Best Stephen King in years!! Fantastic, right to the feels and soul, but still full on on your seat terror and suspense!! YES,YES,YES!

I absolutely loved this book! The narrator made the story come to life! It really put a new spin on all the fairytales I grew up on. I highly recommend it!

Excellent! I’m going to listen to it again! The narration and direction is outstanding! Recommend this read and once again Stephen King has given us a jewel.

I loved this book. It kept my interest from page 1. Fast paced and gripping. One of Stephen Kings best.

This is the best book ever for Stephen king. I loved it. It draws you in right from the start and the narrator is excellent bringing the book to life. Even though it is quite long I'll definitely listen to it again.

It’s a solid but not super unique fairytale and the narrator is fantastic.

The narrator was lovely. However, this novel had flat characters and a painfully uncreative and predictable plot.

Narrator was fantastic. Brought life to each character brilliantly. This book has kept me thoroughly engaged.

Mr King’s infinite imagination stretched my average one to its limits at times. That being said, it was a very entertaining listen. The narrator, Mr Numrich, did an outstanding job in telling the story.

It’s should be labeled for kids 5-8yr old if you are adult don’t bother

I enjoyed this most recent release up until the last 6 hours. It certainly wasn’t my most favourite story at the end but it was ok… The narrator is one of my favourites!

This hit close to home having lost a GSD myself. I was focused on Radar regaining her youth over everything else. However, “A brave man helps, a coward just gives presents”. At the time, you gloss over this and continue on. That quote is the mantra of this book.

Great book, a little slow in places but overall I would listen to it again

For me, the most boring Stephen King of all time. Knowing that the story will have a Happy End made all the thrill and danger so unspectacular- and yes, the story has some lengths.

Surprisingly bad. I love a lot of Stephen King's works. This one reads more like a teen novel. the story takes forever to develop and there are constant disappointments - things made out to be ultra scary turn out to be utterly harmless or weak. the size of the book makes it seem like it would be an epic saga, but really should have been 1/4 the size. story itself is ok. not gripping enough, especially for Stephen King.

Seventeen-year-old boys, even those as bright as Charlie simply don’t speak like this. Secondly,if your protagonist is a high school football player do a little research and find out what playing high school football is really like. Third, teenage boys simply say things like “yummy for my tummy.” Finally, there was no reason for Charlie to mention kneeling for the national anthem at his games. Great story but unrealistic dialogue.

I loved this book. I always appreciate how S King draws things from the past, present and the Fairy Tales of our youth. I know I will listen again.

great book

just "ehhh"

One of Stephen King’s best. I couldn’t put it down! The narrator was fantastic; he really made the characters come alive

I hate to say this, but I found this book so boring. It was like nothing happened to Charlie until the last quarter—by that I mean no challenges other than what life had handed him prior to the story starting. Yeah, he chose to help the old man, but that's not a big deal. I also don't think anyone needs to talk about pissing in stories this much. I don't understand why other people rave about it. I usually love fantasy, but this one wasn't for me. The only reason I finished was because this was my first Stephen King novel and my first audio and I was busy painting without anything else to listen to. The narrator seemed good, but since this is my first experience, I'm not sure—I didn't love the women's voices but what else can a guy do? ***SPOILER ALERT*** DON'T READ THIS NEXT SENTENCE IF YOU WANT EVERYTHING TO BE A SURPRISE. *** And I don't get how Charlie could love one woman so much and jump on another woman the moment he had the chance. That was weird and seemed strange to me because it wasn't like his character the rest of the time.

This is a really good book. I can see it as a movie. Stephen King delivers again. It’s slightly wordy and feel like many parts could have been condensed, but overall really good. THE GREATNESS OF THIS WORK (audio version) WAS THE NARRATOR! Wow is the only word that can adequately describe Seth Numrich’s reading of the book.Seth does an amazing job and brings to life each and every character including Radar, the dog! Great Job Seth!!!

I have read/listened to many many books by Stephen King, but THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. We’re a long way from Salem’s lot, pulp trucks, and town selectmen, but in the absolute best way. The narrator was absolutely incredible as well. I’m not exaggerating when I say my entire body was covered in chill bumps when he read the last sentence of the epilogue.

Superb narration. Story fell flat for me. Perhaps read/listened to too many stories with similar themes…

Couldn’t put it down! The narrator is good too!

Book kinda dragged on…

Great book, a little different for a King book but definitely worth the listen.

I am loving this book and narrator. I'm so excited to have found it.

Amazing adventure book with plenty of magic and depp connection to reality!

