When the majority of individuals think about Stephen King's credentials; it is generally about his amazing work-rate at producing memorable and top quality horror stories. With that in mind; in addition to The Dark Tower saga, this novel is one of Mr. King's lesser known creations that is definitely more Tolkien than Tommyknockers.

It is an easy story to get into and I was intrigued from the first page. My grandfather gave me this book when I was a wide-eyed, eleven-year-old lover of Goosebumps books as I possessed pretty good reading skills for that age and I loved every second of this tale back then. Memories of the book from 19 years ago are of course hazy so I am glad I picked it up again - half for the nostalgia but also to delve back into the mythical land of Delain which lurks somewhere within Mid-World.

The book is presented by an omnipresent narrator who may very well be Stephen King himself. This story was written and dedicated to his daughter Naomi after all. The storyteller keeps us updated with his opinions, lets us know the personae's thoughts and motives throughout the plot and reverts back to us as a reader to find out how we are getting on. It is a nice touch for a pleasant story.

It follows the royal family of Delain. King Roland the Good is an average monarch. He loves his alcohol, hunting and is just generally an okay guy. He reminded me of Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones. His defining feat was killing the last known dragon - the head of which remains in his drawing room as a trophy. In his later years when his subjects are worried at a lack of an heir - he is introduced to a witty, charming, younger lady called Sasha and thanks to a couple of magic potions to aid sexual prowess two children are born. Peter and Thomas. All seems nice and happy so far. Peter grows to be a strapping, proud and honourable young gentleman who everyone agrees will make a great next king. Well, all except one person...

I forgot to mention The Eyes of the Dragon includes one of the most infamous, notorious villains in fiction - a gentleman (or demon perhaps) called Flagg happens to be the King's aide and black magician. Flagg goes by many names in Stephen King's novels - The Man In Black, The Walkin' Dude, Randall Flagg etc... If you are familiar with King's books you probably know this dude from Dark Tower and The Stand amongst others. To summarise: He is one evil muthaphuckka.

On a grim day in Delain - The King is poisoned with a vile substance called Dragon Sand which burns victims from the inside out and next in line to the throne Peter is incorrectly judged to have committed the said regicide, therefore, is placed on the top floor of The Needle for eternal imprisonment 300 feet above the ground. In lieu of this, Roland's younger, weaker, more impressionable son becomes King - and guess who is whispering in his ear about how to rule the land?

Following this, we are dealt a slightly predictable but still utterly entrancing narrative that composes a state of mind to the readers where hope, belief, friendship and desire are the real magic in a story that is polluted by Flagg's plotting, deceit and all sort of macabre magical nastiness. The story revolves around a dolls house, an endless supply of napkins, a mouse, a two headed parrot and a very clever wolf-dog called Frisky who is presented with charming childishly human qualities by the narrator. A lot of the supporting cast who I have not even mentioned are well created and add to the overall quality of the tale. My copy of the novel also included some amazing fantastical art including Frisky, the dragon, a lost looking rabbit, the wizard and such which was a very nice touch.

I guess you need to read this so you will know what was seen when someone on the secret passage looked through the eyes of the dragon and how it impacts on this awesome story.

James Tivendale.

To me it's pretty interesting that my favorite Stephen King book is not horror at all, but rather, fantasy. It makes sense, really. I don't enjoy reading about people being tormented and murdered. I like to read about people overcoming their fears and the villains they encounter in life. So it was nice to read a story by King in a setting I love, fairy tale land. This is a fairy tale, with all the usual trappings, and he does a great job with it.

I think this story really shows what a good writer and a storyteller King is. There's no gore, shocking, horrific events. So the clarity of his ability to use words shines through. This is not a review so much as my thoughts on this book. In order to do a review justice, I'd need to reread this book. But I can say that I loved this book.

n  ‘Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a King with two sons.‘n

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a surprising and magical detour from the horror master’s usual nightmare fare. This story has everything a fantasy lover could want, a royal scandal, an evil sorcerer and a hero trapped in a tower.

