coming-of-age stories. Devoted readers of Stephen King will find themselves captivated by the vintage narrative style, while newcomers will be drawn into the richly imagined parallel world filled with monsters, heroes, and high-stakes battles between good and evil.

Author Biography

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. Often referred to as the "King of Horror," his books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide, with many adapted into successful films and television series, including The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and It. King is married to novelist Tabitha Spruce. Alongside his monumental literary career, he is a dedicated philanthropist who supports education and community programs through his foundation.

Accolades & Recognition

• #1 New York Times Bestseller
• New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
• "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

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