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Fairy Tale cover art

Fairy Tale

Written by: Stephen King
Narrated by: Seth Numrich, Stephen King
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the 2023 Audie Award for Best Male Narrator

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

Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in 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.

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 hit-and-run accident when he was ten, 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.

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

©2022 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2015 YP / RECORD TWO.RIEN QU’UNE FOIS by Keen’V / Zonee.L / Matthieu Evain / Fabrice Vanvert,

What listeners say about Fairy Tale

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King is King

This book is wonderful. the first half of this book is some of my favorite writing, I enjoyed every minute of getting to know the characters and what their motivations were.

Stephen King's reading in this context and his performance were great (and not very long) I've heard some of the other reading performances he's done and this was the first one I actually didn't mind listening to.

the rest of the book builds up to a turn I should have expected, but was somehow still surprised, I found some of the direction predictable, but I was never bored by things turning out a certain way.

I'd love to learn more about the world and everything that King wrote, though in some aspects it was simple it made the details all that more enthralling.

the narrator does some scenes where you are not supposed to understand what the character is saying by only saying part of the word or a few sentences, I found this charming, but I could see people struggling through it (most of these scenes are kept short) but I think Numrich does a good job at keeping these blurred as far as he can. I enjoyed it, as it allowed me to become immersed into the story.

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So sad that it is over.

If ever there were a story that was meant to be read aloud this is it. Just like any fairytale, the pictures created by Stephen King's incredible words and the perfect narration by Seth Numrich were meant to be an auditory experience. I have never listened to an audio book more than once but I will happily go back and visit this world again.

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A treat from start to finish

Couldn’t have loved this book more! Bought the hard cover so I could read it as well as listen to it on my long drives. Passed it down to my 15 year old son who I know will love it also. Great story, great narration.

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Another Home run!

For over 35 years I’ve been a King fan. The thing I love the most?
How he turns the ordinary, into those creepy, nightmarish things.
Long days and Pleasant nights!

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Excellent listen. Not scary, but very entertaining

Loved the story. Entertaining Excellent listen. shows Steven King sure can tell a story.

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Gripping Story ever second

King shows incredible imagination. Be prepared to look at fairy tales differently.Didnt want to put it down

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Awesome!!

I am a huge Stephen King fan! I love how he weaves his stories with hints and connections to his other novels. The story is a wonderful adventure tale and Seth Numrich brings it to life with amazing talent! This is one that I will listen to again and again!

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Amazing book!! will recommend

such an amazing book, will read again and recommend. the story itself was so good you get lost in it and the narration is fantastic.

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Amazing

Loved the story....Amazing as always. Great work by Seth Numrich and Stephen king. Made listening very enjoyable.

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Very enjoyable!

A captivating story and interesting characters kept my attention throughout! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys King books, and reading about parallel worlds.

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