King’s storytelling here is like being told a creepy bedtime story, with a narrator who keeps dropping hints of dread in all the right places. Evil sorcerer Flagg is the villain you’ll love to hate, practically oozing wickedness every time he steps on the page, and our true King Peter? He’s a hero who doesn’t just sit around waiting for a fairy godmother to save him. His cleverness and grit make for a fun, satisfying underdog story.

While The Eyes of the Dragon doesn’t have King’s typical horror elements, it still carries his flair for suspense and complex characters. If you’re a fan of fantasy with just a sprinkle of darkness (and the occasional escape by improvised rope scene), this book will charm the pants of you.

King gives us a tale that’s both enchanting and thrilling, proving he can do so much more than monsters and mayhem.

If you want a quick escape to a world where princes outwit sorcerers and honor still means something. Then this is the book for you!

I Highly Recommend.


4.5

I am not a fan of fantasy-heavy stories, but decided to give this a shot, as I was all about Stephen King after reading Desperation. It was a totally different experience, and I was very shocked by how engaged I became. The dragon sand was a really cool concept, and who knew dragons had a 9-chambered heart? I highly recommend to fans of King, as well as the likes of Tolkien.

The Eyes of the Dragon was a fascinating read from beginning to end, and reminded me the genius of Sir Stephen King and his literary range!

Do you know when you're reading a a new book and not only do you know near to nothing about the book, yet you get sucker punched as to how GOOD the book is? Well,consider me punched! Stephen King does it again, and again, and again... this time with a story that flows more like a fable- told all in the third POV. And it is damn genius!!!

  

The Eyes of the Dragon simply told, is a medieval fabled story about a kingdom with a king, a queen, some princes and of course the nefarious evil magician. Although I listened to the story in audiobooks (which was perfect voice-over acting), it felt like Stephen King was opening this big volumous and dusty book and telling me a story about enchantment, revenge and the power of friendship! Simply told friends, this fabled story is so entertaining and so craftly developed, that it plays like a movie! In the end, I couldn't stop reading, and SK didn't disappoint!

Oh.. did I mentioned there was a dragon?


5 Stars

“The Eyes of the Dragon” by Stephen King is the second book in my epic 17-book journey to The Dark Tower. After finally conquering the horror masterpiece of “The Stand” I set my sights on this one. Here is how I’m tackling the entire Dark Tower saga in order in case you’d like to do the same…

The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

Before I start my review, I found some trigger warnings while reading this book. They were…

- Bearbaiting
- Throwing rocks at animals (dog)
- Death of animals (dog and mouse)
- Suicide
- Parental abuse (physical)
- Self-harm

I should also note that when “The Eyes of the Dragon” was originally published in 1987, it got hit with major criticism. King is one of the greatest authors of all time but earlier in his career, he was confined to being known as only a horror author. So at the time, readers, critics, and pundits across the globe hated this book because it wasn’t pure horror.

It’s true, this isn’t super scary but at the time, King wrote this for his children. He wanted a “bedtime story” for his kids with something they could fall asleep to and not freak out about things that go bump in the night.

I would classify “The Eyes of the Dragon” as a children’s fantasy book with a few creepy moments and one hell of a story. The graphics in between chapters are great and added a nice touch of nostalgia for me. I grew up loving and collecting horror paperbacks that did this before each chapter and seeing it done here brought back a lot of fond memories.

King delivered big time and more with how he wrote this story since he writes it as if he’s there reading this medieval story to you. The whole “breaking the fourth wall” style was great as I never read a story like this where it felt like he was talking right to me.

This book has an amazing group of memorable and heroic characters that leave their mark on you. I loved Peter the most with Frisky the dog as a close second and even though I despise him, I loved getting a deeper look at the backstory of Flagg. Wow, I know many Constant Readers consider him one of the greatest antagonists King has ever written and I’m starting to see why. Flagg is evil and the buildup is real and I can only imagine what awaits me as I make my way to The Dark Tower.

