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Fairy Tale

by Stephen King

Length 24 hours 4 minutes

Language English

Narrators Seth Numrich & Stephen King

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Bookseller recommendation

“This book and the performer are equally brilliant! Seth Numrich knocks it out of the park with this not-so-typical Stephen King novel. ”
— Jay • A New Chapter

Bookseller recommendation

“I've been very much enjoying my first foray into audiobooks: Stephen King's Fairy Tale. I listen to Seth Numrich's narration every time I'm in my car. I'm not the first to say that King is a master storyteller. As a writer myself, I've long been intrigued by his ability to flesh out characters well enough so that I can actually visualize them and empathize with whatever (likely terrifying) situation they encounter. In Fairy Tale (of which I'm about 1/4 of the way through) I am totally with mature-for-his-age Charlie and his adopted, misunderstood dog, Radar, as they are about to discover what the hell is living in the shed and the origins of the gold pellets. I also really love the relationship Charlie has with his widowed and recovering alcoholic father....I find myself hanging on every word, completely engrossed...”
— Amy • Wellesley Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is for anyone who grew up reading Tolkien (or Stephen King, for that matter) under the covers with a flashlight, for anyone who has longed to turn back time, and, most importantly, for anyone who has ever loved a dog. Fairy Tale has my whole heart. Seth Numrich's earnest narration and King's guest appearance makes this a must-listen.”
— Felix • Kingfisher Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“For every reader who loves a fresh retelling of an old story, this audiobook is the perfect way to read one. The narrator does all the voices, from the charming to the revolting to the terrifying, with a character actor's panache and paces his performance perfectly as the tension rises.”
— Nialle • The Haunted Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“A boy, a beloved dog, and a fairy tale. Soooo good! It’s a long book, but don’t be intimidated, Stephen King is such an excellent writer he makes it go by fast. ”
— Patience • Underground Books

Summary
About the author
About the narrators

#40 in Bestselling Mystery & Thriller Audiobooks

Winner of the 2023 Audie Award for Best Male Narrator

Master storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this #1 New York Times bestselling and spellbinding novel about a young man 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 horrific accident when he was seven, 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 that shed.

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.

Fiction Mystery & Thriller Fantasy

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch (May 2025), the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Seth Numrich won the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer for Sweet Bird of Youth at The Old Vic. Additional Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include: The Merchant of Venice (Broadhurst Theatre), War Horse (Vivian Beaumont), Golden Boy (Lincoln Center), Travesties (American Airlines), Orpheus Descending (Theatr Clwyd), and Fathers and Sons (Donmar Warehouse). Numrich starred in four seasons of the AMC drama Turn: Washington’s Spies and appeared opposite Daniel Radcliffe in the film Imperium.

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Audiobook details

Author:
Stephen King

Narrators:
Seth Numrich & Stephen King

ISBN:
9781797145297

Length:
24 hours 4 minutes

Language:
English

Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Audio

Publication date:
September 6, 2022

Edition:
Unabridged

Libro.fm rank:
#306 Overall

Genre rank:
#40 in Mystery & Thriller

Reviews

"High-schooler Charlie Reade, son of a widowed recovering alcoholic, is walking by the town’s rundown “psycho house" when he hears a distressed barking. Entering the backyard, Charlie finds the house's owner, Mr. Bowditch, laying on the ground—with a broken leg—guarded by his faithful old dog, Radar. Charlie becomes caretaker for Mr. Bowditch and forms a strong bond with ailing Radar. Soon Charlie finds a mysterious shed in the backyard that serves an entrance to a different world where it may be possible to reverse the dog's aging. Numrich’s narration of Charlie’s quest is everything a reader appreciates. He uses unique voices for all of the characters, both human and inhuman, drawing readers completely into the parallel universe, and sounds convincing as a teenager. The narration undoubtedly drives the story and will keep listeners entranced. This gateway fantasy is ideal for anyone looking for a world-building journey similar to Frodo’s quest in The Hobbit. Charlie is highly likable and his devotion to Radar only adds to the appeal. Fans of all things Stephen King may also enjoy the parallels between his narration of Bowditch’s recorded messages to Charlie and his cameos in the film adaptations of his novels." "Seth Numrich’s narration of 17-year-old Charlie Reade’s story is moving and frightening in equal measure. Charlie befriends a reclusive curmudgeon, Howard Bowditch, and his aging dog, and inherits Howard’s house and dog when he dies. Howard also leaves Charlie a cassette recording — voiced remarkably by Stephen King. On it, Howard recounts a story within the story, involving a locked shed, a portal to a dying world, and Charlie’s part in a plan for salvation. Numrich creates a distinctive voice for each character, complete with growls and guttural snarls for evildoers. He even makes a hum sound threatening. Listeners will be drawn into this audiobook by the intimate tone of Numrich’s narration, which is like hearing Charlie himself." Expand reviews