One of my favourite King books since teenagedom.

I've never quite connected with fantasy, so I'd always been hesitant to read King's foray into the genre.
Whilst this actually ended up being something completely different to what I'd expected, I still found it to be overly long and a slog to finish...

I'd actually describe this as an extended fairy tale set in The Dark Tower universe.
In fact it reminded me of the sections involving a young Roland in Wizard and Glass as we explore more of Flagg as a court magician trying to seize power.

The book is dedicated to King's daughter Naomi who was 13 at the date of publication and it really has that feel of an author primarily writing for his child.
Both the narration and short chapters along with the childlike illustrations really has a young adult audience in mind.

If the same story was told as a novella then I would have enjoyed it so much more.
With too many characters and slow moving plot, there just wasn't enough to keep my intrest.

I like that King tried his hand to something different, but ultimately proved unsuccessful.
He will always be pegged as a horror writer and the backlash amongst led to him writing one of my favourites in Misery.

It's an unnecessary but inoffensive journey into the mid-world.

This was a great fantasy novel! Dragons, evil wizards, poisoning, what more could you want?

Sorry Jeff. You totally read it wrong.

I really missed out reading this book when I was 14. King packed this baby with all of the tropes YA fiction should contain and made a fun, page turning novel - even if we know how everything is going to turn out. The snarky narrator is an extra bonus.

And how cool is it that he wrote this book for his daughter? He even gave a character in the book her name. Did he win Father of the Year when this was first published?

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Delain far away....

Seriously, why didn't this book started that way? I can hear someone in the background barfing at the cheesiness of it but this chick right here lives for that kind of beginning in fairytales. ESPECIALLY in a Stephen King's book.

The Eyes of The Dragon is all things fantasy. Something I have never read from The King of Horror. It's always a big fun to read an author stepping out of his usual comfort zone. And King nailed it!

This book may be purely set in a fantastical world but it does has King's usual grit, and lo and behold! The villain in the story is Flagg himself.

Part time Royal Advisor, Part time Dark Magician. He whispers into King Roland The Good's ears, making him do as he[Flagg] bids. In a way, Flagg has the upper hand in controlling the whole kingdom. He is practically the ruler. When Peter was born, First son to Queen Sasha and Roland, Flagg felt that his lifelong plans will be thwarted. He sought to destroy the perfect prissy boy and leave the throne ready for his weak-willed little brother, Thomas. The better to control Delain and lead the kingdom into years of bloodshed.

I fucking love this book. For so long, I've been searching up and down for a decent fairytale. I loaded myself with Young Adult fairytale retellings hoping it will sate my thirst but even those still left me empty. Meanwhile, this isn't decent. It's fucking great, more like.

I love how it's written. (Duh, It's King!) The writing didn't peeved me off the way it did to some people. In fact, I'm really comfortable with Stephen King writing in the narration of a Storyteller. It's like he's directly talking to the readers and it made me feel more connected.

I can find no flaws in this book.

Good writing? Check.

Solid characterization? Check.

Amazing, spot on world building? Check.

High dosage of tensions? Check.

Legit villain? Check.

Originality? Check.

CHECK. CHECK. CHECK .CHECK.

My nitpicky brain shut down and for once, I was actually reading words without a pause. I was reading in enjoyment. And that was so fucking great.

I didn't miss out on the fact that one of the characters here is named after King's own daughter, Naomi. It's so sweet that he wrote this book for his little girl. That explains a lot of things to me because in some cases, I felt that things were toned down slightly here!

I need more grit though and definitely more of Flagg. MORE.

5 stars.

This is book #2 of 50 for the year 2023 from my TBR over 5 years. This is the first Stephen King book I read to my oldest, then 10-year-old son. (He liked the dragon on the cover, and is also a King fan as a result.) I have read this book repeatedly over the 50+ years of my life. Only my youngest (who is not much of a reader) refused listening to The Eyes of the Dragon. He thought the imagery was too scary. Mayhap it is; mayhap it isn't. This is King's first crack at fantasy and began as a bedtime story for his daughter, Naomi, and Peter Straub's son, Ben. Even though the content is a little scary, I opted to read this novel to my boys and they all developed a love for the genre, and the writer as well. My boys became fans of Dungeons and Dragons and would ask me to create scenarios for their characters, eventually begging their father to Dungeon Master their games. This book fostered a long-lasting bonding experience with my boys, so maybe it's impossible for me to be objective. Eventually, the non-reader child took-over as DM for the scenarios and I was relegated to a player, but ask me if I minded letting go the reins. They still wanted me to play.

Well, this was really enjoyable and quite unlike anything that I've read from Stephen King. But yet it still very much sounded like him, in the tone of its storytelling delivery as well as the humour. The personality of King was undoubtedly present throughout the omniscient narration of this fantasy tale.

