Fairy Tale is a dark fantasy novel by American author Stephen King, published on September 6, 2022 by Scribner. The novel follows Charlie Reade, a 17-year-old who inherits keys to a hidden, otherworldly realm, and finds himself leading the battle between forces of good and evil. Plot Charlie Reade is a seventeen-year-old boy living in Rural America with his widowed father, George. When Charlie was seven years old, his mother was struck and killed by a van, and the resulting grief led his father to alcoholism, from which he eventually recovered. One day, Charlie discovers his elderly neighbor Mr. Howard Bowditch injured in his yard and calls an ambulance. Feeling indebted from his father's recovery, Charlie agrees to watch Mr. Bowditch's German Shepherd dog, named Radar, while Mr. Bowditch stays in the hospital and cares for him when he returns home. Mr. Bowditch shares with Charlie his .45 caliber handgun and a stash of gold pellets that he uses to pay the hospital bills. Several months later, Radar's health has significantly declined, and Mr. Bowditch suffers a heart attack and dies. He leaves Charlie a recorded message, revealing that he was actually 120 years old, and that the locked shed in his backyard contains a portal to another world. In this world exists a magical sundial that was the secret to his longevity. He also reveals the world as the source of his gold and urges Charlie to keep it secret to prevent its exploitation. Determined to prolong Radar's life, Charlie decides to seek out the sundial and revitalize her. Charlie gets attacked by a homeless person with a gun but overpowers and brutalizes him. Charlie, now armed with two handguns, travels to the other world, which he learns is called Empis. He meets a shoemaker named Dora, and exiled members of the royal family Gallien: Leah, Stephen "Woody" Woodleigh, and Claudia, who provide Charlie with guidance and plenty of delicious food. Charlie learns of Flight Killer, the great evil who purged the royal family. The surviving members of the family were cursed with disability and disfigurement, and the inhabitants of Empis are afflicted with an illness known as "the gray." Charlie navigates to the deserted city of Lilimar and finds the sundial, rejuvenating Radar to her younger self. However, on their way out of the city, they are ambushed by an army of undead "night soldiers." Radar escapes, but Charlie is taken captive to an underground prison called the Deep Maleen. While imprisoned, he and the other inmates are forced to train for a gladiatorial-style tournament known as the Fair One. Charlie learns from the inmates that Flight Killer is actually Elden of the Gallien, Leah's brother. He also discovers that his formerly brown hair and eyes are turning blond and blue, respectively, which the inmates believe is a sign that Charlie is their true prince and savior. Eventually, enough captives are found to begin the Fair One; Charlie survives the first round, but before the second round begins, he and the remaining inmates escape the facility with the help of a warder named Pursey.