Fairy Tale

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-11

Chapters 12-17

Chapters 18-22

Chapters 23-27

Chapters 28–Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Background

Authorial Context: Stephen King’s Canon

Stephen King is a prolific writer best known for his horror and dark fantasy novels. Since releasing his first novel, Carrie, in 1974, he has published 65 books including some of the most beloved works of modern horror literature like It, The Shining, and The Stand. While best known as a horror writer, King is also well established in the fantasy genre. He wrote The Eyes of the Dragon in 1984, an epic fantasy that centers on two brothers’ claims to a kingdom’s throne. Like Fairy Tale, The Eyes of the Dragon features a struggle between good and evil, magic, and references to fairy tales and H.P. Lovecraft. The Eyes of the Dragon was well received by critics but spurned by many of King’s horror fans; this inspired King to write Misery, a book in which an obsessed fan kidnaps her favorite author and violently forces him to continue writing in his original romance genre.

While The Eyes of the Dragon was seen as a departure for King, he later established himself as a master of the fantasy genre by writing his eight-book series