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<blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 9113200" data-attributes="member: 11760">I'm almost finished with Stephen King's Fairy Tale and I kind of want to ask him what he felt like he was doing. It's basically a triple-length Magic Kingdom for Sale -- with a similar amount or less happening in the book, despite it being 600 pages long. No one expects big things from Terry Brooks, but all the shortfalls in King's work are disappointing.Not only does very little happen -- it takes 200 pages for the supernatural stuff to start, so I hope you enjoy reading about a boy and his dad wrestling with Dad's alcoholism -- but King seems to know there are problems with the text, sticks lampshades on the issues and then ... does them anyway.Ugly people are evil, unless evil people have made them ugly, in which case it's the most evil thing that could be done to them. (This is a weird trope for King, not a male model on his best day, to lean heavily on.) The hero becomes more and more of a cliche White savior as time goes on, literally becoming blond and blue-eyed as a sign of his inherent nobility and right to rule in the fantasy kingdom. King acknowledges this is weird and gross, but it was his choice to put this in the story.I had hoped this was all going somewhere, like this was all a Dark Tower tie-in or something, but it doesn't appear to be. This is just a very simple fantasy story -- it would make a very ordinary D&amp;D campaign -- with problematic elements that King says &quot;yep, they're not great&quot; and leaves in there.I'm not sad I read it, but it's just odd. It's a significantly lesser work than &quot;The Talisman.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Whizbang Dustyboots, post: 9113200, member: 11760"] I'm almost finished with Stephen King's Fairy Tale and I kind of want to ask him what he felt like he was doing. It's basically a triple-length Magic Kingdom for Sale -- with a similar amount or less happening in the book, despite it being 600 pages long. No one expects big things from Terry Brooks, but all the shortfalls in King's work are disappointing. Not only does very little happen -- it takes 200 pages for the supernatural stuff to start, so I hope you enjoy reading about a boy and his dad wrestling with Dad's alcoholism -- but King seems to know there are problems with the text, sticks lampshades on the issues and then ... does them anyway. Ugly people are evil, unless evil people have made them ugly, in which case it's the most evil thing that could be done to them. (This is a weird trope for King, not a male model on his best day, to lean heavily on.) The hero becomes more and more of a cliche White savior as time goes on, literally becoming blond and blue-eyed as a sign of his inherent nobility and right to rule in the fantasy kingdom. King acknowledges this is weird and gross, but it was his choice to put this in the story. I had hoped this was all going somewhere, like this was all a Dark Tower tie-in or something, but it doesn't appear to be. This is just a very simple fantasy story -- it would make a very ordinary D&D campaign -- with problematic elements that King says "yep, they're not great" and leaves in there. I'm not sad I read it, but it's just odd. It's a significantly lesser work than "The Talisman." [/QUOTE]

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