I also really enjoyed this story and thought the first half of the book really built the characters and personalities which led me nicely into the fantasy, great read.
I loved *Fairy Tale*, but I can see why plenty of Constant Readers preferred the first half to the second. The first half encapsulated what King does best (minus the horror) which is building characters with depth, both good and bad qualities, but they are believable and realistic. The second half of the novel I also found excellent, whilst it was a purely fantasy novel there were still the foundations of horror you come to expect from King, >!I am reminded most of Charlie trying to escape the city and the road's keep changing and the buildings appear to be moving!<, it has Lovecraftian tinge which I just adore!
I loved that section specifically when he's trying to escape. I remember the dread was palpable as he became more and more lost in the twisting dead city. I do wish he could have brought more of that to the novel. I do of course love the first half, and enjoyed the novel overall but found the climax a bit difficult to visualise.
Great summation here! The twists in the second half kept me guessing and were very stressful. I loved the character development in this story. Radar is a good dog!
I was in the group that loved the first half and was lukewarm on the second half. I thought the prison sequence dragged a bit and the book could have been about 100 pages shorter.
That said, I read the entire second half of the book in a single night. And even though I was initially just...whelmed? I find myself going back and thinking about it quite often. And every time I think about it I like it more and more. I actually went back to my Goodreads review and changed the rating from a 3/5 to a 4/5.
It's a really good book and one that has and will stick with me.
Yeah this is how i feel about it! I loved the first half and felt MEH about the second half, but i find myself thinking about it often. Especially now that I’m on book 7 of the dark tower i feel like… it’s just another world? With a different society? That’s cool as shit. I don’t know how that came from someone’s imagination.
A bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the first half is more compelling with its character relationships. On the other...King clearly doesn't know how to write a 17 year old in the modern day. Charlie doesn't sound like a teen, which is fine. But when King tries to add modern terms or slang, it just sounds off.
And as for the fantasy half, I felt a bit underwhelmed. It was like the first half was building up to something that we never really got paid off.
I liked everything up until the fantasy portion of the story. The dialogue was just too silly for me. It didn't feel real, it was just a forced oddity for the sake of being different from our world.
i don't like fantasy and i didn't enjoy this book much. it was good, but hard to get through 😭 it almost felt like a task. i liked the very first and the very last parts the most. i was rooting for radar the whole time though, that's what kept me going
I liked the first half when it was about the relationship between the boy, his neighbor and his dog but once the fantasy stuff started happening I wasn’t as interested.
That’s interesting. I was the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, I like the first half, but I was getting antsy for the crazy stuff to begin. Once he stepped in the shed, I was super hooked.
I liked the first half and some of the second when it introduced the other characters. When it verged on to the Hunger Games, my interest waned but I still read the whole thing
First half was okay, I liked the characters, but I generally am fairly dismissive of "good doggo" stories. They remind me of Koontz, for one, and also I'm not a dog guy; but whatever, I dug it. Second half was great. I'm a huge fan of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and that entire second half is a giant homage to their pulp fantasy adventure, fantasy, and horror stories through a Stephen King lens. Absolutely loved it.
I liked it. There were some elements of what King does best. Gogmagog is another arrow in his quiver of evil beasts. The blending of Ray Bradbury with the "boy and his dog" story was great.
I actually really enjoyed the second half of the book. Thought it was a pretty nice shakeup to the first half and kept me intrigued. Would definitely not mind a follow up.
Everyone’s talking about rades but nobody is talking about that absolute legend of a ladybug!!
I enjoyed all of it except for some of the time in the cell.. Charlie caught the hell out of every piece of food thrown his way lol it felt repetitive in the cell, was starting to feel like he’d never get out …..
also, I totally thought he was going to bang the princess and when he ended up banging his cell mate instead it just felt forced lol
I love this book so much. I also think it would be perfect fit for Spielberg to make into a movie. I always wanted to see Spielberg’s take on a King story and this one would be my choice.
