Stephen King’s newest novel,
“Fairy Tale,” follows a teenage boy
from Illinois named Charlie Reade
who saves an old man’s life. The
old man, a stranger named Mr.
Bowditch, has an aging dog named
Radar, whom Charlie immediately
and irrevocably falls in love with. As
Mr. Bowditch recovers from his life-
threatening injury, Charlie takes
care of him and his increasingly
arthritic dog. Mr. Bowditch has a
weird backyard shed and an even
weirder amount of solid gold pellets,
but Charlie takes this all in stride.
Of course, this is King we’re
talking about. “Fairy Tale” clocks
in at a whopping 607 pages (not
surprising for fans of King, who
are used to page counts of over a
thousand with his longer novels
like “The Stand” and “It”), and this
heartwarming story — boy, dog, old
man — is only the first 200. Past
those first couple hundred pages (if
you get that far), the story starts to
more closely resemble the strange
and horrific worlds King is famous
for.
It takes King a long time to
actually get to the meat of the
story. Two hundred pages with
the relative mundanity of Sentry,
Ill. leaves you only 400 or so pages
to spend in the land of Empis, the
alternate world that lies at the
bottom of a winding set of stone
steps inside that weird shed in Mr.
Bowditch’s yard. As soon as we
enter Empis with Charlie, you can’t
help but wonder why on Earth (get
it?) we spent so much time in Illinois
when there was a world with giants,
talking crickets, curses, reanimated
skeletons, two moons and magical
butterflies lurking just beneath our
feet. King is famous for taking his
time when it comes to world- and
character-building in his novels, so
the beginning of “Fairy Tale” being
somewhat normal isn’t surprising.
After all, his novels in the 800-
page range like “Under the Dome”
and “11/22/63” rely on incredibly
intricate world-building of places
recognizable to us — just familiar
enough that King can then make
them feel wrong. But spending a
third of the book recounting a world
that looks just like ours leaves the
world of Empis — one we as readers
are ostensibly much more interested
in — feeling less fleshed out.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
The magic of Stephen King’s ‘Fairy Tale’ is there — but is lessened by its
pacing and ableism
EMILIA FERRANTE
Senior Arts Editor
Twenty-one years after the
release of “The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring” and
eight years after the conclusion
of the prequel trilogy, “The
Hobbit,” Prime Video takes on
the franchise to deliver another
adventure into Middle-earth with
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings
of Power.” This pre-prequel series
takes place long before Mr. Frodo
took the scenic route to Mordor
— 5,000 years in the past, in the
Second Age of Middle-earth.
In this Middle-earth, all is quiet
and well, yet storm clouds loom
in the distance. The Elves are
at the height of their power and
splendor, enjoying the supposed
end of a centuries-long war
against the forces of evil. Sauron
(yes, the big fiery eye — but this
time in human form) remains the
enemy in power but is forced into
hiding where some believe he is
conniving to strike again when the
forces of light are least expecting
it. Something is brewing in
Middle-earth — yet many choose
to look the other way.
The show introduces a new
palette of characters but brings
back some familiar faces to
connect “The Rings of Power” to
the original trilogy. Among the
new characters is Arondir (Ismael
Cruz Córdova, “The Undoing”), a
classic Western sheriff type, who
is an Elf soldier stationed on the
outskirts of the land of Men with
a forbidden love — a human healer
Bronwyn
(Nazanin
Boniadi,
“Bombshell”).
Together
they
discover the first hints of Sauron’s
planned return.
Hundreds of miles away, the
Harfoots — little forest and field-
dwelling creatures — return our
beloved hobbits to the screen, with
the rambunctious Nori (Markella
Kavenagh, “My First Summer”)
taking a page out of Bilbo’s book by
getting in over her head as she deals
with the arrival of the Stranger
(Daniel Weyman, “The North
Water”). The likes of Galadriel
(Morfydd Clark, “Saint Maud”)
and Elrond (Robert Aramayo,
“Behind Her Eyes”) are reprised
as daring younger versions of their
regal counterparts in “The Lord
of the Rings” (LOTR). Despite the
widespread belief that Sauron’s
reign of terror is over, Galadriel,
commander of the Elven Northern
Armies,
remains
vigilant,
relentlessly
pursuing
Sauron
to the far-reaching corners of
Middle-earth, searching for a hint
of his return. Elrond, on the other
hand, remains his wise and clever
self as he is tasked with aiding the
Elven master smith Celebrimbor
(Charles Edwards, “The Crown”)
with the construction of a forge
like no other with “a flame as hot
as a dragon’s tongue and as pure as
starlight.” Elrond’s task leads us to
a place that we have seen before,
but in a much different fashion:
Kazad-dum, known in the original
trilogy as the long-abandoned
Mines of Moria. Here we are
introduced to the Dwarf Prince
Durin (Owain Arthur, “The One
and Only Ivan”) who, after Elrond
missed his wedding and the birth
of his two children over the last 20
years, is vexed with the elf.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is often
invested
in
the
spectacular:
magical adventures focused on the
grand and dire. While the show
most assuredly offers adventure,
it is also concerned with the
more intimate and personal side
of Middle-earth and its many
creatures. Durin’s conflict with
Elrond illustrates the implications
of a significant difference between
the different races of Middle-
earth: life span. Although Dwarves
may live for centuries longer than
humans, Elves are even more
invulnerable to the toll of time.
