As one of Stephen King’s “constant readers”, I consider it a special grace that even now, at the age of 75, he continues to scribble out one jewel after another. His latest tour de force is Fairy Tale, a playful masterpiece with nods to many of King’s favorite influences and playing to all his best strengths as a writer.

Fairy Tale introduces us to 17-year-old Charlie Reade. His young soul suffers from the sudden death of his young mother, a bout of antisocial behavior in its wake, and his father’s struggle with alcoholism and ultimate sobriety. (“Constant readers” will probably recognize the now almost obligatory pitch King gives to the healing power of Alcoholics Anonymous.) In spite of it all, Charlie has managed to grow up to be a pretty decent kid. He’s a star on his high school team, likes to read, does community service, and helps his dad whenever possible. You know, all “the good kid” things.

One day, walking passed the neighborhood “Psycho house”, Charlie finds the elderly Mr. Bowditch on the back porch with a broken leg, having fallen off a ladder, and his old German Shepherd, Radar. Charlie gets help and saves the old man’s life. One thing leads to another and he becomes caregiver to the ornery Bowditch and his aging canine. Before long, we learn Mr. Bowditch is a man of many secrets. One is how a man who was never anything but a lumberjack manages to pay for a big house at the top of the hill, and everything else, in cash. Another is that shed in the back. There is something wrong with that shed…

All of this turns out to be just an extended prelude. Before long, Charlie will find out the shed is a gateway to another world called Empis. From there we slip into the domain of Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces. There is a journey, a quest to be fulfilled. Yes, there is also a princess and a kingdom in peril. There are great beasts which need to be defeated, companions are acquired, friends are made, battles ensue, and love is both found and made.

In my own opinion, King is at his best when he focuses on character. Few authors can touch him when it comes to conjuring a fully fleshed out, three dimensional character onto a piece of white paper. This is all the more so when he writes about young people, whether kids or adolescents. He seems to have an especially astute understanding of the transition to manhood and womanhood, and the spiritual lessons we can learn from that time of our life. As we follow Charlie on what is clearly the adventure of a lifetime, King touches, in often sweet and poignant ways, on many of the best lessons adults are still trying to learn. It’s a feast.

One of the things I'm certain “constant readers” will enjoy is how King is clearly enjoying the hell out of himself here. Fairy Tale has all the feel of a master trying to write a love letter to his favorite fantasy authors and stories. As the title suggests, the story is filled to the brim with references to all the best classical fairy tales. Rumpelstiltskin and Jack and the Beanstalk are both heavily in play and pivotal to the plot. The dedication on the front reads: “Thinking of REH, ERB, and, of course, HPL”. Those would be the great dark gods of classic pulp fiction: Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.P. Lovecraft. All three of them, especially Howard and Lovecraft, are shown a lot of love here. There are also numerous references to L Frank Baum’s Land of Oz, Ray Bradbury (especially Something Wicked This Way Comes), as well as Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus and George Lucas’ Star Wars. It is even suggested that perhaps more than a few of these authors may have visited the land of Empis.

(And yes, for those who are keeping score, King does not disappoint with sideways references to The Dark Tower. Keep an eye out for holstered six shooters, fields of red flowers, a quote from the Browning poem, and a spiral staircase or two to other realms. This isn’t Roland Deschain’s Mid-World, but it’s not too far off, Thankee, Sai.)

Fairy Tale is, in my opinion, Stephen King at his best. The writing is fun, the adventure is engaging, and the lessons we learn along the way are sweet. King poured so much into this story it is hard to imagine that there isn’t a little something for everybody.

The only caution I can give is this: horror and spooky tales are Stephen King’s bread and butter. Folks expecting a horror story will probably be a little disappointed here. There are definitely more than a few creepy, weird moments. (If the “final boss“ doesn’t make your skin crawl, you aren’t reading it right.) Still, at the end of the day, this is a fantasy tale, straight and true. This one belongs on the shelf next to King’s The Dark Tower, Eyes of the Dragon, and especially The Talisman. If those aren’t your cup of tea, then this might be a skip for you.

Written by Andrew

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