Have you seen “Pan’s Labyrinth”? Gave the same feel kind of. I am envisioning this book directed by Guillermo del Toro; he makes beautiful films that have combined horror and fantasy before.
Meh. I hated how King wrote the main character, I found his relationship with the neighbor unbelievable, especially with how okay his dad was with letting him stay with a random old man. It all felt so phony to me.
I listened to the audiobook while driving. I feel like the title is totally tongue-in-cheek. The world Charlie finds is the origin of fairy tales but it’s no fairy tale world.
While it had a bit of a non-King vibe I thought the story as a whole was well put together. The character and relationship building was solid and fun. By the time. Charlie gets going in the other world there’s so much weirdness and strangeness as he learns what’s going on around him. We all learn what “a brave man helps while a coward gives presents” means.
I really was happy when Charlie actually brought his dad to see the land as well. I feel like that’s something I would yell at the end of a book when everyone around the protagonist just calls him crazy.
This is definitely on my re-read short list.
I jumped on this book and downloaded it to my reader soon after release because I saw so much buzz on the social media platforms...well I started it, got part of the way through and stalled. I took a break and never went back. It just didn't do much for me and I started reading SK many years ago and bought many of his books. This one is so so. Not sure if I am going back in...😕
I enjoyed it. As much as I enjoy reading about people doing chores I was also ready for the fantasy part to start. My main problem was that the fantasy world wasn't as rich as I expected from the dude who created The Dark Tower and co-created The Territories. Even when he does get to the other world he spends a good deal of his time in a prison cell.
I actually really loved the book as a complete work, I thought the two halves worked well together to deepen the sensation of being transported to a different world. However, like most of Stephen Kings later works, I felt it could have been trimmed down considerably and tightened up. Because of his massive success, King has largely been given free range to indulge in his worst habits as a writer, namely indulgent storytelling and meandering plots. He is still my favorite author of all time, but there is definitely a marked difference between his early novels and his later works.
You guys made me curious to read it, but I need to know: does anything bad happen to the dog?
I really love dogs and can't stand to see/read of them suffering. It really upsets me.
>!Nothing happens to the dog. At the start of the story she's sick because of being old and that's what sets the plot in motion, but she ends up being fine!<
For a writer to bend outside his usual lane, it was very well done. Once I read about the stairwell and the disappearing faces, the horror within the center of the city, etc- I knew what I was in for. Great read and wouldn’t mind a continuation.
With this, you either love the first half and dislike the second or vice versa, imho. For me, the fantasy part feels very rushed, and it tries to tie into The Dark Tower but doesn't really work (at least not as well as King slips it into other stories). I really enjoyed the first half as it reminded me of Mr Harrigan's Phone from If It Bleeds, which was a great short story, and Netflix adaptation. Radar is the goodest girl (I felt the 2nd half would've been heightened if we got some chapters from her perspective).
The wonder of the first half and the story of Charlie and Radar is just so endearing. Second half gets fun and albeit a little dark the story delivers very well. Looking forward to the screen adaptation
All in all I loved it but I struggled around the midway point. Something about him just walking before getting to the city truly felt like it was sludge to get through. Took me a year of trying on and off to get through those 30 or so pages. Yet once he got to the city? It quickly took off and I feel deep into it again.
I’d read an entire book just about Radar being a good dog.
The fairy tale part wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have hoped but only because King didn’t expand on it enough. I have no doubt that had he chosen to explore the world it would have been more enjoyable, but as it is I’m happy with the Radar parts.
Might be biased, I’ve got my two fur babies sitting with me and I’d take them to the city to save their lives, too.
I LOVED fairytale but someone told me i was performing mental gymnastics when i explained why SK might write a book like this and why it may fall flat to most SK fans. LOL
I don’t think it’s bad but it’s not my favorite it was a fun run and I liked the first half more than the rest but I liked the dark tones a lot. I got an audible cuz I was scared I wouldn’t like it to be honest. I don’t regret that choice.