The Eyes of the Dragon may seemed to be an archetypal fantasy of princes, dragons and evil wizards, but there's nothing typical about it in the hands of King. I don't think I've ever read anything like this which said a lot about a stand-alone fantasy book written in 1987. Compared to the ocean of offerings in the genre right now, this one actually felt pretty darn original. Even though the narration was omniscient, you would still get to know and empathise with the characters who were developed really well. I was definitely invested in the outcome. And while, there's barely any real action, I was riveted to how the events and story unfolded.

I picked this up because it was part of the recommended reading order for The Dark Tower series. Being a classic fantasy, I wondered where it fit in compared to the likes of The Stand and The Talisman. While The Dark Tower is still fantasy, it's definitely not in the classical vein of this genre. Then, I got to the name of the wizard. If you've read King, you'll know the name Flagg immediately. And yes, he was just as evil as you'd imagine him to be.

This is not Stephen King at his best, but below average for him is good for other aspiring writers. 4 of 10 stars

Read this for a Booktuber Picks My TBR Reading Vlog collab with Liene's Library: https://youtu.be/C-4VnEhxCOY

This is the very first Stephen King book I've read, I had never heard of it before, but I LOVED it! This is a fantasy novel which isn't what he's known for, but I found it to be a very readable, tongue-in-cheek take on a fairytale that deals with sibling rivalry and an evil magician trying to overthrow a kingdom. It was fun and engrossing and made me much more interested in trying other things from this author. Fun fact, this book was written the year I was born (1987) and his fans were mad at him for writing outside of horror. Their responses inspired the book Misery, which I find fascinating having seen the film adaptation.

4⭐️s

In my journey through SK’s catalogue, I skipped this one and committed to coming back to it. I think it was because at the time, I had just drudgingly finished the Gunslinger and tried unsuccessfully to read The Talisman, and just couldn’t stomach the thought of any more fantasy tales. I’m glad I skipped it at the time because coming back to it with fresh eyes allowed me to appreciate this story for what it is… a fun, playful, classical, regal fantasy romp.

n  Why You Should Or Shouldn’t Read Itn

You should. It’s King. It’s a fun YA-type of jaunt through mid-world, and despite it lagging a bit in the middle, the tale is memorable and resonant.

n  One Lesson I Learnedn

Trust is delicate and fickle. So is family

n  One Thing That Will Stick With Me n

Napkins

Svet kraljevstva, ali ne običan svet kraljevstva, već onaj koji je King zabiberio po svom ukusu - tako je savršeno umeo da me odvuče od stvarnosti, da bi, što bi moja baba rekla, mozak samo otišao na ispašu.

Ovu divnu priču čini jedan prijatan i često uzbudljiv način pripovedanja, kratka poglavlja, likovi koji se lako pamte i brzo prirastu srcu. Priznao je King, a Boga mi i ja ću: volela sam ih sve do jednoga i nisam se stidela te ljubavi. A govori nam.. o svemu. Sa sobom nosi brojne pouke i takva kakva je, definitivno zaslužuje da bude na listi priča za laku noć za možebitno buduće derište.

"Did they all live happily ever after?

They did not. No one ever does, in spite of what the stories may say. They had their good days, as you do, and they had their bad days, and you know about those. They had their victories, as you do, and they had their defeats, and you know about those, too."

The Eyes of the Dragon is a young adult fantasy novel written by ::checks notes:: Stephen ::double checks notes:: King?

You may ask yourself if that is indeed possible. I mean.. the man defies genre on any given day, but.. YA?! 

Well, alrighty then!

"That absurd feeling--that feeling that here was a ray of light in hopeless darkness--would not leave him."

The Eyes of the Dragon is a straightforward sword and sorcery fairy tale that features royalty in a medieval setting. Originally having written this for his daughter Naomi so that she would have something of his to read, this feels unlike anything that King has ever written before. However, because this *is* Stephen King, it also dives into the mythology of his other work, like The Dark Tower. The villain of this story happens to be a mysterious sorcerer named Flagg. Yes.. Flagg. This is the second chronological appearance of Flagg in King's work, after The Stand.

King Roland (ahem) is known for killing the last ever dragon. He is also notorious for remaining unwed and having no heirs later in life. That is, until he meets Sasha. They marry and then produce two sons named Peter and Thomas. Prince Peter is set to inherit the realm of Delain, but the king's adversary, the magician Flagg, has other plans.

Murder, bravery, loyalty, vengeance, swords, destruction and a wolf-dog named Frisky! The Eyes of the Dragon is a charming fairy tale that is narrated in such a clever way that only King himself could do. Capturing his voice, it truly felt as though he was reading this story out loud. This was the most special aspect of the somewhat predictable storyline.

With King enjoying renewed success and continuing excitement for his adaptations, it is no surprise that The Eyes of the Dragon is one of the latest said to be in development, this particular series with Hulu. Seth Grahame-Smith is attached to write the pilot and serve as showrunner. Although this certainly wasn't my favorite, I'm anticipating a magical Stephen King fantasy adaptation on our screens!