Fairy Tale indeed. A story of magic and wonder awaits anyone who opens this six-hundred-page book! Summon all the fables and myths you've ever heard or read throughout your life, and you will get an idea of what this new Stephen King adventure offers.
Meet Charlie Reade, the narrator of this story, now in his late twenties, telling the unbelievable events of when he was seventeen. Living in Sentry, Illinois with his widowed, recovered alcoholic father, Charlie comes to the rescue of Howard Bowditch, an elderly grump in the neighborhood who has fallen on his back porch and broken a leg. Charlie winds up becoming Mr. Bowditch's caretaker, along with his old dog Radar. Radar becomes almost as much of a character in this book as Charlie.
One day Charlie and Radar hear an alarming scrabbling sound coming from the shed in Bowditch's backyard. Bowditch takes care of it by locking himself in the shed with whatever is in there and shooting it. This is a foreshadowing of the marvels and horrors to come. After Mr. Bowditch dies, Charlie becomes heir to his property and a bucket full of gold nuggets that Charlie finds in the house. A box of cassettes Mr. Bowditch leaves for Charlie explain what awaits in the shed and beyond.
Inside the shed is a nightmarishly mammoth (now dead) cockroach and a hole in the ground with steps that lead down. Wayyyy down. Charlie learns from the cassettes that this is a "well to the worlds". Charlie decides to travel there with Radar because of the promise of a magic sundial that could turn back time for the beloved yet ailing dog. There is also supposedly more gold which will help Charlie pay taxes on the Bowditch property - this is important because Charlie knows instinctively that this other parallel world cannot be discovered by our world. And also, because Charlie is seventeen.
In this other world called the land of Empis, Charlie finds a city of magic called Lilimar operating under a curse. People who live there are suffering under some sort of sickness or disease called the Gray. Charlie encounters giant bats, big-hearted faceless people, telepathic crickets, mermaids, evil giants, talking horses, princesses, and demons. Charlie finds himself transforming into the prince that the people of this land need to rescue them from the curse; he has just enough darkness in him (along with lightness) to build up the courage he needs to defeat the otherworldly adversaries he meets in the land of Empis. Charlie experiences the perils and stunners of a lifetime, or many lifetimes.
King's novel pulls from and alludes to the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, Jiminy Cricket, Cinderella, and Rumpelstiltskin. The delight in these tales of yore and the horror found especially in older versions come to play throughout Charlie's adventures in Empis. King writes with his usual accessible style while taking the reader on a fantastical literary ride through a supernaturally delightful journey. I recommend snuggling in with this tome, which is perfect for the deep, dark days of winter (or anytime)!
Comments