I’ve listen to this book twice I really enjoy this story

I fell into this magical world and can't get it out of my head, months later. The tale is just familar enough to make you feel like you might understand, until it's clear you don't. Fantastic, upsetting, and everything in between.

I need more! This book is a grand adventure and the narration just draws you right in.

excellent story!

Oh how I loved this story but as Charlie, and Stephen King himself, would say, all stories must have an ending. I'm bereft, and miss these wonderful (or irascible, or etc) people. The narration is perfect and includes narration by Stephen King too. I won't go over the summary, I'll just say it's a glorious production and I'll be back, to visit.

Great book. Narrator was good, kept me wanting to listen

This book was slow, and main characters meant nothing, it felt generic, not the standard King yarn, but if you love puppies, and butterflies, go for it, if you want the real deal King, sit this one out.

Wow! What a great story!!! Hope to hear the narrator more often. He was brilliant.

Chill, then BAM! Disturbing! easy to follow, intriguing and straight up good.

I have been reading Stephen King books for a very long time - I love how he combines a “regular” story with fantasy. This time, however, I really enjoyed the story until it got into what felt like minutiae of the parallel world. There were lots of characters and lots of struggles and my mind wandered. I wanted more of the real world story. Despite that, it was a good book with brilliant narration.

Maybe I’m getting sick of reading book after book after book by King. This one is not a favorite. It feels desperate and convoluted. Perhaps even a little monkey see monkey do. Is he trying to copy JK Rowling? Felt weird. Can’t explain it. I’ve got about two hours left and I will finish. I normally read and re read his books over and over. Not this one.

very interesting

Narrators can make or break an audiobook for me. Seth was phenomenal!! He brought the story to life, a story filled with twists and turns, love and hate, the light and the dark. A story that enthralls you to the very last page! Well done Mr. King.

Stephen King can definitely tell a fairy tale!

entertainment at it's best

I really enjoyed it! Kept me listening until the end, with a warm feeling that it ended the way it should. The narrator is the best I have heard!

I personally believe that King should leave fantasy to the experts. The first half of the book was very entertaining, but once the fantasy section started. it bogged down. He's no Tolkien or even George R. R. Martin and I know he wasn't trying to be, but I second-guessed any twists. I won't say I didn't enjoy it because I did. I just think he does better when he stays in the "real" world. The narration, on the other hand, was fabulous. Probably the best and most versatile that I've ever heard. Kudos (not Cujos).

Thrilling fantasy world. Had me in tears and at the edge of my seat. Good read.

Great storytelling

I’m not a fan for say of SK but this was an amazing book. The Narrator did fantastic! Great with all the voices and the feel they would speak! Emotional from start to finish!

It opens a magical world and fantastic characters. I loved it. The readers voice was perfect.

One of King's best.

Mr. King does a wonderful job of weaving together from fairytale references an intelligent story of an alternate world. The book is very well narrated and the voices well done. Thus is great vacation reading when you need a fluffy version of the classic "hero's tale".

Not your typical King novel as the ending wasn’t lazy. Interesting and creative with an excellent narrator.

Loved the book.

Loved the book. One of the best I listened to. Great narrator too. I can’t wait to watch the movie that will be made for this story.

16 hours of listening and I literally could not stand any more of the story. I’m a 40 year fan of King but this one didn’t ring home for me at all. Felt more like RL Stine than Stephen King. Still love him though..

Very gripping, highly worth a read

Tommyknockers had always been one of my favorite Stephen King books - I was shocked by how much I truly enjoyed this book! Narrator was awesome as well.

Love this book! It kept me on the edge of my seat!

A great listen! one of Stephen Kings finest books in the last 5 years.

Typical Stephen King; engaging plot but terrible writing. He's probably too famous for an editor, but he desperately needs one. The narrative is unnecessarily wordy and overly explanatory even of basic stuff. I started to count the shout-outs to the Turner Classic Movie Channel but lost track after 10 (we get it, the author LOVES TCM! That has NOTHING TO DO with the classic movie he's clumsily trying to reference). The main character is a Gen Z teenager who speaks with the voice of a Boomer (again, bad writing). The rest is the usual SK complete with casual sexism, fat phobia, and ugly=bad, beauty=good tropes. Can you tell that the writing style grated on my nerves from start to finish? I don't recommend this book because life is too short to waste on late-career Stephen King. My only compliment is that the narrator did a fantastic job. Also, this is NOT horror. The many reviews describing this book as scary makes me wonder if we were listening to the same thing. It's solidly in the Fantasy genre - which is fine, just be warned. It is written in the same vein as the Dark Tower series, but not nearly as good.

I absolutely loved this book. I would recommend it to everyone. The storyline had me hooked, and the narrator was incredible.