Personally, I don’t get the criticisms posted so far - they seem somewhat picky and unfair, imho.
Loved the novel in every way. It has a bit of everything. Horror, thriller, friendship, love.
Loved it.
I listened to the audiobook, and quite liked it. The pacing was pitch perfect; Never felt like it dragged at any point. Even King’s cameo (as Mr. Bowditch) was great.
To your point about the “he didn’t say it that way” aclarations, I see what you’re saying, but the narrator was so good, it felt like he was, well, telling you a fairy tale. They fit right in every time he said it.
I really loved it up until the sundial. But after that I felt like the heart of the story disappeared from it, probably because Radar and Charlie's relationship was the best part for me
I loved this book as well! I really like all parts of the book, but I liked the beginning and end the most. The middle felt kinda slow at times, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it! I love the character of Charlie and Radar :)
I really enjoyed this book; the copy my son gave me had a review from Guillermo del Torro. Made me start thinking; the two of them should hook up on this book; seems right up del Torro’s alley, gives me some of the Pan’s Labyrinth vibes. And del Torro’s movies are so often beautiful to look at too.
My opinion on the "he didn't say it in those words" thing is that King wanted us to sorta self insert there and think of our own favorite fantasy word for whatever he was acknowledging wasn't what Charlie really said. For me personally as a Dark Tower fan, my brain immediately wondered if the word being used for "miles" wasn't "wheels" or other colloquialisms from the DT series. I'm not trying to force this into being a DT offshoot. If that's not what he was doing specifically then I'm totally fine with this not being a DT adjacent novel, but did you pick up the subtle hints that there could be a sequel?
I'm gonna do a couple spoilers to make my case, so warning if OP's wasn't enough.
Charlie tells Gogmagog to come back in 10 or 100 or a thousand years.. kinda giving him a multiple choice answer there.
The 10 year request might be inadvertantly (or subtly) hinting at something though. At the end of the novel, Charlie gets that very friendly "thank you" from one of the arena girls, and he hadn't taken a spin on the dial (so not sterile), and he didn't wear protection.. I'm just saying, I'll be sad if there isn't a sequel where Charlie's kid breaks up through that cement barrier and asks their dad to help defeat the unfathomable horror from another dimension, that he banished one time but welcomed to come back later.
Even though I don't ask for sequels, I would love to read a Fairy Tale one. As you said, King put some hints that could easily lead to another book, and I would be happy if we can revisit these characters and worlds again
Through the story other countries from Empis were mentioned, and it would be interesting to take the second book to those places and expand the world more
I thought it was a fun ride and I’m glad SK tried dabbling in fantasy.
The first half was classic SK through and through. I personally enjoy fantasy so I liked the 2nd half. I thought it was well done and was engaged throughout the story. I also love dogs so the aging dog storyline and his relationship with his father and the neighbor was great imo.
Everyone here is wrong. Fairy Tale is awesome and you even get a Dark Souls boss fight. All parts of the book. The beginning with the shed setting up the 2nd part of the book that is the fantasy portion was incredible
This is probably one of the absolute worst endings he’s ever written, in my opinion. I had serious, serious problems with the way this one ended. I really hated the way he just reversed and undid all the changes and character development the main character went through.
It actually reminded me of a video game, from the point of the view of the protagonist. Mostly because he just goes to this world and does all this stuff and goes through all these changes and becomes cooler/stronger while saving the world in the process, and then… psych! He didn’t really change at all he just went back to his world and is pretty much exactly the same as before!
Well I don't agree with you but I also don't think down voting an opinion specifically asked for is okay. You even elaborated on why you felt let down.
I didn't see a any huge change in the lead character, he kinda enters and remains a solid character throughout. The trials in that other land, and how far he will push himself is the core of the story. There's a point where >!the kid's got what he came for, saved the dog, broke out of the dungeon.. so he goes home, right? No, he stays to fight the battle because evil should not stand!< .. and I think that's the story of a hero.
