Stephen King's Fairy Tale Read-along - Final Discussion

This is going to be a short post. I know I'm already late. I apologize. My head is not in a good space right now so developing thoughts is proving to be difficult at the moment.

I will say...I LOVED this book! I was already enamored of the ties to fairy tales and The Wizard of Oz. Adding in the Lovecraftian Cthulhu vibe added just the right amount of horror to make this a dark fantasy, and I'm impressed.

Wrong-o about Charlie's mom being from there (lol), but correct about what was under Flight Killer's robes. Yuck. Kind of bummed that Charlie and Leah could not be together, but it wasn't that kind of fairy tale. I thought the ending was quite appropriate actually. So happy that Radar lived, and Charlie went on to live a good life...and protected Empis from being discovered by our treacherous world and destroyed. 

What did you think? Let me know if I failed to touch on anything, and add your personal thoughts in the comments.

Thanks so much to those of you who joined our Something Wicked Fall read-along. If you're participating in the I Read Horror Year-Round challenge, I will be posting next year's challenge before the end of the year (and I might have something extra this year). Stay tuned!

Stephen King's Fairy Tale Read-along - Discussion Three

Now we've arrived at the horrific part of the book. Many have said this book is not really horror, but the section we just read was pretty scary in my opinion. Those Night Soldiers, and Lord High (Kellin) are pretty terrifying. Not to mention the ghastly Flight Killer (Elden). What exactly does he have hiding under that massive caftan? I'm picturing something almost like Cthulhu. Could King be venturing into Lovecraftian territory here? How about this? "Don't ever say that name! Do you want to wake what sleeps in the Dark Well? The Dark Well sounds very much like where Cthulhu came from in Lovecraft's story, or maybe it's the representation of Hell.

This prince business. What do you think? Did the world change him, or is there something more to this? I have a theory. What if Charlie's mother came from Empis? We don't know much about her. Surely if people from our world could get to their world, people could certainly get to our world from there. It may be a far-fetched theory, but is it possible that his mother could have been one of the "whole" offspring of one of the "randy" royals? 

I have to say, I'm pretty excited to find out how this ends. Also, forgot to mention how wonderful it was that Radar is young and whole again. Maybe she will save the day, or at least help. 

Wanted to also mention that I've learned that this book is getting a 10 episode series adaptation from A24. If they do it right, it should be awesome. I was impressed with the adaptation of The Outsider (one of my favorite King books). You can read the article here.

What did you think of this section? Let me know if I failed to touch on anything, and add your personal thoughts in the comments.

Our final discussion will be on October 31st. I moved the date because I've been so behind. I apologize. October, November, and December are always so busy for me. I'm sure many can relate. If you need to refresh your memory on our reading schedule, check out this post.

This post is part of Something Wicked Fall.

Stephen King's Fairy Tale Read-along - Discussion Two

Wow! Things really developed in this section of our read-along! I am really loving this book. As a lifelong lover of fairy tales, and The Wizard of Oz, and yes, Something Wicked This Way Comes (which is the actual inspiration for this yearly Something Wicked Fall event), I think how King has woven these themes into the story is fantastic. 

We found out what was in the shed! So, is Empis another dimension, or a world beneath our world? The weird feeling experienced just before exiting the tunnel leads me to believe it's the former. Theories?

Stories with animals are always so hard for me. I'm constantly thinking Radar is going to die before Charlie can get her to the sundial. But seriously, how absolutely terrifying it all sounds. This Hana he is warned to watch out for...I can only imagine how horrible she is. A giant (or giantess?), but what does she look like? I hope we get a good description, or a picture at the beginning of a chapter. Side note: I've been enjoying the illustrations too.

And who is this Flight Killer? I can't wait to find out. I just keep hoping Radar is going to make it, but I'm also trying to shield my heart from the inevitable. If only pets could live as long as we do. It's just heartbreaking.

I must circle back to Charlie though. I mean, how brave can he be? I guess he is like the prince in all the stories. And did you notice how Woody said the prince should have blond hair and blue eyes, and then later, Charlie notices his hair looks lighter in the mirror. Hmm.

A final thought on this section. The poor people of Empis and their afflictions. How awful. And while the royals, the Gallien, escaped the grey, they still were cursed...blindness, mouth closed up, no ears to hear. What evil overlord is responsible? Gogmagog? Flight Killer? I'm equally excited and apprehensive to find out. 

What did you think of this section? Let me know if I failed to touch on anything, and add your personal thoughts in the comments.

Our next discussion will be on October 13th. If you need to refresh your memory on our reading schedule, check out this post.

This post is part of Something Wicked Fall.

Stephen King's Fairy Tale Read-along - Discussion One

What's in the shed?! I guess we will find out in the next section...maybe. Yikes. I found myself feeling quite emotional in this first section. Charlie losing his mom, his dad's alcoholism, meeting (saving) Howard Bowditch, and Radar. Knowing the impending deaths of Howard and Radar. Somehow Radar makes me particularly sad. Pets have such short lives. Anyone who has them knows just what I'm talking about. Of course, she hasn't died yet, but it's inevitable, isn't it? Maybe I'm thinking there is something magical in the story that will save her. Naive, right? 

Stephen King always meanders along with his stories, but I'm never bored. Maybe it's just because I know his writing so well. There is always a feeling of impending doom under the words, no matter how mundane the details may seem. He's great at coming-of-age stories, as we know. Also, friendships, whether it be a group of friends, or a teen and an elderly man. My mom and I were discussing the latter and she said maybe he had an elderly friend when he was a teen. I've never heard that, but as they say, write what you know. Of course, people can "know" a lot of things so I myself don't put too much stock in the phrase.

I guess this is all I can really think of to say at this point. Regarding the gold...anyone else thinking there might be a leprechaun involved? It did cross my mind. Pot (bucket) of Gold. I guess we shall see about that as well going forward.

What did you think of this first section? Let me know if I failed to touch on anything, and add your personal thoughts in the comments. 

Our next discussion will be on September 29th. If you need to refresh your memory on our reading schedule, check out this post.

If you haven't already, be sure to stop by my Friday the 13th post. I created a fun gift for my followers and friends. 

This post is part of Something Wicked Fall.

Stay spooky!