The Eyes of the Dragon: A Novel

More of a 3.5.

This is my first Stephen King book. I've bought a lot of his books before (thick ones, with small font sizes!) but I've never gotten around to read them (I'd read the first 50 pages then give up. LOL.) so when a friend of mine forwarded this to me saying a TV series will be produced from it, I thought why not give it a try? Especially since they say that it's a dumbed down version of what he usually writes.

And I liked it, I did, with a few exemptions... The storytelling was unique, although the plot wasn't exactly anything new. The characters were not memorable, unfortunately. I thought Peter was too perfect... I mean, give him a couple of flaws, please? :) He was described as someone absolutely good, perfectly handsome, having a good sense of justice, etc. etc. the prince charming type -- that it was kind of boring. To be honest, no one really stood out... Probably the Chief Warden Beson!

I thought the first half of the book was so slow. We keep on getting flashbacks and a lot of introductory chapters. The real stuff happens around 60% of the book, and even then it is still slow =( I would forgive it if it had unforgettable characters, but such were not seen in this book. Ending was predictable, as well. Too much narration, so little plot. Know what I'm saying?

At the end of the day, I'm a bit disappointed... I liked it, overall, but it''s not something I'd read ever again. If you want to have a taste of Stephen King without having to resort to his 800-1000 pages novels, then maybe try this one? It may be your cup of tea, but it wasn't mine.

King writes a lot of dark, horrifying stories, but this is much lighter in tone than his normal. It still isn't the type of thing you would read to your five year old, but the style is very much in the vein of Snow White as-told-by-Disney.

As plots go, this book is pretty standard, but that's the idea. King has a lot of fun throwing lampshades on every fairy tale trope he can think of, and most of the time it's hilarious.

The most interesting thing about this book is the characters. Prince Peter, the hero of the story, is a classic fairy tale hero. He excels in school, is courteous to everyone, brave, and skilled in battle. But he gets to do things not many fairy tale hero's get to do. When's the last time you've read prince Charming get in a straight-up boxing match with the scum of the kingdom. And on top of that, the side characters are deep, hilarious, and very realistic. Some of the sections from Thomas's POV are heart-breaking. And Flagg is a wonderful villain, as long time Stephen King readers should know. All in all, great story.

Well, this was a REALLY quick read for me. I remembered liking this one from the first time that I read it, but I didn't remember the storyline at all. It turned out to be one of those stories that I just didn't want to put down for long.

Eyes of the Dragon is very different from most of King's other works. Written for his tween-age daughter because she complained that he had not written anything that she was interested in or felt comfortable reading, the Eyes of the Dragon is basically King's take on a Young Adult level Fairy Tale. The story takes place in the Kingdom of Delain, which is located in In-World, the setting of the Dark Tower series and is told from the perspective of a story teller who is telling the reader a tale of old from his lands.

I enjoyed the perspective that King chose to tell the tale from and the way that the teller poses questions and comments directly to the reader. I think that this method works great especially considering the target audience of the story as the story teller method keeps them a bit distanced from the harsher elements of the story (which isn't entirely pleasant, duh it's King!) while involving them more in the story by asking them to come up with their own conclusions about certain aspects and not entirely holding their hand through the whole thing.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable tale of suspense with a good mix of emotions brought to the reader from betrayal, redemption, perseverance and yes, even a little love.

Pretty standard fantasy tale. Not of the epic variety either. This one felt more political than magical, but fun and well-crafted nonetheless. I had a bit of trouble getting into this one. I knew it was King, deep down, and he reveals himself in some of the narration with some of his usual narrative ticks, but the tone felt rather assumed and forced. Took a while to get the hang of the epic mode he was assuming and a lot of the time it just felt false.

This story was written for King's daughter and is geared more toward children so it's fundamentally different by nature from other King books. I also tend to believe that this story might have been crafted in installments, like a bed-time story told over the course of many nights. The chapters are short and King tends to get ahead of himself quite a bit before back-tracking to fill in details. Many of the chapters jump ahead to issues already resolved, while subsequent ones begin by saying, "Now let me tell you how things ended up like that to begin with..." which got rather annoying, rather quickly. He also had this rather conspicuous habit of asking mundane, rhetorical questions and ending with the same narrative tick of, "That matter is for you to decide." And it happens often enough that, again, you start to notice it and the narrator jumps to the foreground to become rather intrusive in the story.

That said, if you take the view that the story was meant to emulate a bard's tale or an epic poem recited over the course of many wintry nights before a fire, it ain't half bad. There aren't any real compelling characters, but most of them are likable enough. More than anything I think I kept reading to get a new angle on Flagg, to learn more of his backstory, or whatever it is this particular version of Flagg, if it is THE Flagg, had done in the past. I don't know. Just thinking about Tower stuff and how it's supposed to relate makes my head hurt (in a good way).

The Kingdom of Delain has a royal family but the king's magician has an evil plan to put himself into power. He has the queen murdered during childbirth of her youngest son. The magician, Flagg, watches the royal family closely. He can manipulate the not so bright king but he foresees that the oldest son Prince Peter will likely become the new king. This is a problem as Peter is a much stronger potential leader and more intelligent than his father the king or his younger brother Prince Thomas. Flagg sees this as a potential threat to his powerful position as the royal magician.

Flagg's malicious plot to eliminate the king and Peter and gain control of young Thomas as king is the storyline of the book. Peter's ingenuity and escape plan and the bravery of his brother Thomas may yet work to overcome the demon Flagg.

At 326 pages this book is more of a short story when compared to most of Stephen King's sagas. The book is beautifully written and is nicely illustrated with many pictures in it. It is one of my favorite Stephen King books as to me it is of a different style of writing than his normal books.

The end is left open as if a second book will follow but the completion is yet unfinished. This book introduces the evil demon Flagg who is the wicked character in "The Stand" and also in several other Stephen King books.

I recommend this story for you to read!

Because of its origins as a bedtime story for his little daughter, I put off reading Stephen King's "The Eyes of the Dragon" for many years, thinking it would be too childlike and boilerplate storybook-ish for my tastes. But finally getting to it, I learned that I needn't have worried. This tale of an evil magician who engineers a murder and frame-up in order to assure that his own controllable choice for King is placed in line for the throne is gritty, entertaining, and decidedly adult.

I did like the first half of the book more than the second half. The initial chapters feature much texture and subtlety in the depiction of King Roland, his sons Peter and Thomas, and the evil court magician and King's advisor Flagg (perhaps the same Flagg who shows up later in Mr. King's "The Stand"). I particularly liked the way one short conversation between Peter and his mother about the importance of using a napkin leads Peter to a lifelong obsession with napkins, even using them for a centerpiece escape attempt later in the novel. The book's latter going is still good, but its shift to some less interesting (though still likable) secondary characters and the de-evolution of Flagg from a complex villain to your more basic cackling maniac made me miss the nuance and texture of the earlier parts a little. But only a little if I'm honest.

I actually listened to "The Eyes of the Dragon" via a terrific new unabridged audio production read by Bronson Pinchot (who makes the most of the story's generous amounts of drama and intrigue) that I picked up from the store's Audible division and enjoyed on my MP3 player. But I'm sure the story's qualities will come through in print form, too.

Possibly a dry run for his Dark Tower epic, "The Eyes of the Dragon" is a Stephen King tale of a slightly different flavor and stripe, but one still as reliably involving as his usual fare.

Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon is an extremely entertaining, and enjoyable story. It is not the typical horror novel that Stephen King is known for writing. If fact, it is not a horror story at all. It can best be described as more of a medieval-fantasy novel. In other words, if I had not known in advance that Stephen King had written it, I would never have guessed that it had come from the modern master of horror.

"The Eyes if the Dragon" is very well written, drawing you in right from the start, and all the while, keeping you wanting more. The characters are well developed, with the primary character, an evil magician named Flagg, as the antagonist.

The story is about the far away kingdom of Delain and the Kings and Queens that ruled the country. It focuses on the current King and his sons, along with the King's evil magician/advisor - Flagg. "The Eyes of the Dragon" is a classic tale of the battle between good and evil.

Flagg is a magician, as well as advisor to the current King. He has maintained his position for several centuries, advising numerous kings throughout their reigns. In "The Eyes of the Dragon", Flagg finds himself faced in that all too familiar position of many royal advisors - wanting to rule the kingdom himself by deposing his royal master, obviously through sinister means. The problem is that the current king ends up fathering two sons - the future heirs to the throne. It is with this predicament, of having to deal with the two young princes, and their rights to their father's throne, that the story of Flagg ensues, setting off a chain of events that Flagg hopes will allow him to take the throne away from the reigning family.

At times, the story does feel like it drags on in some places, but it quickly picks back up to grab your attention again. My only regret in the end is that I wished that the story had kept on going, because I really wanted to know what would become of the main characters once their journey through "The Eyes of the Dragon" was over. The characters were just that enjoyable. The story does come to a final conclusion however, so no, there is no sense of a "cliffhanger" style ending.

As for the formatting of the Kindle version of this novel - there were no errors to be found. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation were all as one would expect - excellent. The only thing I will say is that if you make the font on your Kindle too small then some letters run together causing words to look misspelled. In addition, and as with the paper versions of this novel, there were a few illustrations throughout. They loaded quickly (on the Kindle 1), and looked relatively decent.

I enjoy reading sci-fi/fantasy, with my favorite authors being Terry Goodkind and Robin Hobb. If you enjoy reading books by similar authors, and/or if you are a fan of medieval tales, or if you merely enjoy reading a good book regardless of genre, then this Stephen King novel would be one I would highly recommend. For diehard King fans, this novel is a no-brainer, and one that only proves, at least to me, that Stephen King is truly a master of his craft.

This short little book by Stephen King (around 400 pages) is dubbed by him a "story" rather than a "novel," but I am going to call it a novel anyway. Apparently it's an expanded version of a tale that King used to tell to his children. I concluded it several days ago, over the space of about two weeks. I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The story is about the Kingdom of Delain, from which Roland (of the Dark Tower series) hails. A friend told me that "The Eyes of the Dragon" is set hundreds of years in Roland's past, and features a King that Roland is named after. This King is beset by problems on all sides, not least of which is a nefarious court magician named Flagg (yes, he's that Flagg) who conspires to wreak havoc and chaos by any means necessary. Flagg is kept in check, however, by King Roland's kind-hearted wife, Sasha.

The King Roland has two sons, the noble Peter and the cowardly and cruel Thomas, and Flagg schemes to make certain that the heir to the throne, Peter, is overlooked in favor of Thomas, who would be more easy to control, and more apt to introduce the authoritarian reforms that Flagg seeks to foment rebellion and overthrow the Kingdom. Through various designs and plots Flagg gets his way, and Thomas ascends to the throne. The institution of outrageous taxes, combined with a brutal crackdown on anyone who resists, are almost immediately implemented.

I won't spoil any more of the plot, but suffice it to say the story features prison escapes, harrowing near-misses, and personal redemption in a tale that's perfectly wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. Every loose thread is concisely resolved, with a couple of nice little twists to boot, and it's satisfying to witness the personal change in many of the characters as they are tested and hardened by their confrontation with Flagg. The only odd thing I note about the book is that the Flagg in this tale seems more devious and capable than the Flagg of "The Stand," which is a factor I like about him, but it seemed inconsistent with the man's (demon's?) character.

I must say I think this is the best King book I've read yet, and I must give it a hearty "thumbs up," and four stars out of five.

This might be my favorite Ed Young book, not only for his outstanding illustrations but also for the masterful story. That it is out of print, or appears to be, just brings me an intense sadness. On Chinese New Year I offer it as a story, maybe THE story, that has meanings on many levels and it just works with children, as a read-aloud it has never failed me.

And then I follow reading it with having children make dragon drawings.

(So on to the story, this review might contain a spoiler, I'll try not to do that, but I'm forewarning those readers of children's picture books not to continue if you want to be surprised, please. Especially sorry in a book so long out of print.)

In this story the main character is a painter. A Visionary!
He does not enter the story until later, after the set up, and remains enigmatic. He isn't developed as an individual for a reason, yet he is honorable, talented, fair and good. We see that. We are going to experience blindness elsewhere.

We start the story high in mountains below the summits of a dragon king where a village is overseen by a magistrate. The villagers fear the things they do not know, cannot see, that live in the spaces above them. The magistrate is wise enough to erect a great wall to secure his people, but vain and political enough to fixate on his good works as the outward projection of his greatness. The majesty of his wall looms before him as the his externalization of his superiority. It's blindness to the point of fixation, and a concretization of his natural right to leadership for him. He isn't evil or really shown as bad, just a vain man that loses sight-perspective and will regain it in a painful way. At a cost through the clarity of sight of an artist. In short he's a man with a fall soon coming. Boy, do these illustrations move your mood with color. Better than that soundtrack. Well it is a visual universe.

His grandson and village kids get caught writing on "his" wall and further stun him by defending their actions over the dullness of said wall. They call it too plain. He then, in discussions with elders, decides to bring a painter to decorate the wall with an image of the dragon king. Another achievement of his superior mind, actually taken unacknowledged from a younger suggester. A deal is struck with the painter, 40 pieces of silver to go to the Tao temple,and no argument over the finished product.

As is the case with many a made thing, the Magistrate cannot express a humble stance of gratitude with an beautiful and effort filled work; he's blind in yet another way. Nor can he recognize he pales compared to this talent, no awe at what the painter manages to go do. This is outstandingly alluded to in Ed Young's chalk work. And the magistrate actually insists the work be changed, improved upon.....(telling more will reveal something I need to do to comment further....stop reading!)

The magistrate insists on eyes which are left blank on this dragon and placing them there (the artist bends to the magistrates will), is breaking the condition of the painter to just fully accept his work. This brings the dragon-on-the-wall to life.It rises out of the falling stones. Frighteningly so. And this destroys the wall in the rising of it. And so it ends.

Boy, every time I read this it gets to me. Initially you discuss with the children the lack of gratitude, the breaking of the deal, the artist's work being "improved" by the "purchaser", the relationship to money, how the painter made it clear all the silver was to go to the temple. Art able to come to life and soar into the heavens, such was the power of this artist's vision, one he left incomplete because to say it all wrought too much, it brought the spirit itself.
You start to go there thinking this is really about something else, maybe important to think about.

I think, myself, this is about how our pathologies of our character sabotage the parts of ourselves we do have in us, our good works, things of value. The magistrate did good things, his vanity laid ALL of that low. He pursued his own glorification and notice too, his own desire for group affirmation in monuments and in arranging vast resources for his own needs we see vanity wise. Purely pathological self destruction. We see as well as group in it's needs for a protective wall and leadership did not reign the magistrate in, and in the end that same builder destroyed that wall, it turned it to rubble. The push and pull within ourselves to secure to extend.
I think it's a TIMELY tale actually.REALLY.

But thinking personally, closer to home, I've been in both shoes as artist and as fool....as artist I've offered my work and been rejected or faced disapproval by an audience unworthy, I've had to deal with finagled deals and unscrupulous individuals that broke deals. I decided really at some point that the gifts I had might be better not traded in this money market. It's hard for me to dissuade myself of the cheapening of it all. I could go on but I won't.

Then as fool...I've been foolish in some personal relationships not to see the value before me, to tread on goodness,and to destroy the "deal" , perhaps the offering of something of great worth I failed to understand or trust, or some aspect of my character was too flawed and I let loose the dragon-king that exploded with fire and thunder and fled into the skies. As I sat in the ruin of the wall of protection that prior state provided.

In short a meditative story of how we are able to take from a cultural tale many meanings and grow from this a wide perspective on our own life and actions.

Absolutely terrific for the start of the Year of the Ox.

I cannot believe I was such a snob about Stephen King for so many years. If he's that popular, how can he be any good?

What do I know?

Now, I devour his books. Even the monstrously long and mixed-review variety, like 11-22-63. This is a master storyteller, who can weave a yarn out of any material. Medieval? No problem. Wild West? Been there, done that. Historical fiction? Why not.

Literate, funny, gross, profound, quirky, insightful, profane, spiritual. All in service of the story. Isn't that why we read? For a good story?

King has delivered yet another fantastic story in the Eye of the Dragon. This tale of two brothers, regicide, and possible patricide in a vaguely Anglo kingdom in some indefinite past century is full of humor, pathos, moral struggle, and the ultimate triumph of the good. Complete with evil wizard/sorcerer/magician.

Well worth your time, and Bronson Pinchot delivers sparkling narration - the kind that makes the reader disappear, and the story emerge with crystal clarity.

Read on.

 The Eyes of the Dragon

Between the scattered pictures throughout the story and the easy concepts and vocabulary, The Eyes of the Dragon seems like it is a children's book. While the book is devoid of Stephen King's patented terror, it's still chock full of his wry humor and warped mind. This is definitely not for the little ones.

The Eyes of the Dragon takes place in the same world as Stephen King's Dark Tower series and was the first book he published that was completely apart from the horror genre. The title mentions a dragon, but the story focuses on the creature for just a short while. The real story here is about a king, his two sons and his adviser, an evil magician. There is murder, betrayal and much alcohol. The story isn't scary, but it can be creepy at times.

The Eyes of the Dragon is colorfully written in a flawless town that feels as though the reader is being told the story aloud, first-hand. The narrator takes on an almost gossipy tone most of the time, only coming across as serious when the situation requires. The story is easy to get into, avoiding the stuffiness that is sometimes felt in classic/high fantasy stories.

I'm not usually drawn to books of this nature, but as a Stephen King fan I had to check it out. I was expecting something completely different and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I'm very glad I took a chance on it.

This is a strange fantasy/fiary tale from King, and even though it is almost completely dissimilar from his other books, its still equally sucessful.
It's a rather basic story. But then, that fits with exactly the type of story it is. A fantasy fable of the kings/princes/magicians type, with intrigue, romance and adventure thrown in. It centres mainly on the plot of the dark magician Flagg to throw the Kingdom of Delain into turmoil, by killing the King anf framing the eldest son, thereby leaving the throne open to the younger heir, who he has shaped over the years so that he will have greater control over the land. But, there is still a loyal band of followers who believe the natural heir is innocent...and all the while he himself, incarcerated in the top of the Needle, a huge tower, is plotting his escape to prove his innocence...
There's little to surprise here, and the basic story is slightly predictable, but that doesn't really matter. It's a marvellous piece of escapism, rather like reading a Disney film. It's got all your classic fairytale elements, and its written in a wonderfully easy to read style. This book, probably more than any other he has written, proves what a born storyteller King is, because the entire driving force behind the book is the fact that it is unashamedly a STORY, and nothing less. The narrator, whose occasionally steps in, is a wonderfull omniscient presence, and its almost certainly like King is actually sitting right there with you, telling you this story to you, of a chilly night by the fire.
Not too challenging, but a fast pageturner, i would reccomend this to all readers who love the escapism of a wonderful story. You certainly don't have to be a King fan to love this book.