This was probably one of my favorite books in a while! A fairy tale with a twist!

I’m honestly confused by all the glowing reviews. The narration was absolutely incredible but the book…was predictable and slow. This is the only book I’ve listened to that I sped up to 1.5x just to get it over with. For those who have commented that this is the Stephen King of old, I seriously question whether you’ve read or listened to his best fantasy works recently - The Stand, The Dark Tower series, etc. Tough to have spent almost 20 hours on this. Was hoping for more.

If this book is any representation of his writing aside from the Shining, well. I'm not encouraged to read anything else for enjoyment, but instead to read as an example of how NOT to write a book. The narration is repetitive and has far too many examples of "telling, not showing", which is the one rule that a writer should never break. We started reading it on a trip and now we're like 80% of the way through and honestly it's so basic and King can't write a 17 year old to save his life. Not to mention the main character is a Gary Stu in a Big Way. The only other book I've read by him was the Shining, which is honestly one of my favorite books. The way he set the scenes and built up tension was fantastic. It didn't matter to me how the book ended, I just wanted to read more to get the delicious feelings that book gave me... It seems to me, as someone who was the main character's age in the time period the majority of the book is supposed to take place, that King did no research on how that generation of people acted, talked, and thought in that time period. This is basic stuff. So many times I've been thrown out of suspending my disbelief by the thought that King is an old white man who has no correct beliefs about my generation and his editor is probably the same. Did he not workshop this book?? Maybe he's writing it for an older generation, but if so - there's no need to make the main character a young teenage boy in the 2010s. Make him a middle aged man or make the story take place in an earlier time period. Is this a problem that a lot of older writers have, trying to churn out books with mass appeal but losing the appeal in a big way because of missteps like this? I can't like a book whose main character I don't like. The only saving grace this narrative could have is if it's a parody in some way. The main character is literally over 6'2", popular kid in American public high school, plays baseball and football and is a star player on both teams, he's smart, his mother died when he was a child, he loves animals, he tells people not to bully, he befriends old people, he inherits a large amount of assets from an old person he nursed back to health, then he (presumably, since I haven't finished the book) becomes a blond haired blue eyed prince in another world and saves his old man friend's dog from dying. He even likes girls that are "not like your average girl" girls. And King has issues with writing race and ethnicity that's frankly just embarrassing and again shows his age. Not a single queer person that I've seen so far. Not a single person of color that's more than a three or so joke character or used as a helping character to the main character. Embarrassing... so much of it is cringy to read. I wish my husband had agreed with me that we should just stop reading this book. As for the narrator. Well. I think it was a choice to do different voices for the women, and it wasn't a good choice.

Couldn’t “put it down”!

Wonderful fantasy story with great characters and adventure.

We played this on a 10-day road trip and the kids couldn't wait to get back in the car to listen! Well written and spellbinding. I just wished there hadn't been so may F bombs, especially for our 12- and 14-year olds. (Sure, some teenagers may talk that way in reality, but it seemed excessive and unnecessary.)

This is one of my favorite books done by Stephen King. The narrator was excellent!!! Even though it’s a long story, it felt short because was soo good! I didn’t want it to end!!!

wonderful story, awesome narration.

Admittedly, the first King novel I've ever tried to read/listen to. Not so much scary as just gross.

great book well written. it starts off not stephen kingish but by the end you can tell it is his style.

Starting slow but get real good

Brilliant! Beautiful and haunting with so much soul. Loved this one from the King of stories.

One of the best overall books that I have read recently. It was one of those books that, once you got into it, it was hard to stop and do anything else. I highly recommend the book, and please join me in urging Stephen King to write a follow-on to this storyline. This storyline was fantastic, and the narration phenomenally brought the book to life. Seth narrates the book astonishingly and brings every personality to vivid life, including the dog Radar! Great Job, Seth!!!

Both the narrator and the story are fantastic!! It’s a long one but it was definitely worth it

Classic Stephen King! Very satisfying, full of suspense without superfluous details.

Holy cow! So good and the narrator needs to win awards for his performance.

Why so many F bombs? No normal person speaks nor writes that way. I had to quit. It ruined a decent story.

Once I started, I couldn't stop. Time just flew.

It was very enjoyable. A new fairy tale with old roots.

Narration was tiring at times, especially Claudia. I mean most of the "voices" were just different volumes. Also a teen shouldn't know every actors name from a 70 year old man's favorite list of movies, that kinda kills the realism.

Phenomenal book. Starts slow but boy it gets good

Outstanding from start to finish

Steven King has done it again! great listen.