I also really enjoyed this story and thought the first half of the book really built the characters and personalities which led me nicely into the fantasy, great read.
I loved *Fairy Tale*, but I can see why plenty of Constant Readers preferred the first half to the second. The first half encapsulated what King does best (minus the horror) which is building characters with depth, both good and bad qualities, but they are believable and realistic. The second half of the novel I also found excellent, whilst it was a purely fantasy novel there were still the foundations of horror you come to expect from King, >!I am reminded most of Charlie trying to escape the city and the road's keep changing and the buildings appear to be moving!<, it has Lovecraftian tinge which I just adore!
I loved that section specifically when he's trying to escape. I remember the dread was palpable as he became more and more lost in the twisting dead city. I do wish he could have brought more of that to the novel. I do of course love the first half, and enjoyed the novel overall but found the climax a bit difficult to visualise.
Great summation here! The twists in the second half kept me guessing and were very stressful. I loved the character development in this story. Radar is a good dog!
I was in the group that loved the first half and was lukewarm on the second half. I thought the prison sequence dragged a bit and the book could have been about 100 pages shorter. That said, I read the entire second half of the book in a single night. And even though I was initially just...whelmed? I find myself going back and thinking about it quite often. And every time I think about it I like it more and more. I actually went back to my Goodreads review and changed the rating from a 3/5 to a 4/5. It's a really good book and one that has and will stick with me.
Yeah this is how i feel about it! I loved the first half and felt MEH about the second half, but i find myself thinking about it often. Especially now that I’m on book 7 of the dark tower i feel like… it’s just another world? With a different society? That’s cool as shit. I don’t know how that came from someone’s imagination.
A bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the first half is more compelling with its character relationships. On the other...King clearly doesn't know how to write a 17 year old in the modern day. Charlie doesn't sound like a teen, which is fine. But when King tries to add modern terms or slang, it just sounds off. And as for the fantasy half, I felt a bit underwhelmed. It was like the first half was building up to something that we never really got paid off.
I liked everything up until the fantasy portion of the story. The dialogue was just too silly for me. It didn't feel real, it was just a forced oddity for the sake of being different from our world.
“Nah nah!”
I’ve incorporated “nah nah” into my lexicon. I usually say very loudly as if to mimic Claudia.
My wife and daughter think I’m some weirdo cuz I will just flat out almost yell it sometimes just for fun. I love it.
And ha ha. That was the best part of this frankly bad novel. I almost quit on it many times. Love SK and read probably 80 percent of his work.
I loved it. The whole thing. I’d love a sequel.
Me too!! I read it last year and I’ve thought about it so many times since then. I’d love to go back into that world :)
i don't like fantasy and i didn't enjoy this book much. it was good, but hard to get through 😭 it almost felt like a task. i liked the very first and the very last parts the most. i was rooting for radar the whole time though, that's what kept me going
I liked the first half when it was about the relationship between the boy, his neighbor and his dog but once the fantasy stuff started happening I wasn’t as interested.
That’s interesting. I was the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, I like the first half, but I was getting antsy for the crazy stuff to begin. Once he stepped in the shed, I was super hooked.
I agree with this. The fantasy stuff just didnt hit for me and I eventually fell off and started a different book.
Same here
Too much fairy tale stuff in the second half. My reaction: "Is Stephen King getting old and loosing steam?"
The joy of books; something for everyone! I loved the whole thing since I love King’s work, but also love fantasy. So worked well for me!
I liked the first half and some of the second when it introduced the other characters. When it verged on to the Hunger Games, my interest waned but I still read the whole thing
First half was okay, I liked the characters, but I generally am fairly dismissive of "good doggo" stories. They remind me of Koontz, for one, and also I'm not a dog guy; but whatever, I dug it. Second half was great. I'm a huge fan of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, and that entire second half is a giant homage to their pulp fantasy adventure, fantasy, and horror stories through a Stephen King lens. Absolutely loved it.