There is a saying that blood is thicker that water...But I tell you,this saying is wrong.At least this book shows how "blood" can be thinner that water!...Nigel.

This book is a work of classic fantasy, with a clearly established battle between good and evil and magic playing a lead role. It tells the story of a noble prince who is framed for the murder of his father by his tragically inept younger brother and the evil sorcerer "Flagg" (the villain Randall Flagg from several of King's other works), who manipulates the weaker younger brother to displace the rightful heir to the throne.

Here are some of the characters you would meet:King Roland- The King of Delain. He is a rather plain, overweight man who is unsure around women but is fairly popular within the Kingdom, as his subjects see him as a man of the people. He enjoys beer and, though he wishes it wasn't so, favors his older son, Peter, over his younger son, Thomas.

Flagg- The Advisor to the King. Flagg is a powerful magician and has been around for centuries, perhaps even for a millennium. He thrives on chaos and destruction, and his ultimate goal is to cause Delain to overthrow the monarchy and be plunged into "a thousand years of bloody anarchy".

Peter- Roland's older son and the heir to the throne. Peter is a tall, lithe, handsome young man who inherited his mother's good looks and his father's love of the common man. He is the clear favorite among the people to be the next King, and they eagerly anticipate the day he'll step up to the throne.

Thomas- Roland's younger son. Thomas takes after Roland in that he's on the slower side and is a heavy boy even in youth. He (rightfully) feels overshadowed by Peter and resents his brother in the knowledge that Roland clearly loves Peter more. He feels Flagg is his only friend and sole source of comfort.

Queen Sasha- Roland's wife and the mother of Peter and Thomas. Sasha was chosen for Roland because she was an innocent girl from a lesser noble family and seemed to be the shyest of the lot that Flagg had selected for Roland. However, she revealed herself to be a strong, independent woman, and was truly loved by both Roland and the kingdom. She was murdered under Flagg's orders while giving birth to Thomas.

Ben Staad- Peter's best friend. The Staad family is described as the most unlucky family within Delain, but Ben and Peter strike up a close friendship. Ben is strong, handsome and might be the only hope to turn the Staad's luck around.

Dennis - Thomas' butler. Dennis's family has been butlers to the royals of Delain for centuries, and Dennis takes great pride in his work.

Naomi- A peasant girl who is with the exiles, her favorite dog is Frisk...

................enjoy...Nigel.

Blake Reviews The Eyes of the Dragon

In the 1980's, Stephen King produced one of his least popular works of fiction, The Eyes of the Dragon. The Eyes of the Dragon was unpopular because it was a children's story, written by Stephen King... You see the problem? Let me illustrate with my real-life example:

“Blake, what are you reading?” Mom says, eyes filled with righteous anger, fueled by too many bad parenting books.
“Um... a children's book... called The Eyes of the Dragon,” I reply, shifting my hand awkwardly to the bottom of the cover so that she can't see the author.
“Written by who?” my Mom asks, knowing the answer.
“Steffan Kingsly?” I suggest, with a wide and quite innocent grin.
“The psychopath horror writer???” my mother demands. “Hand it over, I'm returning it to the library right now!” Leaves the room.
“One day I will have my revenge.” I whisper... and bide my time for ten years until I end up doing my bachelor degree's Senior Paper on the book, reread it several times, and advocate it for children everywhere. Urah!

So parents were generally very militant in not allowing their kids to read this book, you know between Harry Potter book burnings, and exposure was close to none. But, unlike what many parents thought, The Eyes of the Dragon was a wonderful fantasy novel about two princes who are caught up in a evil magician's plot to take the throne and immerse the world in chaos.

Now for the ratings.

Plot 3/5

The story begins as Prince Peter is born into a life of luxury and low expectations of royalty. But his mother teaches him the art of being human in a world that does not expect much from those with power (I know, you can't possibly imagine that world, can you?). Unfortunately, she dies giving birth to Peter's brother Thomas—who will be compared to Peter's greatness and then manipulated by the Evil Magician, Flagg, to bring chaos to the realm. So the plot is typical, and there are a few tangents and side-events that end up confusing the reader as to where the story is headed. But, this plot does not take away from the better aspects of the story, and allows the development of the two Princes to be the forefront of the story.

Character 5/5

The characters are what make this story shine. There are no flat characters to be found in this story. Each character is dynamic, and has reasons for their actions. You may hate them or love them, but they always feel real. Prince Thomas's personal story is, in my opinion, the best. He feels the most real, and every act of evil that he commits only serves to make me care about him more.

Language 5/5

The narration in this story in beautiful, and King creates a very empathetic and wise narrator who guides the young audience through many difficult realities of the world, without ever sounding patronizing or ever dumbing down the language. One of my biggest irritations with fantasy, is that the writers of the genre often use archaic, old English—as if it somehow makes them sound like anything but elitist nerds. King does not succumb to this, but writes for the characters in normal, standard English—with engaging sentence structures and vocabulary.

Themes/Morals 5/5

The themes in this story are overwhelming. There is the constant theme of good vs evil, but also good vs apathetic, and evil vs being very sad and desperate. It teaches readers, especially young ones, the art of empathy, even for characters that we are prone to dislike. And, unlike most fantasy, this story deals with real-world problems like child neglect, jealousy, and loss. Now, there are some mature themes here, but they are treated delicately, easily overlooked, and are appropriate for readers at a YA reading level (about 9 and up). Most importantly, many of the themes will teach readers about critical thinking, and not requiring horns and a pitchfork to tell good things from the not so good.

Problems/Conclusion 5/5

The only problem with this story, which might very well have been caused by the lack of readers, is that it leaves Prince Thomas's personal story inconclusive. Had there been a sequel, it would have been appropriate—but none was ever created, and you never find out what ends up happening with the character who will likely become your favorite. Otherwise, this is a must read for Young Adults and those who appreciate the YA genre. Or, if you merely want to irritate your parents, you can get this for your kids and tell their grandparents that you are letting them read Stephen King. And that reaction, my friends, is the greatest reward of all.

Originally posted at https://www.facebook.com/JosephBlakeParker
And: http://josephblakeparker.wix.com/theblake

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. The most interesting thing about this book is that it is a fantasy/middle ages story that was written by the king of horror novels, Mr. Stephen King. Of course, like anything else written by King, this novel is extremely well written. Furthermore, this book is the type of book that you pick up and don't put down until you have finished the book.

Another interesting thing about this book is that King originally had written it under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Trust me, you must read this book. If you do, you won't be disappointed (unless, of course, you have a disdain for books that have wizards and political intrigue that would make a poly psi major reconsider their choice of career).

I recently read this again after probably twenty years or so, and enjoyed it almost as much as the first time. Even now, after King has completed the Dark Tower series and gone down many other paths as a writer, this book stands out as unique. I love the choice of an unidentified narrator and the commentary the narrator adds, it really complements the tale set in a land of kingdoms, magicians, and dragons. At the time this story was WAY off from King's typical work, which I found interesting and now, having read more of his stuff (after a long hiatus) it adds to the proof of what a great writer and storyteller he is, no matter what genre he is placed in. There are a few parts in the beginning that seem unnecessary and might make one uncomfortable (at least us prudes) about having a youngster read it, but overall, it is fairly suitable for anyone. I was amazed at the time that King wrote a fantasy story like this so well, but after reading the Talisman and now having completed the Dark Tower series I guess it isn't so surprising. But the style of writing in the Eyes of the Dragon is unique; though I am a King fan, I would think those that don't care for Kings typical horror stories would nevertheless find this book enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book and going into it I wasn't sure what to expect. This is a story of Kings, Magicians, and Dragons. Not the typical Stephen King story but his Dark Tower series was so good and one of the characters is in this one so I had to read it.

The beginning was great, I was immediately pulled into the story and I really enjoyed it. The middle however was a bit drawn out for me, but still well written. King does have a tendency to run on a bit when it comes to character development, it normally works but I was a bit bored from time to time listening to this book. The ending was solid and brought back the intensity I felt when first starting.

There is not much else I can say that isn't in the book description other than I thought this was a fun read, and since it links to the Tower I enjoyed it even more. I will more than likely consider this for a re-read in the future.

As we are all aware, Stephen King is one of the most influential and brilliant writers of our time. I don't think I actually realized why until I picked up this book.
I've always stuck to more of his horror stuff, I was always very wary of his "storyish" books. I decided I might as well give this book a chance and began reading it. I ended up reading well into the night until I had finished the book.
This book is wonderful. Naturally, it has that fairytale element, but without all of the corny tidbits that become annoying. No, this book included all the grim and dismal details. It made this book seem all the more real. Of course, there were happy aspects of the book, and you were able to learn to love the characters.
Complete with evil sorcerer, brave prince, and fierce dragon, this was the perfect fantasy story.

I really enjoyed reading this book. As a few have already mentioned, King wrote this for his

children. so it isn't as gruesome as his other works, but having said that, it is still a

fantastic read. There are still characters you really care about and there are baddies you love to

hate! Including a certain villain who goes by the name of Randall Flagg. (you may have heard of him)

It's similarities to the Tower series made this all the more enjoyable for me. Especially as we all wait for the conclusion of that series.

This is a story that I would gladly give to any teenager to read were they able to tear

herself away from watching t.v. or the internet for long enough!!! Many people have said that they can't imagine

many kids today enjoying this book as it's a bit too wordy and long, but considering how many read the Harry Potter books i suspect kinds will handle this one too...

Those books aren't much different to this one in the way they are wordy and long.

This is a wonderful tale of good vs evil that needs to be read more than once. Try it yourself and

sit back and enjoy.

its one of those books when its all over you qu4estion how you didnt see the ending coming... its clever yet simple...

A wonderful book....

Thank you Mr. King.

This is not a horror story, it is fantasy mixed with a little Sci-Fi. It's written as a story-teller tells a tale at the campfire or at his child's bedside. While I've heard that King wrote this one for his daughter, there are a few statements in the beginning of this book that makes this work a King book, and not exactly a children's book (see "My Pretty Pony" by King for that). If you cut out those first pages, or if you've already taught your children a crude vision of sex, then by all means let them read it. Oh, there is a bit of gore in it, just for good measure.
It takes place in the Kindom of Delain where the evil Flagg (yes, we know this man from the Dark Tower series and "The Stand) is scheming to take over the kingdom. He frames Prince Peter for murdering the king and has him imprisoned while the younger and much more easily manipulated prince takes over rule of the land.
Flagg is essentially in control now and begins his plan to destoy the kindom by guiding the inhabitants to poverty, starvation and revolt.
I won't tell you how it ends but the twists and turns to get there are worth the ride.
For those Dark Tower fans out there, I wouldn't be surprised if we see some of these characters coming back in the next 2 DT books. While King Roland is not related to our Roland, Flagg seems to be the same.
If you haven't read the Dark Tower series, "Eyes of the Dragon" is a truly enjoyable book that stand on its own but can be enhanced by the links, just like all other King books.

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King doesn’t have dragons in it. Not one bit. But when I was in middle school, I didn’t know that. I saw a book I hadn’t read with the word “dragon” in the title. For me, that was enough. I just knew the book had to be awesome with the word “dragon” in it.
Even when I figured out there were no dragons in the story, I still loved this book. It’s just a nice piece of fantasy storytelling.
This book taught me a lot about breaking preconceived notions that authors can only write one genre.
If you're looking for a book on dragons, this isn't it. BUT it is a great fantasy book
You can read the entire review on my website (see my profile for the link)..

Normally I do not read Stephen King novels, but this one was recommended to me as being of a very different nature than the rest of his books. This is indeed the case, as this is mostly a straight up fairy tale adventure. It is the story of a royal sibling rivalry, a evil sorcerer, and loyal friends. More than that, it is King's view of human nature. King several times ephasizes that some people act completely differently when they think that they are not being seen by anyone, and this watching someone who thinks that they are not being watched plays a large role in the story.

King manages to keep the level of apprehension high through the whole book, in so doing making it a book that is hard to put down once you have started. I think that the ability to do this is a mark of a good author, and I doubt many people would argue that King is not a good author, whether one likes his normal genre or not.

If you are not a King fan, I think that this book will surprise you. I have not read King before, and this was not at all what I was expecting a King novel to be like. I am told that this is because it is not at all like what King's other novels are like. It is unfortunate that he went back to writing horror novels after he wrote this, as this is a very good book and I would have liked to read more that were similar in nature.

Overall grade: A-

I've read a lot of fantasy books (game of thrones series, codex alera series, mistborn, malazan books of the fallen, lord of the rings, etc). That being said, this is the most unique fantasy book I have ever read. The book reads like a much longer children's fairy tale. You have a prince and an evil wizard who wants to take over the kingdom.

There isn't much depth in the story but it doesn't need it. I liked the characters but they weren't that memorable. The most memorable character in the story is the prince's younger brother. The eldest prince in the story is PERFECT with a capital P (good looks, super athletic, very sharp, with a very high IQ, tall). The evil wizard is so evil that it gets ridiculous. The eldest prince of course has a friend with devoted undying loyalty. The characters with the exception of the prince's younger brother are very cliche.

However, I would still recommend this book, just don't go into it thinking of it as epic. It's a quick short light hearted read.

A departure from his usual tales of horror THE EYES OF THE DRAGON will appease nearly everyone who appreciates a good story. This book was perfectly placed in my thirteenth year and as satisfying in my mid-thirties. Broadly appealing, for better or for worse.

Four and a half out of five stars

One of the things I like about Stephen King is his versatility as a storyteller. Yes, he focuses on horror and the supernatural -- telekinetic teenagers, vampires, creatures from other dimensions and even a really "killer" flu -- and is therefore not considered to be a "serious" writer. However, considering the vast output of King books and his longevity as a bestselling author, if nearly 30 years of novels, short story collections, screenplays, original teleplays and a loyal fan base doesn't make him a serious writer, I don't know what would.
I used to buy each new King novel either in paperback or, when I could afford it, in hardcover. Gradually my tastes shifted to military fiction by Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts and Harold Coyle, but I never stopped liking King's books.
One of my favorites is his 1987 excursion into fantasy, The Eyes of the Dragon. Essentially a story for younger readers -- aimed at kids 12 and up -- and beautifully illustrated by David Palladini, it's a classic story of sibling rivalry between the sons of King Roland of Delain. Peter, the bright and handsome first-born, is heir to the throne, while Thomas, who is not as smart and takes after his short and stout father, tries hard to cope with the knowledge that his status in life is secondary to Peter's. Worse, even though he tries hard to gain the love of his father, Thomas is clumsy and not very skilled with his hands. (In one sad scene, Thomas spends a whole day making a small wooden sailboat for his father the King, only to hear his dad remark that it looked like a dog dropping with a handkerchief attached to it.)
Thomas' only friend is the court magician, a pale and brooding fellow named Flagg. He takes a keen interest in Thomas, but not for altruistic reasons. For Flagg is an inhuman entity in the guise of a man, and he has a dark agenda of his own: to rid Delain of both Roland and Pete so he can take the reins of power for himself. Knowing that the late Queen Sasha was too smart to be manipulated by any of his spells or shrewd manipulations, Flagg set in motion both Thomas' conception and his mother's murder. Slowly, surely, the evil wizard feeds upon and helps stoke Thomas' resentment of his smarter, handsomer brother....all the better to manipulate the well-meaning but weak-willed Prince Thomas when Flagg pulls off his evil scheme.....
The Eyes of the Dragon is decidedly different from King's normally huge novels, but his tone is remarkably evocative of an oral storyteller. I like the way he sometimes goes back and forth in the story to show a seemingly trivial detail (such as Sasha's dollhouse) and then reintroduce it later as a critical plot device. The story itself is charming, and even though it is a story for older children, adults will enjoy The Eyes of the Dragon's mix of fairy tale and classic King supernatural chills.

Officially this is a book for children, children who like fantasy and magic. The main character is a child who is trying to save his world from the grip of a sorcerer, a version of Flagg, the Dark Man, who controls this world through his magic and his constant spying on people. The child is imprisoned in a tower and he manages to escape. This tower is of course a reminiscence or a premonition of the Dark Tower of the series of novels that is not yet finished. This tower is essential in Stephen King's work. Here it is a prison that you must escape from. In the Dark Tower series it is a tower that you must reach to regenerate and save the decaying world. It occurs in other novels in different shapes and with different values. The struggle between the child and the wizard is very well organized and full of suspense and fear. The fantasy is always understood as referring to a world that is under our own world, though this aspect is less clear than in other books like The Talisman. This other world is definitely referring to the Middle Ages and of course to the Round Table Knights, King Arthur and Merlin. This book should be promoted a lot more for young teenagers. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II anc IX.

I read Eyes of the Dragon after having been a King fan for years. When I first picked up the book I noticed a note from King stating that he had written this book for his daughter so that she could have one of his books to read. I wasn't really sure what to expect after reading that but was pleasantly surprised to realize that although this was a departure from his normal subject and style it was written with his usual skill and understanding of how to reach his readers and draw them into a new world. King also throws his faithful readers a line helping them to connect to the story of Delain by including two characters from his other works, King Roland and Flagg.

King Roland's character is basically pitiful. He is a weak, unattractive man who, although he wishes to be good finds it to be too difficult and instead settles for simply doing no harm. He marries a young woman and because of his insecurities fathers two children who are as different from each other as are the conditions surrounding their conceptions. Prince Peter is the image of his mother; tall, handsome, kind, intelligent and adored by the kingdom. Second born Prince Thomas is just like his father both in appearance and character.

The evil magician Flagg has been a recurring figure in the history of Delain showing up whenever conditions are ripe for him to wreak havoc. At the start of this story he has been in Delain longer than anyone can remember and has been working very hard to manipulate events according to his own plan. King Roland, being such a weak and foolish man has trusted Flagg and relied on his advice throughout his rule. Now that the king has heirs, Flagg turns his attentions to Prince Thomas, while devising a plan to destroy the kingdom's affection for Prince Peter, and keeping him from becoming king after the death of Roland.

The resulting struggle and resolution are wonderfully written with plenty of surprises. This story is definitely one to be read again and again.