20 years is the blink of an eye for
Elrond, but Durin has lived a life
all without a dear friend paying
him any mind. The longevity of
the Elves has been commented
on in the past, but the personal
and quite substantial implications
such a difference entails were
never properly examined. “The
Rings of Power” remedies that
by offering a heartfelt and fresh
look into the dynamics of such
interracial differences.
For fans more interested in the
world-building and the rich lore
of Tolkien’s work, “The Rings
of Power” has plenty to offer as
it gives us a look into the famed
glory of old Middle-earth. With
incredible depictions of ancient
Elven cities styled after the likes
of Rivendell and the strength
and beauty of Kazan-dum (that
sharp-eared
fans
may
recall
Gimli assured the Fellowship of in
“LOTR”), “The Rings of Power” is
a visual masterpiece.
‘The Rings of Power’: One most expensive season in television
history to rule them all
This image is from the official trailer for “The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power,” distributed by Prime Video.
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 — 5
NOAH LUSK
Daily Arts Writer
‘I Am a Killer’ is your
new true crime binge
What makes a murderer? When
you try to imagine someone
who’s taken another person’s
life, what kind of person comes
to mind? Are they merciless
and cold, or are they remorseful
and misunderstood? It’s these
questions that Netflix’s “I Am a
Killer” invites in its third season.
With its first season airing
in 2018, “I Am a Killer” takes
a straightforward approach to
covering the beloved genre of
true crime. The documentary
features interviews with inmates
serving time on death row and in
maximum security prisons. The
inmates share information about
themselves and their accounts of
the murders they were convicted
of. “I Am a Killer” pairs these
accounts with interviews with
the
inmates’
families,
the
families of the victims, the law
enforcement involved in the case
and supplemental information
such as crime scene shots and 911
calls. The latest season features
six such cases. While nothing
in the documentary is explicitly
graphic, the no-frills accounts
of the inmates’ backgrounds and
the crimes they committed make
for a harrowing watch.
While “I Am a Killer” allows
convicted inmates to discuss
their crimes, it does not absolve
them of wrongdoing. Instead,
the evidence presented is meant
to provoke reflection from the
viewers.
Depending
on
the
circumstances of the case, each
episode opens with a different
statistic regarding crime in the
United States. The first episode
of the third season, “A Question
of Loyalty,” opens with the
statistic that while 8,000 people
are convicted of murder every
year in the United States, fewer
than half actually confess to
their crime. The second episode,
“Someone Else,” tells us that of
the more than 135,000 people
incarcerated for murder in the
United States, over 25% have
been diagnosed with a serious
mental illness. Statistics like
these in conjunction with the
various
differing
accounts
presented in the documentary
cause viewers to think hard about
the reality of our justice system.
How many inmates in maximum
security prisons actually deserve
to be there? Even though we
hear Victoria Smith, the inmate
featured in episode one, say, “I
just killed my husband,” can
we believe that’s the truth? On
the other hand, interviews with
loved ones of the victims and
detectives involved in the case
paint
a
truly
gut-wrenching
portrait of families suddenly torn
apart by violent crime. In either
case, no matter the inmate’s
story, “I Am a Killer” tells us that
the consequence of their actions
is always the same: the death of a
human being.
Despite the clickbait-y title,
“I Am a Killer” forgoes the
sensationalism of murder in
favor of a careful examination
of each individual case and its
relation to the justice system.
With painstaking detail, the
documentary interviews those
on all sides of every case, curating
an
objective
view
of
each
inmate’s story, yet pushing us to
think more about the nuances
surrounding everyone’s account.