I found it boring. I had zero connection with any character and the story itself dragged, especially the second half.
Same. Only even finished because I read in prison.
It was fine. Not incredible, not bad
I liked it. There were some elements of what King does best. Gogmagog is another arrow in his quiver of evil beasts. The blending of Ray Bradbury with the "boy and his dog" story was great. I actually really enjoyed the second half of the book. Thought it was a pretty nice shakeup to the first half and kept me intrigued. Would definitely not mind a follow up.
Everyone’s talking about rades but nobody is talking about that absolute legend of a ladybug!! I enjoyed all of it except for some of the time in the cell.. Charlie caught the hell out of every piece of food thrown his way lol it felt repetitive in the cell, was starting to feel like he’d never get out ….. also, I totally thought he was going to bang the princess and when he ended up banging his cell mate instead it just felt forced lol
Wait… what ladybug? I truly do not remember this scene.
I’m Slow lol the red cricket. Snab. Idk why but when I was typing thinking of red bug with wings I guess I typed out lady bug 🤣 my bad
You’re good lol I love the Snab he was probably my fav part of the book besides Radar
Yeah I loved how he would ride radars back like a horse 🐎 lol
The drawing of him was quite nice also
I love this book so much. I also think it would be perfect fit for Spielberg to make into a movie. I always wanted to see Spielberg’s take on a King story and this one would be my choice.
Have you seen “Pan’s Labyrinth”? Gave the same feel kind of. I am envisioning this book directed by Guillermo del Toro; he makes beautiful films that have combined horror and fantasy before.
Meh. I hated how King wrote the main character, I found his relationship with the neighbor unbelievable, especially with how okay his dad was with letting him stay with a random old man. It all felt so phony to me.
Ending is meh, middle part is overstretched, worlbuilding is fun but lacking some depth, 7/10 overall. I liked Institute better.
i liked it. It had a fanasty type horror that i haven't really read before.
I loved both parts of the book
I loved it
I have read it twice now, and the second time took me from “like” to “love”.
It sucked
It was great.
I listened to the audiobook while driving. I feel like the title is totally tongue-in-cheek. The world Charlie finds is the origin of fairy tales but it’s no fairy tale world. While it had a bit of a non-King vibe I thought the story as a whole was well put together. The character and relationship building was solid and fun. By the time. Charlie gets going in the other world there’s so much weirdness and strangeness as he learns what’s going on around him. We all learn what “a brave man helps while a coward gives presents” means. I really was happy when Charlie actually brought his dad to see the land as well. I feel like that’s something I would yell at the end of a book when everyone around the protagonist just calls him crazy. This is definitely on my re-read short list.
Loved the book!
I enjoyed it so much that after reading it as an ebook, I ordered the Uk hardcover version just to have
I liked it a lot
I listened to it on an audiobook and enjoyed it well enough.
I jumped on this book and downloaded it to my reader soon after release because I saw so much buzz on the social media platforms...well I started it, got part of the way through and stalled. I took a break and never went back. It just didn't do much for me and I started reading SK many years ago and bought many of his books. This one is so so. Not sure if I am going back in...😕
I enjoyed it. As much as I enjoy reading about people doing chores I was also ready for the fantasy part to start. My main problem was that the fantasy world wasn't as rich as I expected from the dude who created The Dark Tower and co-created The Territories. Even when he does get to the other world he spends a good deal of his time in a prison cell.
Love it.
One of his best? Probably not. One of my new favorites? Definitely.
I loved it so much. The relationship between Charlie and Radar was so beautiful.
Loved the first half and couldn’t finish it.
I loved it. Reminded me of the talisman.
I really enjoyed the first quarter of the book and it got progressively worse for me.
I really liked the first half. In my opinion the book should have ended when he found the portal while some obscure creature crawled out of the void.
It was such a fun read with some adorable characters. Dora and Claudia were my fav. WRITE THAT DOWN!!!
The chapters in the dungeon drug on way to long. Sort of took me out of the story.