“The Eyes of the Dragon” has short chapters that make it even easier to read. It’s a genuine pageturner that I could not put down due to such an astounding story. It’s all about the little things with King as the medieval font used, the little bits of horror when it hits, and incredible character development all shined. Reading about Peter and everything he went through leading to that climactic and wild ending was a surreal reading experience. That ending was so much fun and rewarding. Don’t worry, I would never ruin anything for you but that rocked. It was beyond satisfying and wrapped everything up nicely.

I give “The Eyes of the Dragon” by Stephen King a 5/5 for a magnificent story and his take on an epic medieval fantasy further explaining Flagg’s backstory. This was an entertaining read and even though it wasn’t true horror, it didn’t take anything away from another incredible book that showed King's versatility and strengths as a powerful storyteller. I enjoyed the few horror events here and overall, it’s a book I’ll never forget. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to grab a bundle-gin and prepare for the next step in my journey to The Dark Tower as I plan to start “Insomnia” next.

2021-
I am waiting for this to be made into a movie. Or a limited series. I couldn't care less which, as long as the source is treated with respect and presented in the manner in which it was written. I won't hold my breath, but I'll impatiently wait. It's a very visual story. We all grew up with fairy tales and this is my favorite fairy tale ever. No fairies of course, but kings and queens, princes and magicians, dragons and napkins. Yes, napkins.

2017 -
I love everything about this book and always have. The fact that it was written for King’s daughter Naomi is so incredibly sweet. Throw in the fact that a strong and important female character is named after her and you have a heart-tugging situation.

Now on to the actual story. So, so good. I read somewhere that this was originally entitled Napkins. I think that was a better title, but I digress. This is an adult fairy tale. Not because there is anything inappropriate about it, but because it’s a fully fleshed plot, not a simple little tale, tellable in one sitting. This is a meaty story about love, hate, friendship, loyalty (or the lack thereof) betrayal, and redemption.

As a non-spoiler-y recap, King Roland dies and leaves behind two sons who could sit on the throne. One, Peter, who is not only capable, but will probably be a better king than his father, and the other, Thomas, who will not. Guess who the court magician, Flagg wants to sit on the throne? This is all about who ends up there and the way that happens.

King has always been so good at writing from the viewpoint of the “other.” I mean other than what he is, whether that’s a young man, middle-aged man, or older man, he has only ever been a man, but he can write children in a way that makes his memory of that time seem supernatural. He writes women as if he has been one. Strong, weak, sweet, bitchy, young, old, makes no never mind. He gets in their heads and just knocks it out of the park. Every time. Putting that aside, I am always most impressed with the way he writes from an animal’s point of view. In this case, it’s Frisky.

Frisky is one of Naomi’s sled dogs. Not only one of but her favorite. Frisky is a tracker in addition to being a sled dog and the way King describes her picking up and following a scent makes me feel like I could track too. He describes scents as being recognizable by color. Old and sick people have faint colors. Young and healthy people have bright-colored scents. I love the idea!

This is one of the books in which we get, not only a glimpse but, a full-blown look at Flagg. I’ve often wondered at the significance of King Roland’s name. Roland is not a common name and the fact that King decides to use it for two of his major characters makes me believe there something.

I read that this is a story that King told to his children when they were young. If so, it makes perfect sense. The tone of the narrator is patient; he never asks that his readers make any kind of leap across difficult concepts. Instead he leads us slowly and carefully through the events that mark the dangerous passage from the reign of Roland the Good to that of his Son King Peter in spite of the wicked plottings and murderous acts of the Royal Magician, Flagg. In other words folks, this is a fairy tale.

Still there’s plenty of detail and moralizing about what constitutes good and evil, and success and failure. There are lessons carefully presented the way you would talk to a boy or girl of about ten or eleven about “life lessons”. And for us grownups there’s the pleasure of hearing this gentle narrative and commentary that makes us say to ourselves: that was a great way to teach that idea.

Of course what really sets this work apart is that, with that fairy tale tone, comes an intricate and very clever story involving deadly poisons, dedicated servants, bows and arrows, swordplay, dollhouses, and an an enormous room filled with royal napkins.

