"Fairy Tale" by Stephen King

A 17-year-old boy finds a portal into a magical and cursed kingdom.

I’m not a huge Stephen King fan, but 11/22/63 is one of the best novels I’ve read in the past several years. It’s the story of a man who finds a wrinkle in time that takes him back to the 1960s, and he decides to go back in time to prevent the assassination of JFK. It was epic, deeply researched, full of very human characters, and remains one of a handful of books that’s made my cry. So when a friend of mind told me Fairy Tale had a lot in common with 11/22/63, I thought I’d give it a try.

There are definitely similarities between the two books. In Fairy Tale, the protagonist finds a well that descends into another world. The secret portal is initially guarded by an old man who’s been using it. The first several chapters leading up to the main story are rich enough (and long enough) they could be a decent novel by themselves. And both books are departures from King’s trademark horror.

But I found historical aspects of 11/22/63 much more enjoyable than the wholly fictitious fabric of Fairy Tale. Jake Epping interacts with historical characters in well-researched locations, but Charlie Reade travels across a fantastic two-mooned landscape encountering giants, undead warriors, a Rumpelstiltskin character, and a giant red cricket that is Lord of the Small Things. One is historical fiction, the other complete fantasy. Despite the time traveling, 11/22/63 felt more realistic. Fairy Tale is very well-written and I cared about the characters, but this is probably the closest Stephen King gets to YA fiction.

READ IT IF: You like Stephen King. Or if you don’t. It’s not his typical stuff.