Lost interest halfway through...that was over a year ago and nothing is calling me to finish it
I actually really loved the book as a complete work, I thought the two halves worked well together to deepen the sensation of being transported to a different world. However, like most of Stephen Kings later works, I felt it could have been trimmed down considerably and tightened up. Because of his massive success, King has largely been given free range to indulge in his worst habits as a writer, namely indulgent storytelling and meandering plots. He is still my favorite author of all time, but there is definitely a marked difference between his early novels and his later works.
You guys made me curious to read it, but I need to know: does anything bad happen to the dog? I really love dogs and can't stand to see/read of them suffering. It really upsets me.
>!Nothing happens to the dog. At the start of the story she's sick because of being old and that's what sets the plot in motion, but she ends up being fine!<
Thank you so very much 💙 >!I'm still not over "The Dome", iykyk!<
For a writer to bend outside his usual lane, it was very well done. Once I read about the stairwell and the disappearing faces, the horror within the center of the city, etc- I knew what I was in for. Great read and wouldn’t mind a continuation.
With this, you either love the first half and dislike the second or vice versa, imho. For me, the fantasy part feels very rushed, and it tries to tie into The Dark Tower but doesn't really work (at least not as well as King slips it into other stories). I really enjoyed the first half as it reminded me of Mr Harrigan's Phone from If It Bleeds, which was a great short story, and Netflix adaptation. Radar is the goodest girl (I felt the 2nd half would've been heightened if we got some chapters from her perspective).
The wonder of the first half and the story of Charlie and Radar is just so endearing. Second half gets fun and albeit a little dark the story delivers very well. Looking forward to the screen adaptation
Read it 3 times. Hit me at the perfect time in my life. Love this book.
Enjoyed it until he was imprisoned for what felt like 200 pages.
All in all I loved it but I struggled around the midway point. Something about him just walking before getting to the city truly felt like it was sludge to get through. Took me a year of trying on and off to get through those 30 or so pages. Yet once he got to the city? It quickly took off and I feel deep into it again.
I’d read an entire book just about Radar being a good dog. The fairy tale part wasn’t as enjoyable as I would have hoped but only because King didn’t expand on it enough. I have no doubt that had he chosen to explore the world it would have been more enjoyable, but as it is I’m happy with the Radar parts. Might be biased, I’ve got my two fur babies sitting with me and I’d take them to the city to save their lives, too.
I’m finding myself anxiously awaiting to get home and read where Charlie is at the moment. So far…so good!
Loved the first half. Loved the dog, I think it's one of the best dog characters King has written. Was mixed about the second half in the other world.
Loved it
I LOVED fairytale but someone told me i was performing mental gymnastics when i explained why SK might write a book like this and why it may fall flat to most SK fans. LOL
I know that most readers don't like the second half but I actually loved it and greatly preferred it to the first
Couldn’t get through it. Stopped 3/4 through.
Loved it so much
I don’t think it’s bad but it’s not my favorite it was a fun run and I liked the first half more than the rest but I liked the dark tones a lot. I got an audible cuz I was scared I wouldn’t like it to be honest. I don’t regret that choice.
I really enjoyed it. As I do the vast majority of his books. Only ones I really dislike are desperation and regulators.
It's awesome and I enjoyed it so goddamn much 10/10
Personally, I don’t get the criticisms posted so far - they seem somewhat picky and unfair, imho. Loved the novel in every way. It has a bit of everything. Horror, thriller, friendship, love. Loved it.
It was a good read but only average for King
I loved this book 🤷♀️ i am a big fan of fantasy though so it was nice to merge the very familiar King-style first half with something i already enjoy
I loved it!
loved it. Would have been better if it had a darker ending
I enjoyed it alot more than kings other recent ones apart from Billy Summers.. Its really good and the characters are great in it too !
Loved the first part until they went into the fairy tale and then I lost interest and bailed.
It was so so, at best for me. I am glad I read it, though.