So far it's been a little excessive with the descriptives , which just makes the book seem to drone on. Definitely not what I consider a typical King book.

Hands down one of my absolute favorites!

Great!

Loved it

Not what you think of when you hear “Stephen King” but just as gripping and immersing as any of his title. Definitely worth the listen.

Excellent book. It would not have normally been my choice, but I was shocked at how it kept my interest locked. I was disappointed that it had to end. Highly recommend.

Amazing. It was difficult to not binge! Perfect narration. Checks all the boxes that make a book worth the read or listen!

Fantastic! I loved this story. I was charmed. I cried. I was completely engrossed in the episodic adventure! I had so much fun trying to suss out cultural references - Rumpelstiltskin, The Wizard of Oz, Something Wicked, Three Little Pigs, Walking Dead, Psycho, M.A.S.H., The Hunger Games, The Never Ending Story, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Game of Thrones and Jack and the Beanstalk, to name a few. One strange, wonderous and curious encounter after another - just a very enjoyable story. Seth Numrich, the narrator, simply brings the characters to life. Stephen King as the voice of Howard Adrian Bowditch is an absolute treat!

Really good book

Wonderful book. I cried at the end because it had the perfect ending and that my journey with Charlie was over.

This is the best he has ever written.

Just great good old fashioned storytelling. I’m not sure how King still comes up with original storylines…but he does!

Loved this book and really loved the narrator.

Right up there with The Stand and The Green Mile. Another home run for Mr. King. Can’t wait for the movie.

My first Stephen King novel and second audiobook. I am a new fan! Loved every minute.

Good but not great, could have been a lot shorter and not lost any any of the storyline. I thought the narration was spot on and made it possible to go on during the slow parts of the story.

This was an absolutely wonderful adult fairy tale. The narrator nailed it! And, of course, Mr. King wove another superb story. Bravo!

I just loved this book. It was probably the best audiobook I have listened to so far. And I have collected quite a few over the past years. A very modern fairytale that over and over refers back to the known fairytales of ones childhood. The characters were very likable and distinct. The narrators portrait them so nice. It is a must have, no doubt about it!

Loved it! The storyline was great

Entertaining but not a masterpiece. Adventures, fantasy and very light horror.

Fantastic read, I wish there was a book 2.

I always know what I’m getting with a “King” book…very well-defined characters, a solid plot and an immensely entertaining read. I love that that the author always takes his time with a story to develop it fully. The narrator was great -he did a wonderful job with all the quirky characters in the ‘other world.’ And I absolutely loved Radar, too!! I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed!

I loved it. I heard they already have plans for the movie, but seriously, it need to be 10 episode series (at least) to do it justice. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narrator.

Loved it!! Narrator brought this book life for me. Such a great twist

Enjoyed this tale very much. I feel listening to it was probably better than reading. The narrator was great. Highly recommend.

The only 'complaint' I'd have, (just to get it out of the way at the beginning), would be that it takes a bit of time to really get 'rolling'. But, if you liked the Talisman, you'll love this one. Great 'other world' story, with fully fleshed out and, more importantly, (at least to THIS gentle reader), LOVEABLE characters. Honestly didn't want this one to end! Reminiscent of his earlier works

I am a fan of Stephen King, but I didn't know how is feel about this one. True to style, his storytelling draws you in to stay. I also loved the narrator and how they did the tape recording.

another great story by Steven King!

I loved this book! I didn’t want it to end!

Marvelous story

Narrator way great! Finished this book quicker than most. Maybe a week. Story was awesome as most his books are.

Great book , enjoyed the storyline and characters... narrator did a fantastic job reading and giving the characters life ...

Great story! It just keeps giving to the very end!

Absolutely of my favorite books by king , Enjoyed every bit of it!

Great book enjoyed it all the way through

I absolutely loved it. amazing story and great character development. it takes a minute to get into the story but once you do you will get lost in this fairy tale world.

The best of Steven King

Such a good book. This is the best Stephen King book that I’ve read or listened to. And the narrator was Excellent! I even caught myself going back and mimicking his voices and what he said sometimes because they were so cool.…so we’ll done!

I loved this book, the narrator was awesome! I truly think he made this great book even better! ( if that’s even possible)

I loved the narrator. The story it self was an easy fantastical listen, but definitely not scary and reminded me of the teen fantasy fiction I used to read with my teenagers. Still a good listen though.

Really enjoyed this book. One of his best in years.

Very good listen!

I really loved the first part of the book, but found the fairy tale part quite mundane.

Fun story and brilliantly narrated.

Stephen King at his darkest, but with that tiny thread of hope.