SWARA RAMASWAMY
Daily Arts Writer
puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com
By Lisa Senzel & Christina Iverson
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
09/14/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
09/14/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2022
ACROSS
1 Spanish tennis
great Nadal,
familiarly
5 Upgrade, as
machinery
10 Uncertain
14 Cabbage buy
15 Glazer of “The
Afterparty”
16 Skating
commentator
Lipinski
17 Analogy words
18 Bridal path flower
piece
19 Stash, as gear
20 Japanese drama
21 Cookbook
contents
23 Author Rand
24 Genre for
composer
Terence
Blanchard
26 Informal “You’re
oversharing”
27 Caramel candies
29 Like some
dangerous
isotopes
32 Curry of the NBA
34 Bike part
35 Quintet for most
starfish
38 Prefix for a
lifesaving “Pen”
39 Not so big
41 Knock
42 Try to hit
44 Tell it like it isn’t
45 Speed skater
Ohno
47 Act parts
49 Past the point of
caring
50 Michelle of “Crazy
Rich Asians”
52 Neighborhood
53 *Secretive email
option
60 Uncommon
61 Assertion
62 Cookie used as a
12-Down topping
63 Admit frankly
64 Omit in speech
65 Spreadsheet unit
66 Soaks up the sun
67 Calf-roping event
68 Diet that’s high
in fats and low
in carbs, as
illustrated by
parts of the
answers to the
starred clues
DOWN
1 Safari herbivore
2 Fabulous writer?
3 *Figure often
depicted with a
scythe and an
hourglass
4 Hubbub
5 Ready for
picking
6 __ college
7 *Pakistani-born
chef who was
posthumously
honored with a
James Beard
Award
8 Up the creek
9 Story
10 Part of FWIW
11 *Serious
software
problem
12 Dessert from
16 Handles,
familiarly
13 Signs of
boredom
21 “Wicked!”
22 __ Lanka
25 Sidelines cheer
28 Fertility lab cells
30 Maker of the
Deep Blue chess
computer
31 Workout top
32 Bodies of water
33 __ fail
36 Timbuktu’s land
37 Predicament
39 Fine horse
40 Black bird
43 “What’s the
latest?”
46 NBC symbol
48 Abby Wambach’s
sport
49 Juliet’s cry
51 Winnie-the-Pooh
greeting
52 Tolerate
53 Sassy kid
54 Chocolate
__ cake
55 Waffle maker
56 “Kills bugs
dead!” spray
57 Hockey Hall
of Famer
Willie
58 Hit, as with
snowballs
59 “Seize the day”
initialism
SUDOKU
WHISPER
“The Daily
Whisper is just
yik yak printed
out.”
“GO BLUE.”
WHISPER
By Susan Gelfand
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
09/07/22
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis
09/07/22
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
ACROSS
1 Truism
6 Scrape cover
10 Runs or walks,
e.g.
14 Subway to the
Louvre
15 Spanish lake
16 One and only
17 Fuss at the
mirror
18 Many an Omani
19 Legendary
20 Favorite
vegetable side
dish of singer
Donna?
23 Go out, as the
tide
26 Sail support
27 Toepick-assisted
skating leaps
28 More gloomy
30 “Okey-dokey”
31 Favorite leafy
course of singer
Al?
34 Decide (to)
37 Contract
negotiator
38 Family boy
39 Bub
41 Crayola eight-
pack choice
42 Favorite fish
entree of singer
Carole?
44 Speaker’s
platform
46 Candy bar nut
47 Saunters
50 Some ceiling
fixtures
52 Big __
Conference:
NCAA division
that includes
Montana
53 Favorite fruity
dessert of singer
Fiona?
56 Shoe inserts
57 Curling __
58 Post-swim wrap
62 Quechua
speaker
63 Raven’s retreat
64 Connect with
65 Queries
66 Picks up on
67 Like draft beer
DOWN
1 Concert piece
2 Gen __
3 Meteor follower
4 Raw metals
5 __ Valley: puzzle
game with optical
illusions
6 Closes with
force
7 Keyboard symbol
above 6
8 Food thickener
9 Winter Olympics
racer
10 Nancy Drew, e.g.
11 Birthstone after
opal
12 Pernod flavor
13 Help desk pros
21 Red planet
22 Sine __ non:
essential
23 Mystery writers’
award
24 River transport
25 Kennel club
designation
29 Fox Sports
MLB reporter
Rosenthal
30 Yin and __
32 Seller’s caveat
33 Chaney of classic
horror
34 “Mayans M.C.”
star Edward
James __
35 Cheap wine, in
British slang
36 Jessica of
“Cocoon”
39 Artificially high
voice
40 West __: high-
end design
retailer
42 Smooching
43 Temporary castle
material
44 River mouth
formations
45 Affirmative vote
47 Criminal group
48 Debuts
49 Tiny bit
50 Cold coat
51 Many
godmothers
54 Genealogy
diagram
55 Meat cut
59 In need of a
58-Across
60 Due-in hr.
61 Cut (off)
Cover art for “Fairy Tale” owned by Scribner.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com