Idk what yall are talking bout this book was 10/10 all the way through. I would be super happy to see this turned into a movie
I listened to the audiobook, and quite liked it. The pacing was pitch perfect; Never felt like it dragged at any point. Even King’s cameo (as Mr. Bowditch) was great. To your point about the “he didn’t say it that way” aclarations, I see what you’re saying, but the narrator was so good, it felt like he was, well, telling you a fairy tale. They fit right in every time he said it.
I really loved it up until the sundial. But after that I felt like the heart of the story disappeared from it, probably because Radar and Charlie's relationship was the best part for me
I loved this book as well! I really like all parts of the book, but I liked the beginning and end the most. The middle felt kinda slow at times, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it! I love the character of Charlie and Radar :)
I really enjoyed this book; the copy my son gave me had a review from Guillermo del Torro. Made me start thinking; the two of them should hook up on this book; seems right up del Torro’s alley, gives me some of the Pan’s Labyrinth vibes. And del Torro’s movies are so often beautiful to look at too.
My opinion on the "he didn't say it in those words" thing is that King wanted us to sorta self insert there and think of our own favorite fantasy word for whatever he was acknowledging wasn't what Charlie really said. For me personally as a Dark Tower fan, my brain immediately wondered if the word being used for "miles" wasn't "wheels" or other colloquialisms from the DT series. I'm not trying to force this into being a DT offshoot. If that's not what he was doing specifically then I'm totally fine with this not being a DT adjacent novel, but did you pick up the subtle hints that there could be a sequel? I'm gonna do a couple spoilers to make my case, so warning if OP's wasn't enough. Charlie tells Gogmagog to come back in 10 or 100 or a thousand years.. kinda giving him a multiple choice answer there. The 10 year request might be inadvertantly (or subtly) hinting at something though. At the end of the novel, Charlie gets that very friendly "thank you" from one of the arena girls, and he hadn't taken a spin on the dial (so not sterile), and he didn't wear protection.. I'm just saying, I'll be sad if there isn't a sequel where Charlie's kid breaks up through that cement barrier and asks their dad to help defeat the unfathomable horror from another dimension, that he banished one time but welcomed to come back later.
Even though I don't ask for sequels, I would love to read a Fairy Tale one. As you said, King put some hints that could easily lead to another book, and I would be happy if we can revisit these characters and worlds again Through the story other countries from Empis were mentioned, and it would be interesting to take the second book to those places and expand the world more
Honestly it’s an uneven poor work. It started off interesting, if contrived, and then just lost the plot.
I thought it was a fun ride and I’m glad SK tried dabbling in fantasy. The first half was classic SK through and through. I personally enjoy fantasy so I liked the 2nd half. I thought it was well done and was engaged throughout the story. I also love dogs so the aging dog storyline and his relationship with his father and the neighbor was great imo.
One of my favorites from king 👑
Everyone here is wrong. Fairy Tale is awesome and you even get a Dark Souls boss fight. All parts of the book. The beginning with the shed setting up the 2nd part of the book that is the fantasy portion was incredible
This is probably one of the absolute worst endings he’s ever written, in my opinion. I had serious, serious problems with the way this one ended. I really hated the way he just reversed and undid all the changes and character development the main character went through. It actually reminded me of a video game, from the point of the view of the protagonist. Mostly because he just goes to this world and does all this stuff and goes through all these changes and becomes cooler/stronger while saving the world in the process, and then… psych! He didn’t really change at all he just went back to his world and is pretty much exactly the same as before!
Well I don't agree with you but I also don't think down voting an opinion specifically asked for is okay. You even elaborated on why you felt let down. I didn't see a any huge change in the lead character, he kinda enters and remains a solid character throughout. The trials in that other land, and how far he will push himself is the core of the story. There's a point where >!the kid's got what he came for, saved the dog, broke out of the dungeon.. so he goes home, right? No, he stays to fight the battle because evil should not stand!< .. and I think that's the story of a hero.