Not a huge fan of Stephen King, but loved this one! For perspective, I also enjoyed Eyes of the Dragon, IT, 11/22/1963, the Stand. Found the story and the reading of Fairy Tale to be quite fun.

Absolutely wonderful book! It is a truly complete journey that will keep you engaged and cheering as the tale unfolds.

Absolutely loved this! The narrator really created character distinction and brought things to life!

Excellent read

This is one of King's best books! I absolutely loved it. This is the best audio book I have ever listened to. The characterization and narration brought to life the book in a way that made it difficult to put down. I would highly recommend this book and narrator.

No spoilers but first of all, it was a nice change of pace for S.K., secondly, I needed an ending like this right now. Very good book.

Excellent narration and the book itself

Great story and wonderful narration

Excellent read/listen. Love King’s ability to build suspense from the first page. He’s my all time favorite <3

Brilliant narration brought an already great story to an even higher level.

Creative and awesome! The narration made it even better! The 24 hour length does not get boring!

Once again Stephen King holds your attention and delivers another amazing story!

I didn’t quite know what to expect with this one. I enjoyed the ride down to another world with the main character. Visually intriguing and mind bending. Lots of touching on classic Fairy tales we grew up with twisted into a dark world. Entertaining, and kept me interested throughout the whole 24 hours of listening

Your atypical Stephen King read. It did remind me of his other books, The Tailsman, The Dark Tower, and so on. Still a great read. He sort of left it with a possibility of going 'back'.

Absolutely Amazing!

Very much enjoyed this book!

awesome story and the reading was great

Very enjoyable

The king never disappoints! If you are a dog lover you will appreciate this one. If you’re an avid SK reader you will find the Easter eggs throughout. A good listen and when able I easily binged through hours while I worked. Would love a sequel for this new potential gun slinger!

Really enjoyed this one, he is my favorite author. Finished the 24 hour audiobook in less than a week.

24 hours of ......whatever

King has done it again! He is a master of creating fresh wonderful tales. What a marvelous story. I loved the characters and it helped that the reader’s energy was always at a”10.”

A masterpiece Mr. King. You are a genius Mr. Numrich. Thanks for 24 wonderful hours

Excellent!

love it

Fun adventure down the rabbit hole, King delivers again. I kept thinking, this should be a movie, a kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Lord of the Rings. Narration was awesome and I loved how the reader incorporated voices and a touch of sarcasm to accentuate the dialogue, adding King into the read was super creative, it felt like the reader was talking to you rather than reading you a story. A++ All Around.

AMAZING. I have been a faithful King reader from the beginning and this is one of his best. The narrator was perfect for the read. You lived the life of Charlie. I never wanted it to end. That’s the tell of a good book.

loved the plot and narration. great listen.

Definitely gonna read again

Absolutely amazing! Both the story and the narrators are incredible!

This is a bit different then his other books. Usually he has difficulty ending a book and the rest is great. I had a hard time getting into this one but it was a strong finish. Definitely entertaining but not in my top 5 faves of his. I really hope he writes more fantasy though. That part is under-rated.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. Not the typical Stephen King material, but such an inventive story so well written. The narration was...AMAZING!! Such great voices, he really developed every single character. I didn't want it to end, but wanted to know the ending all at the same time.

Loved the book. Loved all the winks too other novels. I will listen or read again and again.

Very good. Enjoyed the story and the tellers of the story

Meh...Read better. Not your typical King novel. It's sort of like Hansel and Gretel meets Penny wise.....lol...If King's name was not attached to it i don't think i would've read it.

Just hoping there’s a sequel! This is now one of my all time favorites! Of course a fair number of my favorites were written by Stephen King.

Excellent book! I didn’t want it to end!

encores and many many more this is a really great book I like it when you start talking a little bit about politics in your books doesn't go either way cuz I'm like both parties in some ways but not just open minded. Great book

If you've been like me biting your nails waiting for this new book to come out you will not be disappointed! It was a fantastic story and the narrator was absolutely fabulous! I didn't want it to end and can't wait for the next Stephen King book!

Totally entertaining! Enjoyed every second!

Absolutely loved this story! Couldn’t wait for a chance to listen. Not what I expected from SK, but absolutely loved the fun twists and turns. The narrator did such a fantastic job- will listen to this one again sometime.

Love it so far

Best Stephen King book ever! Loved the story, characters, narration-awesome book! Would love to see movie of the book!

I have to say I really enjoyed this one.

Felt a little of a different book for Steven King, but I liked it. A lot of familiar terminology from his other works. Narration was very good too, which can make or break an audio book for me.

This was an awesome book, great storyline. narrator did a great job.

Soo good, interesting all the way through!

Loved it