I've enjoyed many of Stephen Kings novels a great deal. Others I couldn't wait to finish (I always finish a book I've started, no matter how bad it gets!). He is either on his game or off it. In The Eyes of the Dragon, he is very much on his game. It is a departure from his normal fare of vampires, undead, aliens, and serial killers. His brings us into a world of fantasy complete with kings, dragons, heroes, and the inevitable Bad Guy™. The villain is one us SK fans have seen before in such incarnations as 'The Walkin' Dude' from The Stand. Yes, it's Flagg, playing the part of the evil sorcerer. Quite effectively, I might add.
I was delighted to pick up this book and find SK taking a wild gamble into a new genre. Yes, there are the obligatory graphic scenes, but I've read worse (Clive Barker, anyone?). I expect it and, yes, I take a sick fascination in some grotesque descriptions. I love to REACT to my reading, even if it is only to say "EEW!" and grimace. The Eyes of the Dragon is a wonderful tale of castle intrigue and heroism that has you rooting for the good guys and loving to hate the seemingly immortal Flagg.

I have just reread this book not long ago and I think it is his best work! I am a huge fan of The Dark Tower series but I think this little itty bitty book is far superior to them. It just so darn real, I really felt like I was there to the point where I forgot that I even exist, I was not only the hero Peter but also I was Thomas and even though it was hard to take I saw a little of Flagg in me and in some people that I have known. That is the magic of this book in the three main character I think most of us if we are honest with ourselves will see a little of each of them not only in ourselves but in almost everyone we have ever known, because they are not black and white and neither are we. We are all the hero's and jealous brother and the villain of our own stories.

Now on to a more pratical reason for loving this story: This didn't have long drawn out remebrances that often plague some of King's works (even TDT books have some of that i.e. Eddie and and all the memories of Henry). There was some memories mostly Thomas's memories of his father but this were fairly short and helped flesh out the story.

Also King avoided using bizzare and silly made up phrases ( I think you know what I mean)and really even though the story is set in a fantasy land it is one of his most straight forward tales, I feel sometimes that when King has struggled with a story he is writing and the characters, instead of giving his characters memorable traits through subtle nuances instead gives us strange and sometimes stupid repetive nonsense. In this story it was like it was already written and all he had to do was type it so the stuff that boughs down some of his other work wasn't necessary and the story just grew into the world without struggle. I highly recommend this to fans of King and to fans of fantasy in general, you might never find a tale this true and touching if you don't read this book.

I can see elements of Stephen King in this book, I really can, but they seem to be muted a bit. The story reads a bit like a fairly tale ...which is to say that the voice of the narrator is a shake condescending and you can see where the plot is headed from a mile out in fog, but the biggest problem I have with this novel is that it's difficult to tell that it's Stephen King who's telling the story. One of my favorite qualities of his writing is the voice that he uses to tell his stories, and while that voice isn't gone in this one, it's definitely been altered to affect the atmosphere of the book. While I wouldn't say that this is a bad read, it's not what I would consider conventional Stephen King by any means--good for fans, but if you don't follow him closely, you could miss this one with no regrets.
One explanation for this apparent change in voice may be the fact that this book was supposedly written for children, though I find it hard to believe that even Stephen King could think that the phrase "flacid penis" had ought to be in any grade schooler's vocabulary. In truth, this story really does stop at being a fairy tale--the depth and development that many people are used to in Stephen King simply isn't here. Of all the main characters, only two or three are given real attention, and I was surprised to find that when King actually chose to keep his attention on telling a single story, I was disappointed at what had been left out. As a story, this book is just fine, though it may show itself to be a little obvious and hollow to some readers, and as an artistic piece there's very little to recommend it. Overall, I'd say that the only people for whom this would be a must read are students of King concerned with getting the whole picture (the scenes and characters of this book show up in Dark Tower [Flagg] and The Talisman [the two headed bird], and maybe elsewhere, since I'm only about three eighths of the way through his career). For all others, this is fluff at best--though good, there's certainly better in King's library and in others'.

A talented writer can write well in any genre and Stephen King proves that in "The Eyes of the Dragon", a scientific novel. I must admit that I've read 80% of all the King novels and as I read 'Dragon', I kept expecting King to veer off from his fantasy writing prose and sink back into his well-renowned macabre. He didn't. King understands how evil could spread to hurt the innocent and the good, but eventually the tide turns and evil or the demon is vanquished. "Flagg", the antagonist, is not a villain, but a demon who worships chaos above power. His demise is rather abrupt, but it's a psychological reminder to the reader that one can never completely rid themselves of evil. Unfortunately, the pictures accompanying the novel were juvenile and didn't add anything to the story, but the novel was well written and King deserves kudos for successfully writing a fantasy novel.

Strangely, I owned The Eyes Of The Dragon for nearly a decade before I actually read it. I started it many, many times, but it was the one and only Stephen King book that I just couldn't get into. That's strange for me. I've been a King junkie since I was about fourteen and that was 22 years ago. I've read every book since 1983's Pet Sematary as soon as they were released. I have everything in hardcover. Like I said, I'm a King junkie. The Eyes Of The Dragon eluded my interest for so very long for several reasons. One, it came out right in between IT and Misery at a time where many people thought that there was a glut of Stephen King novels on the market. Two, IT and Misery were two of my favorite Stephen Kings novels, written in very distinct tones, with very distinct storylines, where The Eyes Of The Dragon was really a story written for King's daughter Naomi and Peter Straub's son Ben. The adult telling of a fairytale. Not the head-slamming grit of IT or the seat-of-your-pants brilliance of Misery. It was kinda weak.

Hmmmmmm.

Years later, being the completist that I am, I couldn't let The Eyes Of The Dragon go unfinished. I set about reading it and ended up breezing right through it. Interesting. Still not one of my favorites, I would say this is middle of the road King, akin to Delores Claiborne or Christine. Not bad King, just King adapted from a story written for children. Would I read it a second time? Maybe. Cetrainly this would not be my first choice for a reread. Has the evil wizard character Flagg in this one. Is it Randall Flagg from The Stand and The Dark Tower series? Not really. King might be alluding to it, but I never got the vibe that this was the walkin' dude in the flesh. Perhaps an incarnation, but not full-fledged Randall Flagg goodness (badness).

This is a great departure from King's "normal" works. It is a fun read; the style seems like a light-hearted fantasy story-telling in quick, narrative bursts. It is like a children's story for adults- but it's still geared towards the young adult to adult range in terms of content, so don't go reading it to your 8 yr old.

The story is not complex. It is simple and predictable, in a classic good versus evil sense. The narrator even tells you much of the plot early on, but that only adds to the story-telling theme.

I read it on a flight and loved it. Great pageturner.

I had always known of Stephen King, well you would have to have lived in a hole to not know who he is, but I never really got into him. I tried reading "IT" several years ago(I was in Freshman Year of High School), and only got about 150 pages in, which would be a good dent into some books, but a 1100 page book, its just barely scratching the surface. I finally got into the hype and have been reading King vehemently for the past few months. I wanted to read the Dark Tower series, and knew that a lot of his other works are referenced(either in passing(such as Flagg in here), or play a major part(Most of Insomnia)), in the universe he has created. So I have been reading those, and Eyes of the Dragon was one of the first ones I took on, as it was a bit less frightening looking(pagewise), than IT or the Stand(which I am currently reading), or most of the others.

This book took me completely by surprise, I knew it was not going to be like the rest of his, as it was a more true fantasy book, than anything to really scare you. It was an amazing book I believe, because I did not have much hope in it being as good as it was, seeing it was written for his kids, I expected something a bit more "kiddie," and this was definately not it. It was quite adult in how the story, while turning out for the ebst, is actually a terrible thing to read to children if you have not read it beforehand, and know how to twist words around to make it seem a lot nice than it is.

Flagg being in this book, was the best part, but the whole book is great, and seeing it does take place in Gilead, while it may not be the same time, or same one, is a mammoth part of the tale of Roland(the name of the old King here), and the backbone of the Dark Tower series.

For all those who left 1-2 star reviews saying this book was unlike his typical writing & doubting that he wrote it because it seemed like it was written for a child... That's because it was. He wrote this book for his daughter. This book is one of a kind because it is unlike any of book he has written. I would like to think that if those who have bad reviews knew this, they would have given a different review.

It has been a long time since my son introduced me to this Stephen King book. I do not like horror. I am intrigued by Stephen King's ideas but they are too scary for me. My son told me that this book was written for Stephen's son so I read it and loved it. I am a retired secondary education teacher and I now have grandchildren hungry for good reading material and this is one I will gladly give them to read. It has a great story line. There is a lot of drama and thrilling crescendos. Actually I have two grandsons: 11 and 13 for whom I will buy this book.

This was NOT a typical Stephen King book! It was more of a children's book about a time and place, "a long time ago and far, far away". There was only one poor dragon! What happened to suspense, blood and guts, turning a corner and receiving a very unwanted surprise? I read the Kindle version. I don't know if it was the electronic transmission or truly the book itself, but there were LOTS of typos. (And it was not because he was trying to occasionally write in old English). There were numbers thrown into words.

I love reading Stephen King books and have read most of them. This one just made me mad. Sorry Stephen.

Why are there negative comments about this book? It's fun. It's an adventure. There's no hurry. There are surprises and things to find out and wait for. And it's not watered down. There's gore and boogers. :)
I would loved to have had this book 15 years ago when I was still reading to my daughter or reading out loud together. Yes there is a magician (and he is a nasty character) but this book doesn't encourage or tickle a desire to practice magic. It's about courage and endurance and using your head when all about you are losing theirs. Ha... that would be figurative and literal!
Anyway, this one time, don't listen to the bad reviews; pick it up yourself and see.
Update and spoiler alert: The wizard turns out to be a demon. Booooo! Nasty. Icky.

This book was brilliant!

It's taken me 22 years to get around to reading this book (I've owned it all this time), and I'm actually disappointed that I didn't get into it sooner.

The narrative takes a bit of getting used to, and this is not your typical Stephen King book. The narrative feels a bit like being told a story by a fire, and there is a lot of foreshadowing with just enough information to keep you wanting more.

Peter and his brother Thomas are perfectly drawn characters, and neither is without their faults. They feel very real as princes and brothers in how they interact. Peter is by far my favourite, the way he commands attention. King has obviously put a lot of thought into this, and created a beautiful story out of it.

No story would be complete without it's villains, and Flagg is one heck of a villain. You know from the beginning that he's bad news, and if you've read anything else by King, you'll know Flagg from other stories (The Stand, The Dark Tower, etc). He's a wicked sorceror/demon who is as masterfully crafted as any of King's characters. You'll actually find yourself afraid of this one, maybe even looking over your should to be sure he's not there.

All told, I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. It's a great read, truly a classic from the master of Horror.

Well spun fantasy for the younger reader. I understand it was written for his 13 year old daughter. I avoided Stephen King because of the horror factor. My daughter suggested this one. It was not scary and had enough intrigue to keep me interested. The ebook has a lot of typos in the translation: it likes to turn Ls into Ts, as in Delain to Detain, frequently; changed doll to do//; and others, which if it had been proof read would have been corrected. A fairytale well told.

Stephen King has said that "Eyes of the Dragon" was written for his daughter who at the time was not old enough to read his published novels. He did not intend to have the story published but once word got out that the story existed it was impossible to turn down the financial offers.

The story itself is one of murder and betrayal, focusing on two Princes who are in-line to be King. One brother is wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned, set-up by the King's evil advisor Flagg, and the other ascends to be King while under Flagg's influence (yes Flagg has infiltrated King's young adult novel).

I was curious to see if I could introduce my 9 year old daughter, who recently has taken an interest in sci-fi/fantasy books, to Stephen through this book. Although the majority of the novel is acceptable for this age there were a few scenes that parents should be aware of. Early on King talks about the "making" of the heirs to the throne, and although not graphic at all there are suggestions of baby making with little love between the King and Queen. There is also a horrible death scene and family betrayal between the brothers. All in all nothing heinous but make sure your child is mature enough to handle the subject matter.

Overall the book reads like a story told to a child before bedtime and I don't think it is meant as anything more than that. The story is generic with characters that are one-sided and labeled as "good" or "bad" (except for Thomas who is an interesting character but diving into his mind would be way too much for a children's book). There is very little plot except to find out if the Prince is redeemed and Flagg punished, but somehow that is enough. There is an innocence to the novel that seems to carry the story forward with enough trademark King to keep his adult fans interested for a short time.

"Eyes of the Dragon" is not a long novel and reads quickly. It is not meant to be anything more than a breezy story about two Princes and the man named Flagg who wants to control them both and a Kingdom.

...but not because it's especially well written or has a very interesting storyline (that is, if you've read some of the other fantasy out there). The real reason you can't stop reading it is because the author cheated in a way to make it like that. But that's just my opinion.
The style of the book is like this: Imagine that a storyteller is telling you a story leaving out an entire part of it. Every five minutes, he says something like "because in seven years the prince was...", and then goes back and explains the same story but from another point of view. Now, in my opinion, doing this once is alright, doing it a few times is tolerable, but doing this every two-ten minutes in a story that took (for me) about 7 hours to read is... well, I'll let you, the reader, decide (as King says in his book so many times). Some people might like this style, but I found that it makes the reader want to keep reading the book even though it's not really enjoyable anymore.
Now the story: is full of things used many, many times before in fantasy fiction and to greater extents than here. There are, of course, many reminders of King's beliefs and religion in here. And (again, in my opinion) the ending was so predictable and been-there-done-that that I didn't feel any suspense or concern for the main characters. Nor was there really any serious drama in that book to make me feel for the main characters.
Still, this is a fairly good book and should please people who are new to fantasy. If you want to move on to something with a less basic outline however, you might try either "Sorcerer's Son" (which is out of print unfortunatly but might be found at an the store.com auction) or "The Lord of the Rings". Both these books use very different styles, but I would give each of them 5 stars easily.
PLEASE NOTE that since this is the first time I've ever read a Stephen King book, I'm not rating it compared to his other books, but compared to the other fantasy books that I have read.
Thank you for reading this review.

Why is this book so long? This story is about a prince who gets accused for murdering his dad.

A kingdom is in turmoil after king Roland dies and worthy successor, Prince Peter, is accused and imprisoned by the evil magician and his pawn, little Prince Thomas. The magicians plot is not quite perfect, he doesn't know Thomas's terrible secret-or Prince Peters daring plan to escape and claim what is rightfully his............

I feel sorry for Prince Peter because he got accused and imprisoned for something the evil magician did and he didn't. I also feel sorry for Thomas and Peter because both their mom and dad both died. Why did the evil magician want to kill Roland? Why didn't Thomas tell anyone that it wasn't Peter who killed his father? Why doesn't Thomas just let Peter out of the needle he is the king? The main idea I think is that you sometimes you get blamed for stuff that you don't do.

This fantasy book is a very good book. It's a little long (380pgs), but it's worth it. It is a very interesting book. I think that you would really enjoy this book. I enjoyed it.

I recommend this book to you because it is a very good book, but it's very long (380pgs). I've liked it so far. It's a well written book; it's by Stephen King and called "Eyes of the Dragon." I think you would like this book a lot, but everybody's different. Go check it out now from the library and travel through the castle of Delaine!!!

Every summer my sons and I go throught the same song and dance. They are required to read two books from a list provided by their High school. And every year I hear the same things...this is long, this is boring, why do I have to do this? Well this year I chose the books and what a great surprise this one turned out to be! Stephen King's works that I am familiar with are so long winded and go so into detail that I often lost interest after about the 5th chapter. Instead this book written for one of his children was fast such a fast and fun read I got no complaints from anyone! The chapters are often one paragraph long and the story moves along at a gallop. The plot line, though not hard to see from the very beginning, is the right mix for kids as well as adults. The ending is just scary enough too. It would make a great summer read for all ages.

Eyes of the Dragon is a definite departure from King's usual horror-esque genre. It is a work of pure fantasy that won't disappoint King fans because it sticks to King's tradition of examining the morality of good versus evil with his uncanny knack for adding plot twists. It is also a great story for those who want something lighter (and prefer not to stay up all night with images of pure gore).
The story is set in the kingdom of Delain, which falls under the influence of the evil magician Flagg (who appears in several other King novels) every few hundred years. The beginning of the story nicely sets up how Flagg influences King Roland the Good and continues with the ongoing history of Delain. The story is exciting, full of adventure and woe and suspense.
One of the best points of this book is the fairy-tale feel. As a reader, I appreciated the commentary made by the narrator. Although his identity is not revealed, his comments add new light to the story as it unfolds. The perspective always includes something to keep in mind as the story progresses so that the reader has a more enjoyable experience as well as examines every angle of the story. You can almost feel the narrator talking to you as you read! In this sense, the story really comes to life.
Read this book and you too will be able to see through the Eyes of the Dragon.

By no means am I a Stephen King fan. When a friend of mine told me I should read this, I hesitated. Later when that same friend lent me the book, I had little choice but to actually read it. Imagine my surprise to find that it is definitely not your run of the mill Stephen King book. By no means does it fit the stereotype I expected based on his other works. Eyes of the Dragon is a fantasy about a king, his kingdom, and his sons. Those expecting a standard Stephen King scream-fest might be disappointed by this - then again maybe not. Considering I generally do not read his books, I quite enjoyed the change of pace.

The book is well written, and fairly easy to get in to. I won't say he's an experienced or particularly talented fantasy writer. That would be unfair to the genre. But he does hold his own, managing to maintain the reader's interest as he constructs the story, with kings and sons and wizards and dragons, and a series of unfortunate events that befall our hero. While the certainly knows what will happen as the story progresses, there is no lack of enjoyment getting there.

On the other hand, there isn't much fantasy depth here. King isn't experienced in the genre and it shows. The plot and characters are trite, about what you would expect by any author new to fantasy. What King lacks in his fantasy writing depth, he makes up for with his ability to put words on a page. I don't think that entirely atones for the lack of fantasy cohesiveness in the novel, but it helps.

All in all I think this is a good book. Those who love hard-core fantasy or those who are looking for a standard Stephen King thriller will likely be disappointed. Other than that group of readers, I think the book caters to a wide audience. Most people will probably enjoy what this book has to offer.

Solid read, recommended.

I checked this out at my local library, and I admit the cover art drew me in. I was just passing and saw this audio book. I picked it up and I was pleasantly surprised by a great yarn.

I have never been a great fan of Stephen King. In fact his horror and macabre stories don't interest me. I have only liked Edgar Allen Poe in the genre. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to find this story quite good. I don't think I'd put this tale in the "Fantasy" genre though. There was no true dragons, fairies, gnomes or any magical creatures that usually live within those famous novels such as Lord of the Rings or any other such book.

However, what is here is quite good. The beginning like most stories I have read are a bit slow with lots of background and setup pertaining to the characters histories and their families, etc. I stuck with it and thank God, because the payoff and ending was riveting and dramatic. It read like a modern novel with chases, fear, and many other aspects of good edge-of-your-seat-drama.

My only complaint would be that the story is a bit too simplistic. It seems tailored for a "tweenager" or an audience slightly older. I would of liked to have more story about the surrounding nations or powers, magical beasts, etc... thus making it a true fantasy novel.

But before many of you accost me for losing site of the intent of this book, I do see it for what it was. A rather simple but good story about eight to ten characters and how their lives and events intertwine them to one another.

I have to make a side note: The Narrator is one of the best I have heard! His voice and acting abilities are so good, that I felt like I was easily witnessing the events within my head. He made following along the story easier and more exciting with his amazing abilities.

With all this said, it was quite a good book. I truly liked the characters and even enjoying the "bad guys" and their actions. It was like one of those cheap 1940's westerns where the bad guys wore black and the good guy with his large ten-gallon hat on his white horse and no pretense or overly complex thoughts.

I intend to read or listen to another one of Mr. King's fantasy novels and hope that I can be entertained again. If you can pick this one up at your local library, I would suggest it.

Enjoy!

This isn't a horror novel, at least not mainstream Stephen King. This is King's version of the fairytail. In the Kingdom of Delain The King's advisor Flagg (from the Dark Tower series and The Stand) murders him by poisoning him and has his oldest son Peter who is the successor to the throne falsely accused of the crime and imprisoned for life. He then manipulates the younger brother Thomas who has now been crowned King into doing his evil will. It's up to three people to save the real King. This book is amazing, Stephen King's writing abilities never cease to impress me. This is not as descriptive as his other books but that doesn't detract one bit from it. There are several pages of artwork throughout the book, the art is similair to the type seen in story books of classic fairytales. There are some moments in this book that I felt didn't need to be there because they are disgusting, one of King's drawbacks is his apparent need to include graphic descriptions of bodily fluids in a lot of of his work. But other then that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a fantasy story as only King could tell it.

I never thought that the word "classic" could be applied to anything written by Stephen King, but Mr. King has once again outdone himself with this incredibly enjoyable novel.
In this novel he moves from his popular horror novel formula to a medievel type story, realistic but also full of magic. The plot more than matches the setting- it is complex but great, and in the end it all comes together to form an unforgettable climax.
This book is a great fiction read for fantasy fans- the medievel world in which it is set is classic, but the characters are very deep and realistic. Stephen King creates a world that is fantastic, wonderful, eerie, and sometimes macabre without losing any of the the story's validity.
It is an enthralling tale of deceit, control, power, rebellion, and friendship. It'll keep you up all night, and believe me, you won't regret reading it.

You must by all account at least try and read this "fairy tale" from King because it is a full size page turner King-style. The best bit is King describing the King vomit into his royal fireplace. It has everything, damsel in distress, Brad Pitt type hero, we are all surprised no one has made it into a movie yet because it is very good. King did not do fantasy before this and I think this is his best Fantasy book next to The Dark Tower. Certainly Dark Tower readers should try here. I would also recommend it to those who like The Stand as there is a character from that book here. So in many ways there is lots of reasons to try this out. Pure "Fairy Tale" horror in every sense of the word. It is like King has hijacked the Brother's Grimm for a weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=ZikvWB48LCQ
Please people with the money, if you buy a new book, include a used one in your shopping cart. That will help the store enormously in their storage, and it can help you too. At some places the price can’t lower to lesser a penny. Take a used book for a 0.01$ anywhere.
It has many usage including, “Cash4Books.net”
Recycle or Burn it for survival heat. Use two books as spacers to raise your monitor because it’s always better to view at eye leveled to the center of your screen. Even better, send it to donation, any library would take it, or the third world too.
Do not fear a book because it has no teeth!!
When you open your used book, wear gloves if you have to, then you’ll realize, “This book ain’t that back after all.”
Good read and peace!!
- Ricky

I have read a lot of fantasy in my life. I think that this book stands as one of the best single volume fantasy tales written, and that fact that it is nothing like anything else King wrote (which I have also read a lot of) makes it even more of a treat. If you are a fantasy fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book and rejoice at the fact that when it is done, you do not have 10 more volumes to read.
If you are a King fan, then this is where things get interesting. This IS NOT anything like the Stand, It, Salem's Lot, or any of the other books that got you to first start reading King. This is a book about knights, wizards, scheming magicians. Give it a try. If you like it (which you will), move on to Martin's Song of Fire and Ice.

Roland the good is married to a young princess named Sasha. Their first son is Peter. Everyone loves him and he is the perfect blend of mommy and daddy. Their next son is Thomas, who is not as accepted by Delain or his father. Sadly Sasha dies during childbirth and is never a mother to Thomas. Peter is loved by all of the kingdom of Delain, everyone except for the court magician, Flagg. Flagg wants to control Delain through the king and he knows he cannot do that if Peter becomes king so he has to get Thomas in the throne. He befriends Thomas, frames Peter for the murder of his father Roland, and has Peter imprisoned at the top of the needle. Now the years pass as Flagg rules Delain through Thomas and Peter is forever locked at the top of the needle...or is he?

This is a true masterpiece. King crafts a plot and characters on par with past works of his such as the Green Mile and the Gunslinger series, and puts them in a Fairy Tale setting. The results are absolutely amazing. I have read nearly all of King's work and this is the novel which I most wish that we would have written a sequel to.
The story centers around sibling rivalry between two young princes and their relationship with their father. Their father's evil court magician then gets in on the act and tragedy strikes. To tell more would reveal too much about the story.
If you are a fan of Harry Potter, I think this book would be right up your alley. It would also be a great read for fans of the Dark Tower series or of the Stand because a few of the villains are the same (only different).
I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old, who would like a break from any heavy reading they might be doing and would enjoy high fantasy at its best by one of the world's greatest living authors. You won't be dissapointed.

I read this about ten years ago and just read the book again about two years ago (I'm 34 now). Well, I'm delighted to say that it still has all its magic.
As an aspiring writer, I was breaking down the story, trying to figure out what made it special. It's not so much the setting as there are many fairy tale legends which are similar to this one . .. nor is it the actual idea as many good princes have been unjustly imprisoned and then tried to redeem themselves later.
This tale's strength is in its narrative prose as well as its nuances. The magical dollhouse, the napkins, the tidbits of legends, the extra push for detailing characters all explain why King is such a great storyteller.
If you like King, read this. If you like fantasy, read this. If you like fairy tales, read this . .. although, be warned: this is not for children.

Great story, lots of fun and a quick read. Nice departure from the "king" of scary fiction! Would have actually liked it to be a little longer and fleshed out, but that's only a minor little criticism. Highly recommended for King and fantasy fans.

After reading so many positive reviews of this book my expectations for a truly special fantasy novel, on par with The Dark Tower series, were pretty high. That's what I get for having high expectations! Now, admittedly this novel is pretty enjoyable. But "classic"? Not hardly. I am a pretty big Stephen King fan but this is not one of his best stories. So utterly predictable, I was rooting for Flagg just to have a twist ending or something! But it read like a childrens fairy tale, and a pretty mild one at that. Maybe it's the packaging that threw me but I was expecting a little something closer to an adult novel here. And that is not what you get. The Harry Potter books are more explicit in their depiction of violence. The best parts were the evil schemings of Flagg (and the understanding that this is one incarnation of Randall Flagg, from The Stand), especially the Dragon Sand and the death it brought its victims, still that came across as mediocre at best. What would have saved this, and put it in the category of "classic", would have been more than one dragon playing a role. Bottom line, if you're a Stephen King fan take this one for a whirl, as I recommend reading all of his works, just to know them. But don't expect anything more than to be slightly entertained by this children's tale. Now if they'd promote it as such, maybe I'd have a higher opinion of it.

"The Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King is an incredible read. The tale begins with two prince brothers. The older brother, Peter, is the perfect prince, with a kind caring heart, great intelligence and to top it off good looks too. All of his father's subjects can't wait for him to be crowned king. The younger brother, Thomas, is less perfect. He is a spitting image of his father which is not a good thing. He has few brains and his heart is like any other noble, a bit stuck up.
The King, Roland, is drawing near to the end of his life. He has an advisor named Flagg who is also a magician. King Roland suddenly falls ill and dies from poisoning. Peter is suspected of this evil though he loved his father greatly. Peter was immediately placed on trial and incriminated with false evidence placed by Flagg. He is convicted and imprisoned in the tallest tower of the kingdom. Thomas is then crowned king.
Little did Flagg know that Thomas had seen him poison his father. Thomas was too proud and he wouldn't tell anyone what he had seen. The years pass as Thomas rules by terror, influenced by Flagg pouring his evil into Thomas's mind. Peter must escape the tower. Will he be in time to save his country from Flagg's evil?
In this novel the descriptions of scene settings and views are some of the best I have ever read. The characters grow and change with the world around. This book leaves a lasting imprint on your memory that will amaze and excite you for years to come. Stephen King has created a masterpiece in this tale.
The only thing that I find disappointing with this story is that Flagg is a bit too evil. Stephen King goes over the top with this character making this characterization unrealisticly evil.

This was the first King novel I ever read as a child, and I was hooked. Although not typical of King's haunted cars or clarvoyant teens, King is most seen in his character Flagg, the evil magician.

Without giving anything away, if King isn't your favorite author (although he is mine), this is a refreshing novel that first proved that he can write using other genres rather than his horror novels. Although King has been more apt recently to write other things, this book was the first that was not so "horrific". It is even a great read for a pre-teen or teen that isn't usually allowed to read King, given that the book is much like the popular wizard novels of this decade.

So far, this is my favorite Stephen King book to date. Once I started reading this book I found myself unable put it down.
The story is pretty short compared to King's other Novels, but it moves very fast, and is very interesting. Not one boring part in the entire book!!!
Basicly the story starts out with a King and his Queen, they have 2 sons, one is named Peter and the other Thomas. Peter is just like his mother, a wise, intelegent boy. Thomas is like his father, the total opposite of Peter, very insecure, and a lush.
Then there is the king's magician, an evil man who's name is Flagg, who has been around for many years, too many years. (dont want to spoil)
The king is murdered, and who is to blame?
Thus starts the great adventure that awaits. The book moves quickly and the action is fast. I finished the book in 3 days. There is not any rambling on and on in this one, (which is seen in many of Stephen King's Novels) it's strait to the point!! This is just a wonderful tale, seen through the eyes of the dragon.

Most folks praise or complain about this book because it's a more "normal" fantasy than King would normally write. I don't think that's entirely true. The narrative voice is a lot of fun, and I imagine a rather gruff lackluster storyteller behind the whole thing. To me, that was a lot of the attraction of the whole thing.

The story does move slowly, and I certainly found myself ploughing through the second half of the book at a happier clip than the first half. The characters were still well developed, in keeping with a strong ability, even though the story wasn't quite as compelling as others I've read. However, as fairytales to tell children go, I liked this a whole bunch. The chapters are short enough that you could give a three chapter a night dose easily and keep the book going for a long time with an interested kid. The edition I have has rather lackluster illustrations, but otherwise i thought it was a neat venture.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I know that it is not an average King book, but I also know why. He wrote it for his daughter, which explains why it is more like a faery tale than his usual horror. However, it is very expressive for a fantasy book written by a horror author. You have to consider that he is the master of surprises, he knows what his reader expects and he refuses to give it to them. Everyone hopes that Peter will be the one to get rid of Flagg, but that is not what King allows. His ending is really effective, and his resurrection of the importance of the "little guy" really makes the book a true work of art. I recommend this type of book to the audience that will appreciate the combination of unnerving and thrilling with the ever-popular prince and his heroic quest.

I'm not a hardcore reader, but my dad is. My mom was a librarian, and used to bring home new books for him to read all the time. I saw this on the table one evening and it looked interesting, so I began to read it when he finished it. It grabbed me right from the beginning, and never let me go. It was one of those books (and we've all had these) where you know you need to go to bed but you keep saying "okay, one more chapter" over and over again, and the next thing you know it's two o'clock in the morning. You can read the other reviews to know if you'll like the subject matter; I'll just say the writing is vivid, and you feel like you're in the room watching everything happen as you're reading it. Highly, highly recommended.

I first read this fantasy in high school. After reading it, I was hooked on King and wanted more books in this vein. I loved it! I think it's one of the best books he's ever written. I wish he'd do more like it. It's also interesting because it's the first time he introduces Randall Flagg (at least I think it is- not sure on the publication of this versus the Dark Tower stuff). It's interesting to see how Flagg, such an evil character is thwarted by patience and time.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes fantasy. It's like King stepped outside of himself to write this book. It's not at all like his normal, weird, scare-the-bejesus-out-of-you horror novels.

I first read this book about 20 years ago when I was in my Stephen King phase. With no idea of what the book held, I read on. And am I ever glad I did! Not like what you would expect from King, but a great book. The library had it in Kindle edition and I wanted to read it again...couldn't put it down. I think I may have enjoyed it more the second time around. Now I'm thinking about buying it so I can read it again without waiting 20 years to do so. Fantasy and fairy tales are not the genre I enjoy reading, but if there were more like this, I might be talked into changing!

Yes, i knew this already, from reading "The Green Mile, Different seasons, and Blaze. But this book is fantasy, pure fantasy. Aside from the talisman, this is King's only pure fantasy book, and i say he did a great job writing this book. It's definitly appropriate for all ages to read and enjoy! I liked this book becuase i found my inner 10 year old, forgot about "real life" for a while, and had fun reading this book. I would give this one 4 and a half, because it could have been just a little better in my opnion, but stll another great book by King!

Eyes of the Dragon is quite a departure from King's normal style and genre. I was never really into fantasy type books or movies but having been a big SK fan, I had to read it anyway. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. EOTD is a classic story of kings, sorcerers, magic, and mayhem. It is a sort of fairy tale type story that can be enjoyed by all ages. The plot is well-organized and rock solid and the book is stuffed with King's brilliant descriptions of the settings and characters.
I found this to be both a fast and satisfying read. I think it will make a terrific computer generated animation (Toy Story or Shreck type) movie someday. Five stars!

I just finished this book and enjoyed it immensely. Before reading this, I had read the entire Dark Tower series, so I had a different view of the antagonist than someone who is just being introduced to him might. As a fan of The Dark Tower, this book was all the more interesting. I really enjoyed the narration, as well. If you're looking for a Stephen King horror novel, this probably isn't for you, but it does have some mystery and suspense. Even if you wind up guessing how it ends, a lot of the joy comes in seeing how it all gets there.

I have terrific memories of reading this book. As my brother and I left our sisters house one summer afternoon, she shoved this book into my hands and told me I'd like it. On the forty-five minute drive back to our house I started reading it out loud to my brother. By the time we got home we were both hooked. We took turns reading out loud to each other, doing voices for the different characters and the narator until we finnished it. The experience was almost like that of William Goldman, when his Florentine father read him S. Morgenstern's The Princes Bride as a boy. Not a bad way to spend a weekend with your brother, eh?

I didn't know it as I began reading in the car to my brother that the language is that of it being spoken, not written, and thus demands to be read aloud. King tells a vibrant story filled with invention, more so than in his other works. He uses trophy heads, doll houses, butlers and napkins in surprising ways. His characters are a diverse set of good and decent people from peasants to royalty that always try to do the right thing, but still find themselves manipulated by a magician's evil schemes. King is a master of tone. The imagery shifts between the creepy, the comic and back to the horrific so fluidly, that it's like a meal where each bite is a new tase, and each one as delicious as the last. King has also raised the use of forshadowing to high art, turning the literary device from what's usually fleeting and vague passages into bold narative flourishes that always keeps you on your toes.

The Eyes of the Dragon is one of the few books I've read that I can't praise highly enough. It may not strike the same chord with everyone as it did with me, but it's still one of those books that reminds us why we read and tell each other stories in the first place.

I borrowed this book from the school library in high school. Stephen King had written it for his daughter after she complained that she wasn't allowed to read any of his books. That doesn't stop King from mentioning a sexual organ in the book, though. Still, the language and violence are a lot milder than in a typical King novel. This story is about a kingdom and its royal family. Those of you that like medieval fantasy will like this story. I love it. I had read large sections of it at a time. It's that good. The villain is Flagg (from "The Stand"). "The Eyes of the Dragon" has deceit, betrayal, love, romance, adventure, and humor. The illustrations are good, too. I highly recommend this book.

Both of my kids are starting to outgrow the children's section of the bookstore, and want to read more adult material. I heard that King wrote this book for his 12 year old daughter, so I figured it would be safe.
All of the "questionable" material is in the beginning of the book, where the impotence of the king is a major issue. There are several sections that refer to his use of viagra-type products, but nothing explicit. As long as you've already had the birds-and-the-bees discussion with your child, I would not hesitate to recommend it. Otherwise, you may have some explaining to do!
All three of us (my 12 year old son, my nine year old daughter, and I) really enjoyed it.

I re-read Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon last week. It's a wonderful and familiar tale of deception and justice set in a medieval fantasy world. It's a story of kings and wizards, fathers and sons, and of course, good and evil. All of the classical elements of comfortable fantasy are present here, and King doesn't move the furniture around much to disrupt the reader's expectations. You will likely anticipate the ending far before you get there, but it's still an exciting ride.

One of the better features of the book is King's decision to employ a first-person narrator who isn't particularly interested in relating a lot of physical description of the setting. Much of the job of visualizing and populating the kingdom of Delain is left to the reader's imagination; a few nudges here and there from the narrator is all the reader needs.

My only problem with the novel is that I can't tell who the intended audience is. There are some rather graphic scenes of violence scattered throughout the text and a scene or two describing sex acts. If these few pages are removed, however, one might find the Harry Potter books more risqué. The narrator sometimes talks down to the reader and offers platitudes to explain profound moments in the lives of the characters, much like a young adult book does. Thus, there isn't a lot to challenge an adult reader here.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed re-reading this book. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the novel is that it is small, tidy story involving a handful of characters that the reader gets to know well enough to love or despise. And when the book ends, the reader feels that the events that have taken place were certainly important, but there are always more tales to tell.

This is an absolute masterpiece.
This charmingly written book is one of the finest of its sort. King's take on the Fairy Tale genre is both well thought out and endearing. Even though certain elements are far fetched, it quickly defends its position by reminding you that you're in another world, filled with Dragons, Magicians, and mystical forces, where anything can happen. And let's face it, if we can suspend belief for The Brother's Grimm, or even Michael Moorcock and Tolkien for that matter, why not King?
I really liked the form that the book is written in. It's a narrative form written as if a guy sat down in your living room and told you a story. The best part, is that King never slips or forgets this. From beginning to end you're still in your living room listening to the Storyteller.
Although it was written for adolecents, (King's daughter in particular) King wanted to make sure that he wasn't "talking down" to them as he put it, so the book is still written in an adult fashion, and from an adults perspective it really makes you feel like you're a kid again.
In the end, King makes you glad, in a way, that you have left this other-worldly realm that he has made for us. The end brings closure, we're satiated, and we're pleased with this. But there are also unanswered questions which leave us ready for the next tale, and that, in my book, is the best storytelling there is.
I really enjoyed this book and I would, of course, recommend it to anyone.

The Eyes of the Dragon had some great potential. It had the staple fantasy elements that make any faerie tale a classic as well as classic Stephen King characters. However, King's writing is atrocious and the editing is pretty horrible as well, at least in the edition i have which is one of the earlier ones. Maybe some of the issues with misspellings and simple sentences have been fixed but its really a testament to the story that i can still rate it four stars even with these issues. Good Story but don't expect Kings usually great writing. Here it sounds kinda stale.

I've read most of the reviews about this book and even though most were positive there were a few, as there always will be, that didn't like the book for one reason or another. The main reason in most of the "bad reviews" was that The Eyes of the Dragon was not a typical King novel and as a fan they were extremely let down.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and this is mine.
What is a typical Stephen King novel? If King were a typical writer I probably would have stopped reading his books years ago and I suspect neither would alot of his other "true" fans. Do I consider myself a fan of King's work? Of course I do, but being a fan makes me appreciate ALL of his work because it shows me how diversified he truly is and this is what I mostly look for in a writer.
The genius that is Stephen King is that he is NOT typical at all and I pray to God he never becomes. I love his books, some more than others, as will always be the case, but I love them all and I do because no matter what he writes about it is always fun and interesting to read. This is especially true when he writes something so different and so wildly exciting as The Eyes of the Dragon.
Thank you the store for giving me an opportunity to say what I wanted to say.

I usually do not like Stephen King's books he tends to give to many details that usually make the story redundant. This book; however, is the best I have ever read by him. He introduces you to a medieval type kingdom where tyranny and betrayl reign. King unfolds the evil plot of a black sorcerer before your very eyes. The climax of the book is great and it always keeps you guessing. I was skeptical when I first read the plot, I thought to myself King and fantasy no way, but he did it and it is excellent. This book is a must read for all fans of fantasy and horror alike.

It's been a long time since I first read this book but I found it still very enjoyable and engaging. Forces of good and evil, dragons, kings, And wizards all skillfully blended into a wonderful yarn. Read it and someday maybe you'll have occasion to read it again and enjoy it even more.

I was very interested to read this book, because it was a break from the norm for Stephen King. It is a tale of a kingdom, a murder, an imprisoned heir, and ingenuity. Overall the story would never rate with the pure fantasy Kingdoms with made up languages and cultures. But it is an interesting read, very tame for Stephen King... a kids story. There was only one piece of questionable language I can remember, which is vastly different than the characters in most King stories.

I've read a lot of Stephen King's books & find that he covers many different themes & topics but he does have a style that is recognizable (which I believe is good). However, with The Eyes of the Dragon, I wouldn't have guessed it was by Stephen King if I just picked it up & started reading without looking at the author's name. This book was written to target younger readers but I enjoyed it very much.

I thought I had read all his books but hadn't read this one. It is a good story of evil versus good in a land of long ago. Well written with believable characters and intriguing plot. I really liked how Stephen narrates it with his comments. Would recommend it for anyone who loves Stephen King.

I recently had the pleasure to read this outstanding book. It is a clever fairy tale that makes no assumptions about having childish readers. It is fully formed, with brilliantly crafted characters, and plot twists that will have you paging forward for solutions to the plot precipices King so deliciously places you upon. But resist the temptation, and allow King to reveal his secrets in time. He unfolds his tale beautifully to a very satifying conclusion. This is a book that I read aloud with a friend on an extended road trip, and the suspense and magesty of the tale kept me captivated mile after mile. I highly recommend it as read aloud material, both for mature children and for adults.

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a phenomenal book about a prince, Peter, who is hated because he was framed of killing his father, who is the king of Delain. Instead of Peter becoming king, he is locked in the pinnacle of the highest tower in the kingdom. His brother Thomas, who is being controlled by the officious sorcerer Flagg, becomes king. This book shows how a prince can excel despite the hardships presented by the environment that he lives in. For instance, it shows how Peter's life is nearly extirpated for just an insidious plan. This fantasy story is filled with kings and queens, dark sorcerers, and adventures that anyone can enjoy.

This book has a very meaningful theme. It shows how Peter never gave up and

held his head high. He always reached for his goal, even though everyone doubted him and wanted him dead. Peter shows everyone reading this book how to keep his courage even at the darkest times. He suffered through a catastrophe that most people couldn't stand. Peter showed the people of Delain how to fight back, and even though Flagg has the kingdom under his control, Peter knows how to manage himself. The book inspired me to never give up, and withstand peoples' negative thoughts and still reach for the positive. I think everyone can learn something from this book, even though it is a fantasy, because it shows many moral values.

The Eyes of the Dragon is a wonderfully written book where fantasy is combined with the true meanings of life. Most fantasy/adventure books do not try to teach life lessons. Instead, they only want to thrill and excite the reader for pure prurient value. This book showed me what it is like when no one can trust you, even though you're innocent, and the only thing you can do is reach into the darkness and pull out that bit of light that can save your life. If you enjoy well-written adventure stories, and how a prince's life is changed by someone else's choice, then you will love The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King.

This book was mediocre and boring in my opinion compared to many good fantasy books I have read. The middle of the book seemed to drag on and on and the characters are not very memorable nor have much depth. Fantasy authors often create detailed worlds that lure you in and make you believe in their world, their characters. This whole book takes place within a boring castle in a world of nowhere. The plot is very bland as well. It's basically about this guy who's up in a tower and he saves scraps of tissues everyday for years hoping that he could make a tool out of it to eventually escape. Most of the book is about him saving tissues and doing nothing in the tower. He must have been bored out of his mind. I mean, I was bored just reading about it! If you are interested in a real page turner, I suggest The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, The Mysts of Avalon by Marrion Zimmer Bradley, or the Dragonlance Series that are written by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman.

First off, I must say I'm not a huge Stephen King fan. BUT, this book is a good one to read. It is not the typical horror or psychological thriller that we'd expect, but just a very, very good...story.
It is more a fantasy than horror, and really is storytelling at a very, very high level. For those who like this type of novel, it is a gem. If you want to be scared out of your wits, go somewhere else.
It has an epic style -- there is a rich back-story, and, if you like it as much as I do, you will want to see this build into a series.
Happy reading!

I'd give it and 1/2 but I rounded it up to five.
This is the second King book I read- THe Green Mile being the first. I don't care what other reviewers said- I LOVED it. No it's not Tolkien but what is? It's a light read thats entertaining and fun.
NO it may not be the best written book but it's interesting and it kept my attention. The drawings were also beautiful. My fav character happened to be Sasha- I wanted to know more about her.
I like how King used the "storyteller" narrative. I thouoght it was more interesting than if he used just a regular third point perspective.

My brother read this book and showed it to me and it was awesome. But, it raised a question that keeps beating at us to this day: Why is there no movie of this? This is one of Stephen King's best seller books and it would make a great film. It is probably one of the few Stephen King books that is not a film. Lets hope that the popularity of the new Stephen King adaptation THE MIST, will help to convince studios to reconsider their reluctance in adapting Eyes Of The Dragon. Give this a shot and see weather you like it or not.

this book pleasantly surprised me. im always nervous when i read a book by King and i expected this one to be scary. instead i found a book full of magic and dragons and secrecy. it was a book that held my attention easily and i very much enjoyed reading it.

A very good story that kept my attention. I normally dislike pure fantasy books, where the author can change "the rules" whenever he or she feels like it. I decided to give this book a try because it was not a horror story, which is something I feel King produces now without any creative energy. This story used most of the standard cliches of this sort of material, yet kept my attention throughout. If a sequel is ever written to the last few pages, I'll definitely read that as well. If you are a fan of the never-ending gunslinger novels, you may not like this.

This book was not at all what I was expecting from Stephen King. It is written like a fairy tale story. It took me a while to get into it, but once I got used to the writing style it was not bad. The characters where well written, and the story moves at a good pace. I found I did not get hooked on the story completely until about half way through, and then I could not put it down.
It helped me to put things in perspective when a friend told me that Stephen King wrote this book for his kid. A fairy tale of Princes, and dragons, and dark wizards, death and friendship. A story written by King that his child could actually be allowed to read :0)

This book is quite possibly the first introduction into one of King's recurring characters through many of his books, the dark man Flagg. Set in a fantasy of old this book places the main character, a prince, in conflict with Flagg after the king is assasinated. With definate similarities to Hamlet this book is a definate break away from King's norm of fright/horror, and I've thought that this different form is where King does his best work. This is an interesting book that flows beautifully and should be in your collection.

i bought the kindle version of this book and while i enjoyed it very much, i was very distracted by rather bsd typos that were inconsistent through the whole story. delain would become detain, pulled to putted, and faster to easter are just a few. it became distracting and disappointed me because as a book by a major author you'd think they would take more care in creating the digital copy. i wish i could get some money back for that.

otherwise i really enjoyed the story and was glad to have read more related to the dark tower.

Before reading this novel, I had never really `experienced' another book by Stephen King. Considered one of the most prolific writers of this generation, his books continue to amaze people throughout the world, and I can now see why. After reading this novel, The Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King's style of writing has interested me enough to consider reading another one of his books.
In the beginning of the book, the author introduces the setting, about the king of Delain, King Roland, and his two sons, Peter and Thomas. Peter, the eldest son, has all of the best traits. Strong, artistic, handsome, kind, and dignified, everyone loves him. His brother Thomas on the other hand, is weak, dim-witted, pale-faced, and although jealous of his older brother, loves him dearly. In general, the book concerns sibling rivalry and Thomas' jealousy towards his older brother.
The book's plot involves the hooded dark magician Flagg. An evil man, Flagg fears Peter, especially when Peter will soon take over as king. In spite of himself, Flagg tries to throw Delain into a state of turmoil and disorder. To do this, he must first get Peter out of the way and then manipulate the weak willed Thomas to see through his scheme. As the book unravels, the author then intricately describes how Flagg carries out his plan and what Peter does to combat him.
The story line of King's novel is not too complicated. Adeptly telling the entire story in third person, he specifically uses the voice of an oral narrator. King is able to make the book extremely vivid by using plenty of adjectives and literary devices. A flaw to this book though, is the fact that it is not told from the perspective of a specific character. This detracted from the story a bit, and although it is still very well written, the third person aspect hints what will come next. In parts of the book, King basically tells the readers what the bad guys will do and what the good guys will do in response. This is because the author narrates from a third party and everything Flagg did and thought, the audience would know. As a result, some parts of the book tended to lack a sense of suspense and excitement.
What I did like about this book though, were the characters. Unlike the fairly tale characters where the good are always pure good and the villains pure evil, King is able to blend good and evil together to create characters who were really people. Through King's description, I was able to feel what the characters were feeling. Thomas' jealousy of Peter was one of the emotions that I felt was particularly strong, as well as the emotions that conflicted inside of him as he tried to make the right decisions.
Overall a fast paced book, I would recommend The Eyes of the Dragon to all who are seeking a well-written novel of kings, magic, and mystery.

WOW!! I love this book. The story is a fantasy and King weaves a nice tale about good reigning over evil in the end. As in true King form the text is flowing and grips you from the beginning. There is a king, a queen, the princes, the king's advisor, dragons, battle, and one magnificent dollhouse! All is well until the king dies mysteriously and his son is accused of the murder. What will happen next? Will the prince escape his wrongful conviction? Read on, friends! Definitely one of my favorite King novels..

The novel The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King is a very imaginative and descriptive novel. Unlike most of Stephen King's novels, which are usually chilling and gruesome, this novel contains very little gore (which is a good thing for those of us with weak stomachs). King, who is notorious for his shocking and grisly images in his horror novels, uses the same precise and intricate detail skills that he has mastered in that group in a more light-hearted and lively story. This story's genre truly shows you the range of genre that King can successfully write. Although the plot is simple and predictable, the descriptions in the book make up for the dreary, lax plotline. Not that the plot doesn't have its creative moments. One such event that stood out in my mind was when Peter used the dollhouse's sewing machine to create a rope to escape from the prison tower with. I know it sounds a bit too much like something from a Boy Scout's handbook, but King's description is as precise and powerful as the tedious work Peter put into the surprisingly strong rope itself. King also takes flat, stock characters and breathes new life into them with his rich character and rewarding details. Flagg, the evil magician who plots to eventually rule the kingdom, seems to be your usual fantasy novel villain, until King vividly explains to you Flagg's age, wisdom, motivation, and the extent to which Flagg goes to just so that his plan will work flawlessly. It is these kinds of descriptions of people, events, and places that make this novel such a satisfying read.

This novel is one of Stephen King$B!G(Bs easier and shorter novels, yet it still manages to intrigue its reader with its great plot and characters.
The story is about King Roland who has a first son. This first son named peter is the perfect prince. He is tall, handsome, courageous, honorable, and loved by all the people. However, King Roland$B!G(Bs second son, Thomas, is the exact opposite of his older brother. Everyone of the country expects Peter to be named king after the death of King Roland but in comes the villain Flagg. Flagg is King Roland$B!G(Bs right hand man, but is also a power hungry magician. He is repulsive and he knows that after Peter is named king, he will be banned or even executed. Therefore, he tries in everyway to help out the sad little brother Thomas. Thomas accepts his help because he hates how everyone loves his brother and ignores him. In the end, Peter is framed of murdering King Roland and is kept in a prison for the rest of his life, well, almost the rest of his life$B!D(B.
The this normal plot may seem boring to some but with man little things like character background, or third person storytelling, all sum up to make this novel very exciting. The third person storytelling makes reading the book much easier because it doesn$B!G(Bt even feel like you are reading. It feels like someone is telling you the story, all you have to do is sit back and listen. One character background I found particularly intriguing was the background of the character Flagg. Of course he is a magician so he should live longer then normal people do, but Stephen King makes the reader wonder by telling us Flagg has been around for more then four hundred years. Could he be somehow linked to devils of the real world?

I have read SK for many years now and one of the first books I read was "The Eyes of the Dragon". I was quite young when I started reading Stephen King books on a regular basis and the way this book was written was ideal for a younger reader. It is not as detailed and events are not as drawn out and complicated as in some of his other books.
I liked this book back then based on the ease with which I could read it. I like it now, some 16 years later, because it is a neat fantasy tale with a nice tie in to King's ultimate fantasy/horror epic, "The Dark Tower".
It is set in a medieval world filled with kings, queens, princes and best of all, evil magicians. In this novel the evil magician Flagg is seen in his first appearance since he was introduced and made popular in SK's apocalyptic horror "The Stand". The novel works around the idea of Flagg scheming behind the scenes to destroy the medieval kingdom of Delain, along with it's two young princes; one destined to become king.
By itself this tale is great for a younger reader, coupling an easy read with magic and dragons. It is NOT the same type of book as say, "IT", "Salem's Lot", or "The Shining". The plot is not as detailed and events are much simpler. This is why the book scores a 4, as to me true excellence from King involves much of the elements that are evident in the above mentioned books and not really seen in "The Eyes of the Dragon".
Where this book goes on to score big points for older readers is its tie in to "The Dark Tower". At the time this novel was written very little of "The Dark Tower" had been published. Through the series we have found the mysterious Flagg to have resurfaced with a number of different faces and names. In addition two of the main characters from "The Eyes of the Dragon", Dennis and Thomas, are mentioned in "The Dark Tower" and may again surface later in the series which is getting ready to wind down to its finish. It was great to hear about these characters that I liked so much as a child in a completely different novel years later.
Overall to me this is a good book by itself, which becomes a great book with incorporation into King's masterpiece "The Dark Tower". If you don't like fantasy you should spend your money elsewhere, if you like fantasy this is a cool read, and if you are any kind of a Dark Tower fan then you cannot pass this book up.

Dragons and wizards; heroes and villains; enough to satisfy any of you who hunger for an escape to a medieval fantasy world. A far cry from the usual horror genre for which King is so well known, this book combines realistic scenes as well as a fantastic atmosphere which makes it very enthralling. That the chapters were out of chronological order took a bit away from my rating of this book because it made the story line a little harder to follow. Some characters such as the evil magician, Flagg, could have been enhanced in visualization through the act of giving more information about his past other than the fact that he destroyed the kingdom 300 years before. On the other hand, his use of character development made a man so reviled by the characters in the story become the object of the readers' sympathy. As a lover of all things fantasy, I found this book almost impossible to put down and I suggest to any who read it that they do so in a short period of time in order to take in all their surroundings and pieces of information in prospective.
Not being an avid reader of Stephen King's books but hearing much about them and how this book was "different," I did not know what to expect when I picked this book up. However, King managed to weave an intricate plot which blew me away as I was not expecting such a detailed story coming from such a simple idea; good versus evil. Overall, this is a great literary piece and a must-have for those with a love for the fantasy genre.

There was a dragon in the plot but it had a minor part in it. It was more about political intrigue, involving regicide, 2 royal heirs and the throne. It was a story about human inadequacies and failings. It was a story about raising to greatness and fear of not raising to the occasion.
This book is not the typical SK book. It is easy to read and the simple prose conveyed the essence of the story. Certainly not to be compared with grandness of The Stand.
In the end I couldn't decide if it was a fairytale for adults or was it an adult tale for children.

I personally loved The Eyes if the Dragon book because it has fights. A psychopathic magician, escapes into the sewers and the deadliest poison known to man. So if you like these types of books then this is the book for you.

This book is about two young princes. One of them is the perfect kid everyone loves, and the other everyone hates. That causes the young hated prince to be easily manipulated to do everything the vile magician wants. The older lovable prince was accused of killing the king, so he was sent to the tallest tower prison in the land. The young prince gets to become King and the kingdom goes downhill from there.

If I could connect with any of the characters, it would be the young prince because I'm not loved by everyone I know. I can also be manipulated easily in to doing some things. In addition to being manipulated easily, I can also be lazy, doing the right or wrong things, and even spy on people.

In the eyes of a seventh grader, this was an extremely descriptive book. I mean, who would want to read a book that doesn't describe any thing? I tell you, nobody would. They would just put the book up, and look for a better book. When Stephen wrote "the tall grayish-black blocks of the tower were shivering in the cold wind" I thought that sounded better than "wind was blowing on the tower."

This book, taught me it is not good to keep horrible secrets inside. They could corrupt you into something your not. I have seen some people on T.V. being hurt by other people, yet they don't tell anybody. They end up turning into somebody that they weren't, and started to hurt themselves. So the sooner you get a bad secret out of your self the sooner you will feel better.

In conclusion it is a good book about getting back at the magician for corrupting the land. Because the Horror King, Stephen King, writes for adults doesn't mean he can't write books for seventh graders like me.

This was the first fantasy book that I have read and it was better than i expected. This book had many conflicts, and the main conflict was Man vs. Man. The conflicts were mainly part of the family within the story, such as Thomas' hatred for his big brother's (Peter) accomplishments and the love his father has for Peter instead of him. Another kind of conflict is Man vs. Himself. This is shown when Thomas is fighting with his inter demons thoughout the story. These many conflicts kept me reading the book, but so did the main story.

The main story is that King Roland,the father of both Thomas and Peter, has not had a child yet after many years in regin,so his evil assitant Flagg arranges women of the land to come to the castle, so the king can make love to one of the lady. He makes his choice and ends up choosing his future wife. They end up having two children together; Peter the handsome, strong, and future king, and Thomas who was more like his father weak, fragile, and shy. Well many years past and Roland is getting weary so that means Peter is soon to be king, but Flagg does not want that. So Flagg devises a plan to kill the king and blame it all on Peter. So as the story goes on so does the plan and Peter gets sent to jail for it and Thomas becomes king for it.

After all of this happens the remainder of the story mostly takes place with the protagonist Peter and how he must escape, so he may figure out who really killed his father so he may avenge his deathand take back the throne. I loved this book because the author did a good job of detailing Peter's every thought and move. I also think the author wanted Peter to suceed in his plan because he mainly talks about how brave Peter is. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book with action and many surpries around each corner.

Good story. It was a little long in telling, and sometimes I'd get bored, but was great for really fleshing out the characters. I hate books with no chapters to break it up. It made it hard to follow sometimes because there was no break when switching between characters. The story was fun though and worth reading.

I've had this book sitting on a shelf for years. I put off reading it because I was scared of not liking one of King's books because it seemed so radically different from most of his stuff. I'm happy I finally picked it up.
Stephen King's foray into the world of fantasy was indeed different from the rest of his books. It was a shorter and much faster read than most of his works. It is a simple story, really: Mischief and murder put the wrong prince on the throne in the kingdom of Delain due to the meddling of an ancient magician known only as Flagg. But King is a master of character and plot development, and though he tells you in most places exactly what to expect, it still feels almost surprising to read it.
For more reading incentive, The Eyes of the Dragon is the back story to events in the Dark Tower series, though we've yet to see these events unfold.

This story just shows, yet again, what a versatile, skilled writer can do. This was unlike any other King novel I have read. One day I hope to meet him and shake his hand. I'm only 50, and still hope to visit Main one day. Maybe I'll get that chance. Well done, Mr. King.

Once upon a time, I used to think that The Stand was Stephen King's best book. Then I read Eyes of the Dragon, and while I still like The Stand, I like this one about a thousand times more. For those of you out there who think that King only writes unintelligent and unintelligible crap (not me, but I figured I'd play the Devil's advocate a little here), then you sure as hell haven't read The Eyes of the Dragon (nor have you read The Stand or Misery or Rose Madder). The plotting is very tight, it has ultra-believable characters that seem so real, you might even catch yourself thinking about paying a visit to, say, Thomas a day or two after reading this just to see how things are going. (Then you catch yourself in that thought and wonder if you are quietly, but surely, going insane :)). This is an intelligent story, with a fair amount of commentary from King concerning such real-life subjects as the will of the people being the only thing that keeps a king on his throne to the fact that people are more like dogs than angels or devils. This has to rank as my favorite story of all time, tieing with Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, with Yesterday We Saw Mermaids by Esther Friesner and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett coming in a very close second (and both of which I very highly recommend also). Buy the Eyes of the Dragon; after reading this one once, you will want to go back to this one again and again.

Stephen King has proven beyond a doubt that he can write not only horror, but fantasy as well. The Eyes of the Dragon is a remarkable book, one of the best I've ever read. Unlike Pet Semetery or Cujo, this book takes place in the mythical land of Delain, where dragons, wizards, kings and princes all reside. This book isn't just for fantasy lovers though, anyone who likes horror or any of King's other books will probably enjoy this one also. It has a surprising element of horror that is unexpected in a fantasy novel, but not too much that it turns into only a horror story. In fact, it's far from it. From the very start, you get a feel for the characters, especially Sasha, Roland's loving wife and Peter's loving mother. Her manors and edict are that of any mothers (like teaching Peter to always use his napkin) and the sorrows felt throughout Delain when tragedy strikes touch your heart. On the other hand, Flagg, the evil magician, becomes more apparently evil as the story's plot unfolds and becomes more hated by the readers. (One of those you love to hate them kind of characters). Now in books like Pet Semetery, the characters are people you can relate to. The angry husband at the beginning of the story is a lot like many men I've encountered. And Judd, the old man that lives next door, is a kind of man you pass by on the street everyday or stop and talk with for a few minutes on the bus. The same goes for the characters in this book. The sibling rivalry between Prince Peter and Prince Thomas is the basis of what goes on in many homes across the country. Anyone that is the youngest child in a family can probably relate to the way Thomas feels and acts towards his older and more, for lack of a better word, popular brother. His anger or resentment for Peter is understandable. The undying friendship between Ben and Peter is like that of any number of best friends. Even Judge Peyna is not that different from any judge today that tries to get to the bottom of a situation. Sometimes making mistakes, and other times getting it right. Granted, Dragon Sand isn't a common household item, but the story still holds much true to life feelings and emotions. Now on the contrary, much of the plot is far from true to life. Events such as the ones that take place in Cujo, like the dog getting rabies, are much closer to real life scenarios then a dragon being hunted on a king's property, but that's what makes this story so incredible and fun to read. It takes you away from this world, and into another. One that can still be understood and felt by you, but where you imagination can also be set free. I think that's what separates this book from many of the others King has written and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take a break from this world and enter another.

Hmm...there are a lot of Stephen King lovers out there. Eyes of the Dragon was the first Stephen King book I ever picked up. The first part of the book is description of characters (very necessary), but I find that King goes on and on and on about how "his browline wrinkled and his lips puckered" an on and on about how someone is going to tell a story, but then when it comes times for the actual climax of the story to be revealed he often says things like "and you know what he says now, I won't go through it again" UGH! I found myself wanting more. The story is great and interesting, but it could have been a lot better. The ending of the story happens really really quickly and was built up too much. Not exciting in the least. The book also hints at a possible sequel in the end, but there is no such book. I LOVE FANTASY! and hearing people rave about King, I guess I just expected more. Great Storyline, Great Characters, but I found the interlocking to be lackluster. Also, I felt Naomi was a forced character and I never really felt connected to her and Ben's growing relationship. Overall, I'm disappointed.

I found this to be one of King's best books. Rather than his usual horror fare, this book is the romantic story of a medaeival prince who is thrown into a dungeon after his mother dies and after his father (the king) comes under the influence of a sinister court sorceror. As usual, King sees right into the heart of human emotions and that is what makes this tale so gripping. The romantic setting in a faraway kingdom just adds interest to the story. Another one like this would be a real treat!

Hey everyone said King could not write a "real" book. Well, kids, this is about as real as it gets...or is it? King weaves a fantasy tale as good as Jordan or Goodkind, his characters are fresh although the tale is a bit trite. Read this book and enjoy it for what it is: a side road for stephen king. An exploration of sorts. Something different, but something still good. Sort of like riding in an Acura, you know your in a Honda, but...its still different.

King is taking us back to the fairy tales we all know from our childhood. The stories of kings, queens, princes and princesses, and of course, evil wizards. The basic story is simple, and even naive, and then, like poison in a nice and red apple, you feel Stephen King's hands start messing with the story, and suddenly, the world is not so nice and shiny. A facsinating story written by the king of horror, a story for those who like their legends with a twist!

Great fairy tale but not really for young ones. I read every night till I couldn't hold my eyes open. Very interesting character that Flagg!!
Another wonderful story from the best storyteller there is!

I've been a Stephen King fan for many years so I must start by saying that this is not the typical "Horror" novel that most people associate with King. This book is pretty a classic fantasy story that Stephen King has put his twist on. I'm not going to bore you with a plot summary but i will comment of the style of the book. The style of this book is very similar to the style of the author's Dark Tower series. (there are many King fans who do not care for The Dark Tower books. So if you aren't a fan of DT, this particular book is probably not for you) If fact there are many references and allusions to the Dark Tower series through out the book. The most obvious of these being the antagonist wizard in the book: Flagg. There is no doubt that the Flagg of this book is an incarnation of the Randal Flagg character that appears in The Dark Tower books as well as The Stand.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think both fans and non-fans of King would appreciate the author's storytelling skills in this novel.

Not being a huge King fan--don't get me wrong, I don't dislike him, I just don't care for horror novels, I'm a sissy--I love this book. It's a departure from the aforementioned genre and the content delves into a more fantastic realm. I heard it was intended for his daughter at the time. I love all the details and descriptions--this is a great book for children/preteens, though I still love it (and I'm quite a bit older than a preteen...)Give it a read, it's a nice change from killer dogs and creepy sewer clowns.

Dragon was written for King's 13 year old daughter. She had "very little interest in [his] vampires, ghoulies, and slushy crawling things." My seventh grade teacher gave it to me as a goodbye gift when I moved away, and it was my favorite book for many years. I didn't like ghouly things either, but I loved puzzles and mystery and suspence, and this book is full of all those things.

After I read Eyes of The Dragon, I was surprised to learn that it was written well after The Gunslinger, the first book in King's Dark Tower series. Many consider The Dark Tower the epitome of King's brand of fantasy and from the start, the Gunslinger is rich, innovative and willing to twist common fantasy tropes on it's head. This book, however, is none of those things, and comes across as a less mature attempt at fantasy; more a copy of the common fantasy style than an full-fledged attempt. I had assumed incorrectly that Eyes of the Dragon was a throat-clearing exercise as King ramped up into the Dark Tower Series.

Writers live by the rule of Show, Don't Tell. Early in this book, I found what would become my chief complaint--this book is far more tell than show. This is not a complaint I usually have about King, a proven purveyor of the rich and visceral. By comparison, this book is flat. The characters show up, perform their actions exactly as you'd expect, and disappear.

Like the descriptions, the characters themselves are cardboard cutouts. For a writer who has brought us complex, multi-dimensional characters, I'm extremely disappointed in the characters found in this book. They represent very simple ideas and can each be classified as good or bad. The characters don't struggle except to overcome the singular conflict of the book, and none seems truly changed from the beginning of the book (except, perhaps, the one character King goes out of his way to convince us not to care about).

Then, there is Randall Flagg. Flagg, of course a regular in King's stories, is a very big part of this book. Nevertheless, like the other characters in this book, he is merely one thing--evil. And, in the end, he is merely a caricature of evil and of himself.

My main criticism of this book is simple--it's not very good. And, it's not very good coming from an author whom I trust to put out a tremendous amount of good work. If you haven't read the Dark Tower series, skip this one and pick up The Gunslinger. If you're looking for a great fantasy book, head in another direction. If you're hungry for a great King novel, I'd suggest you pick out something different. If you're hoping to read every King book on the shelf, put this one towards the end.

A dead King, an imprisoned Prince and an Evil Sorcerer are just the beginning of this book. Prince Peter is framed for the murder of his father by a sorcerer with the name Flagg. With Peter in prison, Flagg begins to slow destroy the kingdom of Delain. Years pass, the Kingdom weakens, and a prison break is in the works. Flagg is clever(one of King's best vilians), Peter is strong minded, and a few other courageous characters combine to make up one of Stephen King's best books.

I was really impressed with this book. It shows how diverse and unique Stephen King's writing and storytelling ability is. I picked this book up at a library book sale for 50 cents and didnt read it for a year, but when I started to read it one day I couldn't put it down! This fairy tale is a gripping story about a corrupt wizard trying to take over an empire, and the rightful prince of the kingdom on a mission to stop him. You wont regret getting this book. On a side note, my buddy actually quoted from it when he gave the speech at a friend's wedding...pretty cool if you ask me.

This is my kind of Stephen King novel. I've read a lot of his novels and my favorites are the non-horror ones like The Dark Tower, The Stand, and The Talisman. This book is definitely more in line with those books than his more traditional horror stories. Above all, it's a fantasy novel.

To be brief, I really enjoyed this book but I wasn't blown away by it like I was in the case of the books I previously mentioned. It's a short and sweet read but with not a whole lot of depth. I was never bored by it. The pacing is excellent. It's nice to read AFTER you've read The Stand and The Dark Tower because once again the villain is Randall Flagg and that lets your imagination create connections to King's other books. I'd give it 4.5 stars if that were an option but I just can't justify the full 5 stars when comparing it to some of King's best.

Ok, so I am a huge Stephen King fan, and I do like most of his books, but there are a few I absolutely loathe. When I first read this book, I had no idea what to expect, and I ended up getting hooked to the story, and read it all the way through in one sitting, which is extremely unusual for me; I've only been able to do that with this and the 1st Harry Potter book.

Anyway, this is a fairy tale as only Stephen King can write it. There are some gruesome deaths that would satisfy any King fan, but the bulk of this book is focused on plot and character development. I was so impressed with this story, I gave it to my sister who hates Stephen King to read, hoping that she would like it anyway. She loved it too!! So I'd have to say, even if you're not a Stephen King fan, you should give this book a chance, you might just like it.

I think The Eyes of the Dragon is a very good book because it is not a very long book, which people usually like and the plot is very good. It's about two princes named Peter and Thomas who are on different sides because their dad the king spent more time and attention to Peter the older one than Thomas. Then Thomas gets mad and joins an evil plot. Peter has to convince his younger brother to stop and join his side with his allies to solve a mystery.

The author Stephen King is a really good writer because all of his stories are good, and they usually make movies about them. All of the books have good plots but some are very long, so if you like reading and you don't care how long it is, you have found a good book. Some of my favorites by Stephen Kings are Cujo and Tommyknockers. Also Stephen King's books are very interesting and very addicting. It's like potato chips, once you start you can't stop.

I rate The Eyes of the Dragon an 8 out of 10 because of the quality of the book and the adventure in the book.

One of my absolute favorite stories of all time. I have read this so many times I can tell the story at a campfire. This classic good vs. evil saga has vivid characters and more excitement than a roller coaster. You will be instantly drawn in by the storytellers fairytale language and the colorful sights and sounds of this book. Magic and deception, murder and imprisonment, secret passagways and secrets kept, a story that will make you clap at the end. A book that is meant to be read aloud to friends and family. Stephen Kings only attempt at fantasy is a huge hit. Look for an animated feature movie in the years to come. (no release date yet.) As luck would have it, (Ben Stadd would understand) there is no audio book as of yet. This would be great by the fire on a long winter night.

When I first recieved this book in the mail, over five years ago, I put it aside and bothered not to read it. Dragons, wizards, kings...medievil time's to me are boring and dull and it held no interest to me. But as the years have passed and I have expanded my reading, I thought again of picking up the book and giving it a whirl. I now wish I had read it when I first recieved it. But I must say, if you are looking for the "typical" King style of writing...i.e. blood, guts, monsters, foul language, etc. you aren't going to get it here. This is a book for people of all ages, with little gore, practically nonexistant. And a tale that leaves the reader not with the question of what is going to happen...but how. How is everything going to be played out in the end? It took me a little less than a week to start and finish this book, doing my reading on my lunch hour. The chapters are short, leaving me saying quite often...I will read a few more pages. Did I like this book? Yes, I did. The ending was abrupt, leaving room for a sequel if King so desired. Will you like this book? That I leave for you to decide.

An interesting book and not what you would expect from King. More something I would have expected from a Terry Brooks than Stephen King though. Not that that is a bad thing I like Brooks too.

It fits within the Dark Tower world but it is not part of the Dark Tower. It was good though and kept me reading until the end.

I have never read a fantasy book that I liked as much as Eyes of the Dragon. In this book, Stephen King takes a break from horror and sci-fi to look into a medival type world of dragons and wizards. If it's not your exact cup of tea, you'd be better off reading something else. For those who like this stuff, you won't find anything better. When you mix King's talent with this genre, you have a winning combination. It is written as if it is being told by a story teller, which is something that I liked about this book. What really drew me in was the world that King writes about. It comes alive around you, and get a new idea of what he is capable of. Buy this book. You'll never regret it.

This is actually the only Stephen King book I have ever read, and I read it because, well, someone just sort of dropped it into my hands and said, "If you like fantasy, READ THIS." With some trepidation, I did. Whoa, Nelly. From the start, with his interesting way of just announcing heart-stopping twists and then going back to explain them, King's prose grabs you and pulls you into to the fantasy kingdom of Delain. I had no idea King could be so adept at character generation, but the people in his novel are wonderfully alive, and, whatever they're doing, whether it's peeking through the eyes of dragon to watch the villain bring the king his poisoned wine, dog-sledding over a snow-covered landscape, or hatching a daring plan to escape imprisonment from a high tower, you're WITH these characters all the way. And, baby, let me just tell you, the wizard Flagg is just the coolest villain I have ever had the pleasure to read about. He's crafty, he's vengeful, he's soooo deliciously diabolical. Well. I was pleasantly surprised to have been proven wrong about Stephen King and I will gladly read his other works, now. And for "Dragon"...if you like fantasy, READ THIS!

An amazing book which was originally written for King's daughter. This book has it all: intrigue, mystery, and a twist at the end that you won't see coming! I would encourage anyone who is a King fan to purchase this book. It is nothing like his horror novels, but every bit as wonderful!

THIS IS AN EASY TO READ BOOK. IT IS NOT AS COMPLICATED AS SOME OF KING'S WORK. IT'S QUICK TO FINISH. IT TELLS ALOT ABOUT FLAGG, THE EVIL WIZARD! IT'S A WONDERFUL READ WITH A LIGHT FEEL TO IT. (MEANING "LIGHT" FOR KING) THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR KING'S DAUGHTER WHO WAS THIRTEEN AT THE TIME. THIS MAY GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF THE READING. THE SIMPLENESS OF THE TALE MADE IT ALL THE MORE ALLURING. IT HAS A FEW PRE DARK TOWER HINTS. IF YOU ARE A KING FAN, AND HAVE NOT READ IT, IT WILL BE JUST AS ADDICTIVE AS THE OTHERS.

Stephen King's
The Eyes of the Dragon
This review is about Stephen King's "The Eyes of the Dragon." This story is about heroes and adventures of dragons and kings and evil wizards.
King Roland (the ruler of Delain) is a very nice, well-known king. He had two sons. Their names were Peter and Thomas. Roland was very old, so his elder son, Peter, was to be the next king once Roland died. However the king's magician, Flagg, had a devilish plan, to corrupt the kingdom and eventually rule it for himself. To do this he needed Thomas to be the king. Even though Peter was to be the king that didn't stop Flagg. One night he poisoned Roland and framed Peter for it. Peter was then sent to the royal prison. While he was in prison Flagg corrupted and fooled Thomas into raising the taxes to the point to where the villagers couldn't pay them, and if the people couldn't pay their taxes they were beheaded. After years in prison Peter eventually escaped and started his search for Flagg. Peter finds him in the old study room that once belonged to King Roland. Flagg also has the executioner's axe. Flagg, thinking that he has won, tells Peter all about his plan and how he framed Peter and corrupted Thomas. Unknown to both of them Thomas is hiding in the shadows listening to every word that is being said. Thomas then comes out and he is holding his old bow and an old arrow that Roland used for hunting once and pierced and killed a dragon with. Out of rage Flagg attacks Thomas, but Thomas shoots the arrow right into Flagg's eye. The blood of the dragon that was on the arrow started oozing out of Flagg's eye. From the dragon's blood in his eye, thus naming the book the eyes of the dragon. Flagg then disappears and the arrow and the axe fall to the floor with a loud clatter. Peter and Thomas later go to the jailer and prove him of Peter's innocence, and the jailer lets him go. A couple of months later wile the two of them and a couple friends are having a little party; Thomas announces that he is leaving. While everyone is shocked Thomas explains that he is leaving because Flagg is not dead. Thomas says that he can sense Flagg's evil from the south and must go and confront him. A friend named Dennis decides he will go with Thomas so he is not alone on his quest. So when they departed Peter took over as king and he rules for along time, and Thomas and Dennis find Flagg then confront him for a last time.
After reading this book I gave it four stars out of five stars because, it was very interesting; and it kept me wanting to read more. This book wasn't like any other book I've ever read before; and I would recommend this book to people who like adventurous and mysterious books.

One of the best books he's ever written, along with the Dark Tower books. I love the pace, and intensity, of this book. King always transports me to another place, but this book was something special.

I read this book way back when it first came out, forgot about it over the years (although I have remained an avid reader of Stephen King), and am now buying it again. I don't really remember the story much, just that I really enjoyed reading it and over the years have wondered why they didn't make a movie out of it (it would be great for the family as it isn't the usual King horror).

I'm also buying "The Long Walk" again. That story is really emotionally draining as it gets closer to the conclusion, and I remember having to put it down to give myself a psychological rest for a few minutes. One of his best, though. Stephen King is, in my opinion, the best American storyteller of the past century and this one.

"The Eyes of the Dragon" shows another facet of Stephen King's literary talents. This was so much fun to read!

This Fantasy has it all: a murdered king, a fire-breathing dragon, two orphaned princes, and an evil demon who positions himself as the King's magican. The narrator gives the feel someone is reading the story to you, but this one isn't gonna put you to sleep. :)

Once upon a time, Mr. King woke up in the morning with a strange idea for a novel. It was actually a fairytale. And here it is: a novel with a bit of "Snowhite" or "Sleeping Beauty" in it. Eyes Of The Dragon tells the saga of a brave prince who must resist the bad mage Flagg's attempts to boycott his ascension to the throne. Very interesting and pleasant to read... if you have a free time.

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors, but for some reason I didn't get into this one even though everyone kept saying I "should." See, I'm not a big fan of King's horrific subject matter, and because this one was more fantastical, I was "supposed" to like it more, but it was more fantastical in a traditional way that I don't tend to like, so I found it less interesting. The storytelling style was a little more separated from the characters than I'm used to in a King novel, so I really just didn't much enjoy it.

I think The Eyes of the Dragon is a very good book because it is not a very long book, which people usually like and the plot is very good. It's about two princes named Peter and Thomas who are on different sides because their dad the king spent more time and attention to Peter the older one than Thomas. Then Thomas gets mad and joins an evil plot. Peter has to convince his younger brother to stop and join his side with his allies to solve a mystery.

The author Stephen King is a really good writer because all of his stories are good, and they usually make movies about them. All of the books have good plots but some are very long, so if you like reading and you don't care how long it is, you have found a good book. Some of my favorites by Stephen Kings are Cujo and Tommyknockers. Also Stephen King's books are very interesting and very addicting. It's like potato chips, once you start you can't stop.

I rate The Eyes of the Dragon an 8 out of 10 because of the quality of the book and the adventure in the book.

The Eyes of the Dragon tells a tale of of sibling rivalry set in a mystical and mythical kingdom called Delain. It's the story of old King Roland and his two sons, Peter and Thomas, and revolves around the wily schemes of the king's mysterious magician, who is plotting to destroy Delain.
Stephen King usually writes incredibly long novels, sometimes with large casts of characters, but in this story there is a sharp focus on Roland, who is described as old, short, bow-legged, good at hunting (especially with his bow and arrow), proficient at drinking but not at thinking. He marries late in life to a young girl named Sasha, a bright and gentle person who gives birth to Prince Peter and Prince Thomas. She dies young, apparently from complications giving birth to her youngest son, but as King reveals, she is really murdered by order of the evil Flagg, the hooded and pale magician.
But Flagg's agenda goes even further than the mere murder of Queen Sasha. He has been watching Roland's sons very closely, and has determined that Thomas -- who is the spitting image of his father down to his personality -- should be crowned king instead of his older brother Peter. You see, Peter is tall, handsome, bright, but most of all, he has a strong will and Flagg fears him.
How Flagg achieves his goal of placing Thomas on the throne without killing Peter is the heart of this enthralling story, and I couldn't put it down. Although Stephen King is not an author I normally read, I was drawn into the intricatelly woven plot. I liked the way the writer described each character, giving them distinct personalities and avoiding the usual fairy tale conventions of making good people perfectly good, with no human flaws. I admired Peter for his resourcefulness and courage, I both chastised Thomas for his jealousy and weakness of character yet by the end of the story I felt sorry for him. I also had the same mixed feelings about Roland. Yes, he tried to be a good king and didn't do much harm to Delain, but like his son Thomas, he wasn't very bright and was easily led by Flagg.
The character I most felt strongly about is, of course, Flagg. Having seen the miniseries based on King's huge novel The Stand, I know that this demonic villain is the same character who is the "Dark Man" who will try to take over the world after most of humanity is wiped out by a strain of killer flu. Here he is in most of the story, and we learn that he thrives on death and destruction even as he lives over many centuries.
The Eyes of the Dragon is beautifully illustrated by David Palladini with pencil and ink drawings that will make this fascinating story come alive for younger readers. (I believe that although King's narration was in itself very vivid, the art work really was a pleasant bonus.)

This King book in set in the Middle Ages in the kingdom of Delain. The king, Roland, is murdered by who was thought to be his own son, but it was actually the evil magician Flagg. Everything is off set as Peter, the son who is thought to have murdered his father, has been thrown into jail and his brother made king. Flagg overtakes Peter's brother Thomas by convincing him to raise taxes and such.
This fantasy is thrilling and you just can't stop reading it. Every chapter brings a new twist to the destruction of Delain. I absolutely enjoyed how King presented the story with himself being the narrator. The third person pint of view helps readers be able to see the whole story as it develops. Each chapter may switch to different scenes from another character's position at the moment.
Overall this was a very good book that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. This story is not like other King books that are so horrifying you can't read them before going to sleep. This story still has some suspenseful part, although it maintains a peaceful tone throughout the story.

For anyone to give this book a negative review must just have something against Steven King. This book was the first real Science fiction type fantasy book I have ever read and I must say he is the one who got me reading fantasy... The detail he gives and the plots are just wonderful. This was my favorite book till I read Terry Goodkind aout 2 years ago. This is another book of Steven Kings that proves he knows more than horror. I wish he would write more like this. In fact I have read this book twice. GREAT BOOK one of the best Steven King books I have read.

I read this story years ago and still recommend it to friends. Every friend who I've recommened it to has loved it. One of my favorite King characters of all time Flagg is back in this one. It's nice to see that evil still lurks around. Hopefully he'll be back again! This is not a horror story by any means. This is fantasy adventure that you soon won't forget. One friend I recommened the book to couldn't stop talking about it to me. I always say, "Give it a chance and you will be pleasently suprised".

Stephen King is a good writer. His stories are always interesting, usually with an element of horror that I have come to expect. But this book is a fairy tale. I loved it. It has the King touch of humor, coming at unexpected times. This is just a really fun book. I didn't want it to end.

King wrote Eyes of the Dragon as a "children's story" for his young (at the time) children, because they were too young to read his books. King actually pulls off writing for a younger audience pretty well. The narrator has a distinctive voice. And this one is supposed to tie in pretty closely with the Dark Tower series. It is your typical coming of age fairy tale story. Well-written.

I read this book in high school and loved it, recently found it again and re-read it. Great plot about a jealous son/brother who sets a plot to frame his brother for murder. When you think Steven King you think normally think scary but this book is not at all his typical writing. I could not put this book down. Do not let the size of it intimidate you.

When I started to read this book I was suprised because I thought that this book would be horror like other Stefhen Kings novels but this noval was a mix of fantasy and science fiction. One thing that made the book so interesting was the pictures it included. I really enjoyed this book except for the fact that it started off a little slow. The story takes place in a Kingdom called Delain. Sasha, King Roland's wife, has given birth to two sons, Peter and Thomas. Sasha dies after given birth to her second son , Thomas. Flagg the King's advisor has an evil plan and he has to get prince Peter out of his way. The king is killed and his son Peter, who is perfect in every way is accused of murder. When he is found guilty he is locked up in a tower. His younger, wicked and twisted brother takes over as king. Peter must prove his innocence before its too late and take his rightful place as king. HHS pd4.

I started reading this book because I found out that Flagg was in this book. If you've read King before then you know about him and will want to read. If you haven't then this is a good place to start. A great book!

Many of us know Mr. King as a master in horror fiction, and I believe his success lies in the fact that he can drain our most secrets fears out of us and place them so vividly into our everyday life, leaving no place to hide. This book have all the clasical elements of a fairy tale: A good king, a beautiful and beloved queen, the good prince, the bad prince and the powerful king's wizard. what's the originality in that?
Well, the good king is weak; the beatiful queen is an intelligent and strong woman who devoted her life to make his elder son a compasive and honest boy, fully aware about his responsabilities as future king and protector of his people. The bad prince is a sad and neglected child, and the wizard... well, he's evil itself.
It's amazing see how King takes all these prototypes characters and turns them into somethig entirely different, managing to twist a simple fairy tale into a well developed horror one. Try to read it late at night... And perhaps you'll realize that the shadows around you are menacing and a sense of awareness come from them.

I am in high-school and I don't normally read Stephan King. I decided to purchase this novel because the summary sounded interesting. Wow, I was right.

Stephan King crafts a masterpiece with this novel. He rockets the story along right from the beginning and until its climax at the end. King's magic kept me awake up until 3 AM in the morning still reading this novel.

Some people might be discouraged from reading this book because it has that "Evil magician, okay king, brilliant future king, weak brother, magician murders king" type plot but King takes this to a whole new level.

This novel is not a horror story, it is a Medieval fantasy story.

Words are useless in describing how good this novel is. Read this and you'll find out.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Compelling ... his most powerful storytelling."

A beautiful novel. Read it!

Eyes of the Dragon was the first fantasy book I've read from Stephen King. I've read a lot of his horror work, but never a fantasy. I was not disappointed in any way. THe book is a highly interesting story of a prince sent to kill a dragon. I read the book and was amazed at how well the book was written and how interesting the story was. It really goes to show how well King can change styles and still write well.

This book is about the kingdom of Delain.There is King Roland and his magician Flagg. In the beginning King Roland is looking for a wife because he's reaching middle age and wants children to carry on the kingdom when he dies. So he gets wife and together they have two children. Peter,and then Thomas. Flagg is at the kingdom because he likes to cause mischief everywhere,so after a while Flagg gets irritated with King Roland's new wife,because she is being good and making everything right. Flagg doesn't like this so during the birth of the second child Thomas Flagg gets one of the nurses to poison her during the pregnancy to make it look like Thomas had killed her. Then a year later the king went hunting and killed the dragon Niner. He mounted it on his wall,but he didn't know Flagg had made the eyes into peepholes. Then when Thomas was 10 Flagg showed him the peep holes,and after that Thomas started to spy on his father all the time. Then one day when Flagg was tired of following King Roland he took some of the poison dragon sand and put it into the king's wine. Then took one of his lab rats and gave it poison and put it in Peter's room. So he was going to try to blame it on Peter because unlike his father Peter was very noble and intelligent. When Roland started to get the effects of the poison he would shoot fire from his mouth and his body temperature would increase dramaticly. So when the kingdom found the same thing hapening to the rat in Peter's room he was convicted and sentenced to lif in the top of the 350 foot tall needle. The only thing Peter requested was his old doll house and royal napkins. He was goinhg to take the npkins and using th weaver from his doll house he was going to make a rope. So then when he escaped he went starit to his brother and interrgated him until he cracked and told him that he saw Flagg poison him ,and Flagg was convicted and sentenced to death and Peter became king and everything got alot better .

I've thought that this story was magical from the first time I read it. I was a bit apprehensive, this isn't Mr. King's usual thing, but I should have known I had nothing to worry about. As always Mr. King came through again. Even after having read this for at least the 5th time I still get lost in his fantasy world. Yes it is a bit of a childs story and certainly it is written in that tone, but that was, after all, the point. If you can regress and enjoy the story as a child and keep your mind open and dispense with your preconceptions of what Mr. King is about...I think that you will find an incredible treasure.
btw..just in case someone out there is thinking that my opinion is so high because I'm unfamiliar with his other stories, novels, movies..I'm a voracious Stephen King fan..I own it, rented it, have read it, or have seen it all at some point or other...

The characters are compelling. The plot is filled with suspense, and is told excellently! A great easy read! I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the genres of suspense/thriller and fantasy.

I enjoy reading Stephen King, and I would have loved this book if I hadnt been spoiled by the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.
It wasn't much of a fantasy story, simple plot, easy to understand, typical evil sorcerer of some sort, a super good character, a jealous character who is misled, and of course, the best friend.
It's not the best I've read.. but most certainly not the worst.

I could easily write a review for every (well, almost every) one of Stephen Kings books, but I thought this one deserved special attention simply because the style is so refreshingly different from his others. The Eyes of the Dragon is more of a TALE; you can imagine him telling it to his children at night, even when they were very young. The whole story is hypnotic. Of course it's terrifying at times, and of course it's got parts that remind you who wrote the thing in the first place, but all in all, reading this book is much more like listening to a good song than slogging through a thriller. Highly recommended.

The Eyes of The Dragon is a refreshing twist from Stephen King's other novels. Written especially for his daughter, he wanted to make this book sort of like a fairytale with one final change of direction in the end. I found this new style of writing for Stephen King very effective, and I hope to find other books where he tries other styles. Though the beginning of the story is very slow, the end definitely makes up for it. This story takes place in a kingdom called Delain where scandalous events unfold, leaving a young prince to rot in a dungeon. This setting is also a nice change because it adds to the sense of a fairytale. King also narrates a lot of the story with questions, adding suspense to the reader. He also gives seemingly futile details in the introduction and later recalls them, giving the reader a sense of dèja vu. This story is well written, and I really believe that it is his best novel yet.

I read this book for the first time when I was 12 or 13. It captivated me!!! I am 31 and I went looking for this book a year or so ago because I remember reading it and being enthralled by it!! The drama of a kingdom in despair was essential for this book! !! The fact that he used inanimate objects to write his story makes this a must read book!!!

This book was great, as are most of Stephen King's tales. The only down side was the odd way the kindle version kept changing the letter l into the letter t at random. It's only a slight annoyance, and doesn't affect the readability.

This is the most beautiful fairy tale ever. It's the kind of book you can read over and over and every time you finish the book with a lighter heart and a smile. The book jacket and other reviewers can tell you what it's about, but all I want to do is tell how beautifully it reads and how wonderfully it makes you feel when it's all said and done.

This was the first Stephen King book I have ever read. I was always skeptical about him and his writing. Too much blood and gore wasn't for me. So one day I saw this book sitting on my friends shelf. I decided I liked the summary well enough to give it a try. Not only was it a great book, it is one of my favorite books of all time. I've since read 10 Stephen King books and this one is still my favorite. A fantasy story that takes place long ago in an enchanted land. There are kings, a wizard, a dragon, princes, and heroes. A magical story that can be read over and over again.

I have read a few Stephen King stories including Carrie, The Langoliers, On Writing, The Eyes of a Dragon, and right now I am reading IT.

The Eyes of a Dragon is a great fantasy story. There was so much character depth and at one part I almost cried (the passage when Thomas killed the dog.)

This story tells a tale of a made up kingdom called Delain. Mischeveous Flagg (the kings magician) poisins king Roland and frames Peter (Roland's first son) for being the killer. Peter is imprisoned and Thomas, Peter's younger brother, becomes king.

All the while Flagg is thinking up ways of destroying the town by convincing Thomas there should be more taxes. As this is going on a group of rebels including Ben who was Peter's best friend. Peter is planning his escape. Can Peter escape and get back at Flagg?

Okay I didn't spoil much with that question. There is one thing I definitely did not spoil which is why is this book called the eyes of the dragon. You'll find out in 100 pages or so.

This was a great fantasy and I'm happy Stephen King too a break from his usual big horror books and put a lighter side to his book.

Stephen King book reccomendations:

1. Carrie

2. On Writing

3. The Langoliers

I have read this book so many times that I have had to buy it twice, this will be my third time. Steven King's writing is not really my style, though he is an excellent author. However, "The Eyes of the Dragon" is a masterpiece. It is not only written in a clear, easy to read manner, but also conveys a lesson which is too often missed in this day and age. The fact is, he writes of virtue, ingenuity and determination. By a shear force of will a young prince fights his way through a battle which lasts for years, but he never gives up and he never gives in to temptation. He never loses faith, no matter how shaky it may have gotten, and in the end wins out over evil. I will read this to my children more as a fable than a fairy tale.

A great swashbuckling, thrills and chills, intriguge, prison escape, chases, wizards, magic and honor.
Stephen King writes in his usual, easy going style that works wonderfully in bringing these characters to life.
Great for teenagers or adults, and also provides background information of other Stephen King characters from his adult novels (most notably, Randall Flagg (The Stand, The Dark Tower iV)
Highly recommended. Much better than any other book from this genre (Harry Potter fans take note)

This is one of the best book by King. The book is tied into The Dark Tower series by Flagg. The tale is a familar one of a royal family and the problems the crown brings. Flagg tries to manipulate those around him so he can gain power, Flaggs actions bring about murder and revolution. This is a great book. Flagg is one of the best vilians in all of Kings books. I like how this book focuses mainly on him.

I thought this book was an interesting departure for Stephen King. I loved the way he told it in a fairy tale manner. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has read The Stand. It is interesting to revisit Randall Flagg and learn a bit more his background.
I thought this book was good, but not quite as good as King's usual horror.

Stepan King (one of my favorites) took the basic plot of a fairy tale - a fantasy kingdom, an old king with two sons, an evil magician - and dressed it with his special spice to make it the most wonderful tale I've ever read. King is a gifted storyteller, and here he introduces us to King Roland, old and nearing his death, his elder son Peter - the tall, handsome and talented prince, and his younger son Thomas - who lives in his brother's shadow. Flagg, the court magician (a character King uses in several novels), plots to have the king murdered, and to frame Peter. The plan works... but evil will not win. This is a fairy tale, remember? With great writing and razor-sharp humor, the story is simply enchanting.

In the prosperous kingdom of Delaine, everyone knows
that old King Roland's days are numbered, and soon
his clever, kind and just son Peter will inherit the
throne, but not if Flagg, the king's magician has anything
to do with it... suddenly the king is murdered, and the
Peter is convicted and jailed for life! Now Flagg has
only the late king's younger, weaker son Thomas to
deal with before he can plunge Delaine into a civil war
which could last for centuries, or much, much longer...
Can Peter escape before the impressionable Thomas
allows Flagg to completely destroy the kingdom? And
how will he prove his innocence once he does escape?
As far as Flagg knows, Peter doesn't have a chance of
being acquited, but there are some things even Flagg
doesn't know... someone else knows the truth of the
king's murder... someone who looked thru the eyes of the
dragon...

My favorite King villian Randall Flag aka The Dark Man aka The Walkin' Dude is one of the main characters of this great read by King. The story is aimed at a younger audience, and my elementary school students love it. This is a kinder, softer, King that doesn't get gory on us here. The story is an enjoyable fantasy and fun to read.

The storyline was intriguing and I'm sure it will hold the interest of young readers as well as adults. It is refreshing to actually have a "hero" in these stories. The vivid descriptions and settings kept my interest throughout the story, along with the intriguing plot.

This book has been a favorite of mine since I first read it at the age of 15 (it was the 10th SK book I'd read by that time.) The plot is complex, and the manner King uses to tell it is very different from what some are used to. Once you realize how he's threading evrything together, it all sings beautifully. Read this book. Many times

I read this book twelve years ago when I was twelve and it has been on of my favorite books ever since. Many people know Stephen kIng by his "horror" stories such as "It" or "Misery" or "Salems Lot", but those are not even his best stories. The other side of King are books like Insomnia, The Dark Tower Sieres, the Green Mile and this book the Eyes of the Dragon. This books is more of a dark fantasy with the same King unforseen creativity. The story doesn't stop there though... and you can't dicuss one book without referencing the others since it seems to be an intertwined world that feeds into itself.

Story was ok, but the characters didn't grow at all (except one at the end, and his growth seemed sudden and just a plot device).

But the Kindle version has so many typos! Especially towards the end of the book. really pitiful.

I have read almost all of Stephen King's books, and I have to say that the fantasy ones like The Stand and Eyes of the Dragon are definitly some of his best. The part where Flagg is climbing up the stairs while Peter is trying to escape from the tower has got to be one of the most suspenseful scenes in the book, and Flagg is one of the most evil villains that I've ever read about. I haven't read any of the Dark Tower books, but given the remarks made by reviewers of this book, I think I will start. I read this book for the first time about six years ago, and I've read it many times since. Sequel, please!!

I really enjoyed this book. It is not quite as fast paced as some of his other novels, but it also doesn't involve insane demonic clowns or killer plagues. It is a great romp in the hay for any lover of the fantasy genre.

However, if you are a lover of King's Dark Tower series, this book offers a great and personal glimpse at the past of one of the most deliciously vile characters to skip through King's work. I am talking about Flagg the magician, also known as Randall Flagg (The Stand), The sorcerer Martin (Gunslinger, Wizard and Glass).

Obviously this book has many levels of enjoyment, so hunker down and enjoy a good 'ol time.

The book is wonderful don't get me wrong but it reads too fast for my tastes. Now that I think back on it I can't even remember half of it, although it is interesting to meet the main character. We know that he meets up with Roland the gunsliger somewhere along the line. It is basically a swashbuckling adventure with Randle Flag thrown in.

i love me some uncle stevie but this one was not very magical to me. it was fairly long but didnt need to be. not enough plot twists and i found myself interested in only one character...the villainous flagg. i applaud the effort but i was disappointed.

It all starts in a Kingdom called Delain. The wizard Flagg is King Roland's advisor. Sasha, Roland's wife, gives birth to two sons; Peter, and Thomas. Sasha dies after giving birth to Thomas! So he isn't too popular, since everyone loved Sasha. Flagg has a plan. An eeevil plan. And he has to get that Peter character out of his way to make it work... but I've said too much! Sorry. This is the first Stephen King book I've read, and if all his books are as good as this one, he's got a new fan. I like the way he writes. There's a lot of detail in everything, so you have a little more information to cling on to during the story. But what I liked most, was how he wrote it, so it seemed he was talking to YOU!!! If you like his books, you should read this. If you like dragons, wizards, kings, princes, secret passages, and all that type of thing, this is deffinatly for you!

Be it The Stand, The Dark Tower series, or this book (yes, I think the wizard Flagg and Randall Flagg are the same person. I won't get into my reasons.) Flagg just makes you root for the good guy that much more. He is, quite simply, the literary personification of evil. I challenge anyone to come up with a more compelling bad guy. Oh, and whoever says King can only write horror novels is a fool. The only reason this isn't five stars is that, like all fairy tales, the ending is predictable.

This is the first book I've read by Stephen King, and I can tell you it won't be the last, although I'm not much of a horror novel fan. It's an amazing sort of fantasy that seems to have everything in it: the evil magaician out to destroy all, the unsuspecting king, the heroic heir to the throne, the jealous sibling, the true friends.... I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels.
Stephen King also brings to light a lot of human thoughts and emotions, and the way he portrays them is so real, you'd think you were reading about yourself or somebody you know...
And I do agree with King, Thomas is not really a bad boy after all.

this is a great attempt for King to enter the realm of fantasy--a precursor for his later Gunslinger series. i have loved reading this story from the first time i read it 14 or so years ago. every summer, during my summer reading spurts, this is one of the books i keep pulling out to read again and again.

The Eyes of the Dragon is my favourite novel of all time! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Extremely well written-- the characters and the story itself were both enchanting and mesmerizing. I truly felt for both Peter and Thomas, and I found Flagg completely and wonderfully disturbing. I rather enjoy this recurring King character (especially in The Stand)... anyone who is a true fan of S. King knows that he goes beyond just the cheap thrills and truly tries to take you away to an entirely different reality, to help you escape for a few hours, and his mission is wonderfully accomplished with this book. It is NOT predictable, as some may claim (no story which involves Flagg can be), and the ending is a perfect fit. All hail the King of Horror!

This book was my introduction to Stephen King. At the time I had no idea he wrote anything besides horror novels. This was also my first and only fantasy book. I have to say at first, I thought it was slow & boring. It seemed like he went on and on with minuet details. However, I soon discovered he was not babbling and found out why he is THE master of writing books. Every single detail he outlined, he later referenced & it became and intricate part to the story. This was THE best book I have ever read and don't think anything else will come close. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books period.
***** I give five well earned stars!

I believe the first King novel I read was the Green Mile. I was hooked. Then I read Insomnia. I've read other pieces he has written, but by far, my favorite and the only one I've read more than three times is TEOTD. A masterfully written fantasy that kept the pages turning. The first time you read it, you won't put it down. Then read it again and see all the little details you missed because you couldn't wait to see what happened next. I'll tell you, reading this inspired me to write my own fantasy stories. Hats off to the King of Horror, for he also rules Fantasy!

I love stephen king books. Generaly because they are horror stories. But even though this was not it still had a great story to it. I am a fast reader but that aside i would say this story is best when read over a short period of time. It has alot of things to think about that can easily be forgotten. The only bad side is that it seems like a childrens book but has some unnecessary sex scenes which have nothing to do with the story. Other than that a 5 star book.

This book is a departure from King's normal style, even more so than the Dark Tower books. But it's still darned good. The story, while actually rather simple and slightly juvenile, is tight, and the characters are well rendered. But the book is really worth reading for the antagonist - Flagg. Almost certainly the same Flagg who has appeared in "The Stand" and even more likely to be the Dark Tower's Marten, who is going by the name of "Richard Flagg" in Wizard and Glass. He's a magician who uses trickery and murder to cause chaos in a kingdom . . . just like Marten. There are more ties to the Dark Tower- a King Roland, for instance. But I shant spoil the whole thing for you. Read this book, blast it!!

I'll keep this brief. Stephen King is a legendary literary being. He is unique, and he keeps any reader entangled in the story. We readers and story writers/tellers alike have to appreciate this. Mr. King stepped away from the horror-genre and had a more fantasy approach, which he does not do too often. 'In the Eyes of the Dragon' was very entertaining, and spellbinding, and the items he uses in the story remain essential to the characters themselves. One particular character that will remain in your mind, is Randall Flagg, a hellish creature with enough spells to freeze you in time or worse. Flagg has appearances throughout Stephen King's books under different names.

A very nice, exciting, gratifying story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the pictures too. It's the perfect story for kids but grown-ups can enjoy it just as well. Please, Mr. King, do not write a sequel! Nothing could live up to the original. It might make a good movie though.

Eyes of the Dragon is an absolutely marvelous book written by the master of horror, Stephen King. I would give it five stars. Normally his books would take place in the modern age but this book is different. This book takes place in the already mysterious medieval era. The book is about a crippled and dying king, his eldest son, who is perfect in every way, and his crippled and twisted youngest son, the dark side of the family. When the son is found guilty of murdering his father he is locked up in the tower. He must prove his innocence before it is too late... my favorite book, a must read for all Stephen King, horror, and/or fantasy fans.

The first SK book I read. This is the book that turned me to the other worldly mind of Stephan King. Loved everything about it. It still sits at the top of my favorite books list. A read that grabbed me by the collar and pulled me in.

My absolute favorite Stephen King novel, bar none. As great as he is in horror, this proves he can write equally well in any genre, and outstandingly well in Sword and Sorcery....up there with the best in the business.

I got this book off of a reading list, and, seeing how it was written by Stephen King and a fantsay, thought it would be good. It was, only I didn't really like its writing style. The story was original though, and I give points for that.
The plot was easy enough to follow. Kingdom ruled by a mediocre King, with a wife everyone loves and an advisor who's just plain evil. Has two sons, wife dies giving birth to the second. Peter, the eldest, is perfect, and Thomas is...not. Flagg, the evil advisor, thinks Peter's a problem. A big problem. So he kills the king and blames it on him.
All and all, not bad. But not one of my favorites, either.

The Eyes of the Dragon was written by the fabulous and creative Stephen King. The story read like a fairy-tale with adult content. This book was not the same as other publications written by Stephen King. Even though the story starts out slow by introducing all the characters and the setting of the medieval times, the storyline kept you interested and curious of what's going to happen next. Flagg, the utterly mysterious and evil magician, is my favorite character. This book is a definite keeper. This book is recommended for those who are not looking for stories of monsters but that it includes a thrilling story.

This was one of Stephen Kings best books I have read so far.When you finish the first page you can't put it down. The story is about a kings magician (Flagg- The Stand and The Dark Tower series).The king and his two sons.The queen is killed while giving birth to the youngest one (Thomas).Years later the king is murdered and the only likely suspect is his son Peter.Peter is then imprisoned in a tower 300 feet to the ground.Leaving Thomas has the king with Flagg to guide him. I would tell you the rest but it would give away to much.

Throughout the novel "The Eyes of the Dragon" it became apparent that this was not one of Stephen King's best works. When many think of Stephen King they think of great works such as "It" or "Cujo" that brought terror and fear into the heart of the reader, but this was not the case in "The Eyes of the Dragon." If I were to rate the book on a scale of one to ten, I would most likely not give it higher than a five. The novel itself was dull and uneventful. The plot seemed like it had been stretched out to fill pages, and it felt like it could have been a hundred pages shorter without losing and effect. The few suspenseful events in the novel were short lived, and it appeared to me as a reader that there could have been better choice for which happenings were emphasized in the story. The book itself is written like a screenplay, with a lot of importance on actions of the characters rather than stressing the plot. There is plenty of good imagery and detail, but there is almost too much and things are written in that aren't necessary for the reader. Some things in the book almost didn't need to be said at all, because they weren't relevant to the story. A good example of this is on page 294. The entire second paragraph reads as though it could be omitted without losing any effect whatsoever. Personally, I did not thoroughly enjoy reading this book. There were a few spots of suspense and action, but through most of the 400-page endeavor, I was asleep in my seat.
~Kevin A.

This book is amazing. I am a HUGE Stephen King fan and this is not his typical form of writing. Fairytale, suspence, and the beginnings of the tale of Flagg, all woven into a story that is the best in bedtime literature

I adore all of Stephen King's books. He has a way of transporting you to completely different worlds with an ease that is unique only to him. But I was slightly disappointed with this book in that, while the plot and details itself were great, it was a little underwhelming. I always finish his books with mixed emotions: ecstatic about yet another great story and sad that it's over. This one left me with an empty feeling...like getting turned on and then being left hanging. I'm sure you know what I mean. But it was entertaining. Everyone has their own opinion though.

After reading other reviewers expressing their belief that this book isn't like other King books, I have to wonder how many of his fans are unaware of his Dark Tower series.
At any rate, this book is a wonderful journey to that "other" place, home of Roland of Gilead and "territories" to a certain brave boy in "The Talisman." Some of you will recognize Flagg from "The Stand" (and of course, he is Walter--man with many names--from the Tower books). It's an easy and quick read, 3-4 hours will have the book finished for most.

This is just an all around fun story. Not as dark and creepy as many of his books. It is a good old knights tail with the dragon. Good story, lots of action, enough descriptions to really let you see the story. A good effort.

i read the book and loved it. when it finally ended i wished it had gone on forever. Flagg was my favorite character in the book because he was dark and mysterious. The ending about thomas shooting the arrow through flaggs eye was great. This book had lots of suspence and kept me on the edge of my seat. at first i thought it would be another dumb book that had no meaning but it was great. also i loved the part where peter found the note and locket about a king of the past and figured out how flagg was hundreds of years old. i will read it again and again till i die then i will be buried with it in my casket! chow!

I have never been a big fan of Stephen King's works, but I'm glad a friend gave me The Eyes of the Dragon for Christmas. In this fascinating story, Stephen King writes a tale of a kingdom in turmoil. A king, ancient and crippled, is killed, with his heir and most loving son, the good Prince Peter, blamed for it. There are many other suspects, too, such as the obviously evil Flagg, the king's magician. Is Peter a murderer? If not, how can he escape his fate and prove his innocence? This book is a true page turner, I couldn't stop reading until I was finished.

The book is short (in terms of Stephen King books) and very good. Excitement right through. I guess I did not know what to expect and went to it with an open heart. Within the first few pages I was completely bought. It runs on nicely with just enough detail and in a conversational style. That was a bit new but I liked it.

In all it was a very good book (and I do not say that about a lot of books). Great read if looking for some excitement. Nothing bad to say.

This was and is a wonderful book. From the first time to the 7th and 8th times I have read it. Stephen King created a masterpiece of the magical days of yore. The characters are rich and believable. The young boys on their quest for manhood, the kind but weak king, the dear and tender queen, the evil sorcerer bent on taking the kingdom. There are dragons and hunts and wolves and magic and secrets and mystery and intrigue. All in all, it's a wonderful story, and I for one will read it again very soon.

I've watched many movies based on his novels and also read some of them before like the Langoliers and The Stand, and they were utterly scarey. But this novel is definitely a twist from his other usual, frightening novels and stories. First of all, this novel is much like a middle-age fantasy story that is surprisingly fun and interesting to read. But second, it is predictable, unlike many of his other stories, you wouldn't know what would come next if you don't continue flipping through the pages. Nevertheless, this is a one of a kind work from Stephen King that shouldn't be overlooked.

The cover said Eyes of the Dragon, the author was Stephen King and the back included a blurb about "terror"; I looked forward to a hard edged, dark fantasy for adults.

The first few pages hooked me in. King switches styles and writes in a fairytale-like narrative voice, and does it quite well.

The first 50 pages is back story and much of it is interesting. But I waited for the actual story to get going. When it did, I realized three things: there was no dragon (not really), the story was not hard edged and this wasn't even much of a "fantasy". This was more family drama and political intrigue. I lost interest and read the rest of the plot on wikipedia.

I'm glad I did.

What happens when the #1 horror bestseller decide to write a fairy tale? King writes a perfect story. It has all the elements a story of this kind should have. Old kingdom, dying weak king, loyal son, betrayal and of course high tower. Naturally King dose not neglect the plot. The story is well written and leave you with the taste of charming medieval era for a few days. Enjoy.