Turns out that Flagg is more than a bad magician; he’s an evil force, the same evil force that struts around The Stand and The Dark Tower. He comes from before time and he probably can’t really be destroyed, just driven away. Roland the Good is not the Roland of the Dark Tower Series, but a not-too-bright king who manages somehow to slay a dragon, and produce two heirs… which in fairy tale land are the two necessary things a King must do. The good news is that Roland’s young wife Sasha is a wonderful mother who imbues her first-born son Peter with enough wisdom to make him really kingly no matter what situation he finds himself in. The bad news is that she dies at the birth of her second son, Thomas, so that poor Tom never gets the benefit of his mother’s wisdom and child-rearing skills. Instead he falls into the clutches of Flagg.

The book is a little slow, but it has enough surprises to hold your attention. The tone is perfect for kids and for adults who can get themselves into the right mindset. The characters are not the usual multi-dimensional blockbusters that King is famous for, except for Thomas, who has had such bad luck he turns out conflicted and therein lies a least some of the tale.

When The Eyes of the Dragon was first published, back in 1984, it was somewhat of a departure for Stephen King. It wasn’t his first venture into fantasy, per se, considering the iconic Gunslinger (the first of the Dark Tower books) came out a few years prior, but I do believe The Eyes of the Dragon was his first attempt at a novel-length fairy tale.

It makes perfect sense then that King would dedicate the story to his daughter, considering the cutesy feel to it. The tale is conveyed through an unknown narrator, who often pauses to interject his own thoughts directly into the narrative. Much like a father reading a bedtime story to his daughter, occasionally stopping to discuss what’s happening—similar in style to something like The Princess Bride.

However, whereas The Princess Bride is a swashbuckling tale of adventure and romance set in a magical land chock-full of unforgettable characters—a story of betrayal and revenge and that oh so important TRUE LOVE—The Eyes of the Dragon, by comparison, is a rather simple tale of a fat, dimwitted, slovenly king, his two sons, and the evil magician hellbent on destroying their kingdom. It, no doubt, pales in comparison.

The crux of the tale revolves around King Roland’s firstborn son, Peter. Who’s kind, generous, much loved, and, by all accounts, quite brilliant, while his younger brother, Thomas, is cut from the same cloth as their father. Fearing that the brilliant princeling might one-day muck-up all of his nefarious plans, the magician, and adviser to the king—let’s call him Flagg—devises a way to remove Peter from the line of succession, reasoning that Thomas would be far easier to manipulate.

The majority of the narrative follows Peter as he attempts to wiggle free from Flagg’s web. Stupidly enough, after five long years of struggle and planning, Peter’s ultimate success or failure hinged entirely on dreams and dumb luck (or was it ka?).

Sadly, much of the tension and mystery throughout the story was undercut by King’s endless desire to foreshadow upcoming events. He seemingly chopped the legs out from under his narrative at every opportunity. I don’t honestly understand his strange compulsion to spoil major plot points. Offhand, I can think of several instances of him spoiling the endings to other stories as well, and not only his own! It’s like he just can’t help himself—but I digress.

Bottom line: The Eyes of the Dragon is a rather straightforward fairy tale, that lacks mystery and intrigue, but, at the same time, feels too drawn out. What little action that did occur could have easily been told in half the number of pages. And since the only Dark Tower tie-ins were a couple of familiar names, a central location, and one of the main characters, I didn’t feel like the story was really worth my time.

However, it is worth noting that, following the lukewarm reception and/or outright rejection of this fairy tale by his rabid fans, King penned his famous Misery book. A story of an author kidnapped and chained to his desk, and forced into writing only the types of stories that his “Constant Readers” demand. STAY IN YOUR LANE, uncle Stevie!

2 Stars – For completionist only or a younger audience fond of simple fairy tales.

Favorite quote:

She had never seen a man with his drawers off before her wedding night. When, on that occasion, she observed his flaccid penis, she asked with great interest: “What’s that, Husband?”
. . .
“It is King’s Iron,” he said.
“It doesn’t look like iron,” said Sasha, doubtfully.
“It is before the forge,” he said.
“Ah!” said she. “And where is the forge?”
“If you will trust me,” said he, getting into bed with her, “I will show you, for you have brought it from the Western Barony with you but did not know it.”

Very different from the usual Stephen King novels and I enjoyed it much more than expected. It was written for his daughter, so it may feel like a fairy tale at times, but it still has bloody and scary moments.... And it takes place in the expanded Dark Tower universe, which I will definitely continue reading.

The Eyes of the Dragon, as far as I can tell, is one of King's early departures from writing straight-up horror. It's not a horror story at all -- instead, it's fantasy set in a far-off kingdom, where an evil magician is determined to thrust the land into chaos and bloodshed in order to satisfy his own dark purposes.

King Roland the Good is an okay king, kind but not particularly effective, and perhaps a little too under the sway of his advisor, the magician Flagg. Roland has two sons -- his heir, Peter, and a younger son, Thomas, who grows up in his older brother's shadow, always plagued by feelings of inadequacy and jealousy as he watches Peter grow into a fine, beloved young man. When Flagg's schemes end with Peter falsely imprisoned on charges of murdering his father, Thomas gains the throne, but he's guided in all things by Flagg, who uses Thomas's weakness to destabilize the country. But Peter is strong and smart, and doesn't give up so easily...

Such a terrific story! I was completely enthralled by this tale of loyalty, royalty, friendship, betrayal, and the evil that threatens to undermine families and kingdoms. The characters are so well drawn, showing shades of personality and motivation, and finding hidden dimensions in characters that might otherwise seem like a stock type.

The Eyes of the Dragon is an excellent adventure -- don't miss it!

Two of my favorite people have vastly different opinions on this book.  Delee gave this book 5 glowing stars while  Jeff gave it two and used such eloquent and moving words to explain what exactly he disliked so much about it.

When Delee told me I had to read it I could not tell her no! Literally she has read every single book I have ever requested she read. Literally. She’s amazing. And I knew how much this book meant to her. And Jeff insisted I skip this book; that it just was not worth my time. But on my quest to read all of King’s books I knew I had to get to this one eventually. I just wasn't sure when because of the varying opinion among King fans.

In the faraway land of Delain there resides a King. His name is Roland. *drops jaw* Yes. Roland. ERMAGERD. *coughs* Anyway, he is married to his beautiful wifey, Sasha. They have Le Petit Prince a sweet little Prince named Peter. Peter is instantly everyone’s favorite baby. He grows up to be a nice young boy that the kingdom is taken with. Everyone knows Peter is going to be the Greatest King of All Time.

But Roland’s “advisor” has other plans. Mayhap you’re familiar with this “advisor”? He goes by the name Flagg…Randall Flagg. *jaw drops again*

Flagg pulls a few strings to make the puppets dance. He gets Roland in bed with his wife again and BAM they are having another baby! And guess what?! It’s a boy! And guess what else?! Everyone’s favorite Queen dies during childbirth. The Kingdom mourns as much as the King and Prince.

Meanwhile everyone ignores poor little Princeling, Thomas. He’s basically abandon by everyone, everyone that is, except for Flagg. Flagg has some tricks up his sleeve for sweet, naive little Thomas. And when King Roland is poisoned and Peter is imprisoned it is up to Thomas to rule the Kingdom…with help from his only friend.

While I could appreciate what King was going for and I did enjoy the majority of the story there was just something I could not get behind. I can’t be ok with Thomas’ character. The whole time I read this I just felt so bad for him. He was born because Flagg made it so, he was abandon and utterly ignored because of Flagg, he was despised as a ruler because of Flagg. It made me so incredibly sad that this poor boy was subjected to such hate and abandonment while his brother was praised just for breathing or taking a shit. It really bothered me.

I think I just have one of those hearts that is naturally drawn to the “weak”. All through high school I was the one trying to stick up for the less fortunate; trying to prevent bullying whenever I could. I felt that Thomas was never even given a fair chance and it broke my heart. The ending was a little bittersweet. I was hoping for some evil spell to be lifted where the people of Delain would love Thomas and realize what asshats they had been.

I listened to this on audio and will at some point go back and read the physical book to see if I feel any differently about it. I landed safely in the middle on this one, but I’d like to give it a second chance later on in life.