Once upon a time there was a talented writer called Stephen king. Although he has been declared as one of the greatest horror writers ever, he has also written fantasy, crime fiction, short stories and psychological thrillers. His story telling gifts are not in doubt - but how would his latest work ‘fairy tale’ compare to previous efforts?

Bestselling

During a recent spell of ill health, I made a quick trolley dash through the early morning, deserted isles of the supermarket. Stocking up on ready meals and fruit, paracetamol and snacks, I was good to go. My route took me past a small selection of bestselling authors - mostly Richard Osman and whatever ‘celebrities’ are hawking weight-loss books or memoirs - when I spotted my last, impulsive purchase.

There’s few greater pleasures for me than stumbling across a new book by Stephen King that I didn’t know was available. My concentration was pretty shot and I was going to be spending most of time stretched out on the settee snoozing and watching ‘deadliest catch’ in a stupor. But in between that, and scoffing pain killers and chugging on cough mixture, I’d be dipping into ‘Fairy Tale.’

Door Stopper

The first thing you notice is the size - it’s a proper door stopper. King’s previous effort, ‘Billy Summers’ was the first book review I opened my blog with, (just over a year ago now) and it was a hefty 400 plus. This is closer to 600, so I knew it was definitely going to get me through what I hoped was a short illness. But there’s no better author, in my mind, to keep you entertained.

As usual, it’s straight into the story with a family tragedy in a small town setting that feels comfortable and familiar. We’re introduced to our protagonist Charlie Reade and his recovering father, before we meet Mr Bowditch and his elderly German Shephard ‘radar’ who live close by in a ramshackle victorian house on a corner that suggests the Bates house from Psycho.

The first third of ‘fairy tale’ is King at his best and there's no one better than laying the groundwork. I always think that King 'writes' young people well, especially those on the cusp of adulthood. We see them growing, learning through their experiences, usually via the sticky experiences that the author puts them in.

If Charlie Reade seems mature, it's because he's had to grow up fast. At a young age he loses his mother to a tragic accident, and then his father to the bottle. He goes off the rails a bit, understandably, before righting himself into a mature and responsible young man. He's also helpful, a trait which sets off a chain of events that leads into the last two thirds of the book.

11.12.63 & The dark tower series

One thing I noticed was a similarity to ‘11.12.63’ with another place accessible through our modern world that our hero stumbles upon. It plays on this idea of a thin place, a veil between two worlds. Of course he''s done this before - it won’t be the last time I'll mention 'the dark tower' series in this review. Charlie must make his own journey into the heart of darkness.

King has great fun creating his 'fairy' land - talking animals, deformed grey residents, giants, huge crickets, roaches and lots of references to classic fairy tales. It's hard not to get pulled into it and just enjoy the ride - giants, jack and the beanstalk, rumplestiltsin, pots of gold, kings, queens, princes and princesses. There’s quite a few more I’ve left out.

There's plenty of classic King momments in ‘fairy tale’ - horror that leaves a lasting image, usually involving a body part. There's some great set pieces, tension filled encounters including one inspired by gladatorial contests of old. King cranks it to the max as he builds towards the climax.

World building

As much as I enjoyed the final two thirds in ‘fairy tale’, I felt the world King created was more memorable than the characters. Some of them just didn't register with me - like their colour, they were a bit vague. The world, however, when Charlie is traversing it, especially when he arrives, is completely immersive.

It's probably unfair to compare this to previous King efforts, as the bar is so high. But I'm going to put this mid range. I think I enjoyed Billy Summers more, a different kind of book obviously, but I'm not sure it hits the heights of the dark tower series. And I felt it was too long. I'd probably class it with something like ‘revival’ - enjoyed it well enough, just didn't feel it was in the top bracket. Mind you, that's still out of the reach of most writers and I enjoyed my time in Kings imagination - there's nowhere I'd rather be. And I’m a sucker for books about a boy and his dog.

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Book review - Fairy tale by Stephen king

Hardcover, 577 pages

Published September 6th 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton