“One of the great things about tales is how fast time may pass when not much of note is happening. Real life is never that way, and it is probably a good thing.”



Book 19 in my project of reading/re-reading the whole Stephen King bibliography

Whenever an author who writes almost only within one genre comes up with something of a different genre, their fans' opinions are always polarised. Stephen King's association with horror is so strong that people seem almost scandalised when he publishes something outside of the genre. And yet, him being the great storyteller he is, he almost always manages to nail it. I always loved his fantasy books and, in general, the fantasy elements in his more "mainstream" horror novels. I also came to the realisation that, the more fantasy elements one of his books has, the more I end up liking it. That is why, I suppose, I loved this one so much (it might also be for the lack of slurs and n-words lol).

Interesting and slightly odd mixture of Stephen Kings story telling and a slightly more classic/mythological tale than we're used to from the modern prince of horror.

This is described by some as Stephen King doing children's literature". Well, I wouldn't really call it that. I'm aware that Mr. King dedicated this to his daughter...but I would suggest that you read it yourself first before giving it to a child, at least a child younger than say, 12. Just my opinion. It's how I'd handle it.

The story is a fair one and you'll see echos of a lot of Mr. King's other books not to mention echos of other stories going back to early myths and epics.

I'll not be adding this to my "permanent collection" and I don't have plans to read it again, but still it's a pretty good yarn.

So, what's positive and what's negative? Well there is still the slightly tainted feel I've noted in most of Mr. Kings other stories.  Thomas the younger brother who becomes the wizard Flag's (yes the wizard is named Flag...though of course as most of us know he is revealed to be something else far worse than a wizard) cat's-paw we are told repeatedly is not a "bad boy". And at the end of the story (a la Lord of the Rings and Gollum) Thomas is the one who strikes down Flag. However there is a scene where we are "treated to" a description of Thomas stoning an old dog to death because "his father favored the older brother Peter and slighted Thomas. We get a bit this. There are at least two scenes with relatively long detailed descriptions of nose pickers, one of whom likes to eat his discoveries... get the picture?

Also there are a few times where the story gets repetitive. We cover a period of time, then we go back and get the story of what went on in detail. Then there are times we drop back and cover the same period of time from another character's point of view. I did get a bit bored, enough to skip some of the book at one point.

Still, the story is laid out in a straight forward manner that will I believe draw most in. Even with the repetition it doesn't slow way down often. The story is told in a more traditional style drawing on older stories even fairy tales. It weaves a tale that while I doubt most will find it surprising it will keep you interested and give some enjoyment.

I'll go four on this, if just and recommend it.

As noted there are echoes of many of Mr. Kings other stories and most notably I think you'll find a sort of "proto" version of the Dark Tower cycle's Kingdom of Gilead here, just not so dark. In that place we see the Man in Black's plots coming to fruition, where here he is thwarted.

One of the reasons I am so happy I am reading SK's books in publication order is because of stumbling on little gems like The Eyes of the Dragon. A SK book I hadn't heard of until I started my journey but one I won't forget.

Yet another Stephen King book and I really enjoyed it, I loved the writing style it reminded me a lot of The Dark Tower series which I love too. Stephen King might be primarily a horror writer but he can write fantasy so well too. I wish he wrote more fantasy - and I would love to see what a epic/Gothic fantasy might look like from SK.

The characters in this book are so well done, within the first few chapters SK manage's to make us love and hate characters. I think that is what makes this book so enjoyable and special the way the characters are developed over such a short space of time is fabulous. This isn't an epic fantasy and we don't have many characters to remember which I liked too. Most fantasy I read is complex or has multiple books in a series it's nice to just sit down with a fantasy book and enjoy it for what it is short and sweet.

The short chapters were really good, they kept the story moving and created suspense when needed. There is a little gore/horror but it isn't a lot. I would have liked this to have more horror elements to it, as it is what SK does best I think this could have bumped it up to a 5 star for me.

The plot is simple and I don't think that much happens really, but I didn't mind. Flagg is mentioned in this book which is brilliant - if you read this having already read The Stand you can come into this book with hatred for Flagg already in your heart. In 2022 I started to read SK's books in order and I am so glad I made that choice now.

I really enjoyed too the narrating style, the narrator almost breaks the 4th wall with the reader and it's done so well. Every small detail in this book amounts to something big. The narrator will say things like we will come back to that later - or that will be important etc. giving it this almost cheesy feel and I love it.

As always with SK I liked the ending too, it wasn't quite wrapped up in a neat little bow and it leaves room for another book.....I hope!

Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️!! A story of good versus evil. A story of loyalty and treachery. A story of level-headedness and wisdom. A story of Flagg, whose name even puts a sour poisonous taste in my mouth. Ruling by fear on one level and ruling righteously on another. I totally enjoyed this book. Long live King Peter!

The Eyes of the Dragon is billed as both King’s only high fantasy and his only novel that could be classified as a children’s book. I wasn’t sure how successful he’d be with either of those things, but now I really wish he would write more of both. This book so radically exceeded my expectations that, even though I’ve come to passionately love King’s work, I couldn’t help but be surprised. I loved everything about this, and it’s the first King novel I’ve ever read that I could comfortably recommend to literally anyone of any age.

“He knew as well as we in our own world do that the road to hell is paved with good intentions--but he also knew that, for human beings, good intentions are sometimes all there are. Angels may be safe from damnation, but human beings are less fortunate things, and for them hell is always close.”

I love the change in voice King uses here. The presence of an omniscient narrator who makes his own personality known frequently throughout the telling of the story is so reminiscent of classic fairy tales, and it was a sweet, and very successful, decision. King’s storyteller in this book is pitch perfect and wonderfully balanced, and I wish I could read a dozen more stories told in this voice.

“I tell tales, not tea leaves.”

Character development has alway been one of King’s strengths in my opinion, and that strength was well showcased here. Peter could have easily been too perfect to be believable if King had not deftly fleshed him out well enough to come across as wholly three dimensional. Thomas could have been so easy to hate, but King managed to make him sympathetic. The supporting cast could have been cardboard cutouts just fulfilling their designated jobs, but King made sure that readers would see them as actual people. And then there’s Flagg. If you have any experience with King, you’ve probably heard the name. I won’t get too into his character and role in the book except to say that he’s absolutely terrifying.

“One of the great things about tales is how fast time may pass when not much of note is happening. Real life is never that way, and it is probably a good thing.”

The Eyes of the Dragon is a great example of classic high fantasy. This is a genre that produces such a multitude of works that many entries end up feeling derivative and predictable. However, I felt that in this book King actually did some things in the genre that I had actually never seen before. It was really refreshing. And considering the fact that this was written in 1987, I think the fact that it still feels so fresh speaks so highly of both the book and the author.

“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. There were times when they felt ashamed of themselves, knowing that they had not done their best, and there were times when they knew they had stood where their God had meant them to stand. All I'm trying to say is that they lived as well as they could, each and every one of them; some lived longer than others, but all lived well, and bravely, and I love them all, and am not ashamed of my love.”

This is a book that I would happily read to a classroom full of students. I would gift it to fantasy fans and people who don’t usually like King’s writing. I would read The Eyes of the Dragon again in a heartbeat, and would as just quickly recommend it to almost every type of reader. I loved it.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Breve Reseña

El libro nos lleva al reino de Delain, el cual se encuentra bajo el mando del rey Roland, quien es un buen rey y es querido por su pueblo, aunque cuenta con una personalidad un poco blanda para un rey. Roland se da cuenta de que necesita herederos para su reinado, así que comienza en la búsqueda de una mujer, algo que a el no le había llamado tanto la atención durante los años. Para conseguir a su esposa le pide ayuda a su asesor de la corte, el misterioso mago Randall Flagg, un ser enigmático y peligroso que se propone ayudar al rey, aunque sus intenciones no son buenas.

Roland tendrá dos hijos, Peter y Thomas. El primero de ellos da la impresión de ser el que reúne todas las condiciones para ser un excelente rey, algo que inquieta a Randall Flagg viendo esto como una amenaza para cumplir sus terribles planes, para ello se acercara a Thomas aprovechando la debilidad del mismo para
llevar a cabo su cometido.

Opinión Personal

Cuando me entere que este libro era una literatura de fantasía y épica me entraron unas ganas tremendas de leerlo, quería conocer esta faceta de Stephen King. Lo comencé a leer y ya me había enganchado desde las primeras paginas, la verdad que me encanto, su mundo, los personajes y la historia. A muchas personas no les parece un gran libro, ami me sucedió lo contrario, me parece un libro excelente. Ademas tiene un plus adicional, complementa muchísimo la historia de La Torre Oscura, ya sabés, si estas leyendo la Obra Magna de Stephen King, este libro te ayudara muchísimo a entender aun mas la historia.

http://balcondeletras.blogspot.com.ar...

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

Sorry Jeff. You totally read it wrong.

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.”

A fairy tale type of story with all the things we love about fairy tales. Two princes, a King and an evil advisor/magician named Flagg. That’s right. Flagg.

I’ve got some things going on in life right note and this story was the perfect listen. Bronson Pinchot narrates the hell out out of it, what else can I say. This is a perfect distraction from the shit show that is daily life in these unprecedented times.

I am so thankful for storytellers like this, and the narrators that give these tales life. As such, I’m giving this 5 fat stars.

"Algún día el niño seria rey, y por encima de cualquier otra cosa, Sasha deseaba que fuera bueno. Un buen niño, pensaba, será un buen soberano(...)
Los reyes llegan a hacerse terriblemente grandes, y por esa razón deben ser especialmente cuidadosos, ya que una persona grande puede aplastar con su pie a otra más pequeña con sólo salir a dar un paseo, o al girarse, o al sentarse apresuradamente en el lugar inadecuado. Los reyes malvados hacen estas cosas a menudo. Creo que incluso los buenos no pueden evitar hacerlas de vez en vez."

"El camino del infierno está empedrado de buenas intenciones. También sabía que, para los seres humanos, a veces las buenas intenciones sólo se quedan en eso. Los ángeles podrían estar a salvo del castigo eterno, pero las personas eran criaturas menos afortunadas, para las que el infierno siempre se encuentra cerca."

"Flagg era una enfermedad, una fiebre que iba en busca de cabezas frías a las que recalentar. Escondía sus acciones del mismo modo que ocultaba su rostro. Y cuando se avecinaba la catástrofe, y eso siempre sucedía con el transcurso de los años, Flagg desaparecía,como las sombras en el atardecer.
Tiempo después, ya finalizada la matanza y extinguida la fiebre, cuando la reconstrucción estuviera terminada y existiera de nuevo algo que valiera la pena destruir, Flagg aparecería de nuevo."


En primera instancia quiero desmitificar si en alguna sinopsis "se vende" al libro como una historia de héroes arquetípica .Un cuentos de hadas convertido en terror (yo estaba al tanto y sabia lo que me iba a encontrar en ese sentido...pero para que a nadie lo tome desprevenido).
No tiene nada de cuento de hadas, ni de terror y es arquetípica solo en algunos aspectos.
Es una historia muy sencilla, obviamente con la presencia del bien contra el mal. Reyes influenciables y su asesor/mago conspirando,manejando los hilos desde las sombras. Un antagonista cuya motivación es el caos, mediante el control del trono, pero sin necesidad de ocuparlo.
Algunos de los puntos mas fuertes son: Justamente su antagonista, Flagg( Si ese mismo Flagg que a muchos les resultara conocido) y protagonistas genuinos, "muy humanos".
Se nota el hecho de que en su día el libro fue escrito para su hija. Que esta escrito con amor(inclusive un personaje lleva su Nombre"Naomi"). Ademas la forma en que esta narrado, en primera persona por un narrador anónimo, hace que se sienta mas cercano y que involucre al lector.
No esperen una historia trepidante, grandes batallas, elfos, enanos, dragones escupiendo fuego a diestra y siniestra, no, nada de eso. Tiene su propio ritmo,a paso seguro. Y el eje es el drama humano. En este aspecto esta muy bien logrado.

"Creo que una verdadera amistad siempre nos hace sentir este dulce sentimiento, ya que el mundo casi siempre parece un árido desierto y las flores que en él crecen parecen hacerlo en contra de todas esas circunstancias desfavorables."

What a fascinating little book. All the Dark Tower parallels and references had me hooked from the beginning, but I also loved the story in itself.

Full review to come.