The Eyes of the Dragon

The Eyes of the Dragon feels like a story that belongs in the ancient histories of Midworld.

That is to say… if you’ve read the Dark Tower series, King’s voice is familiar here. He uses terms like “baronies” which I’ve never heard in other fantasy novels. There is a Roland (our Roland Deschain’s namesake in his own world, perhaps? Or a coincidence?) and there is a wicked court magician named “Flagg”. And, of course, we know Flagg from The Stand and the Dark Tower series.

Of course, this is a different world and a different time, but there’s always that feel of a grander universe to Stephen King’s work, and so, things do fold into each other, don’t they?

Except for the beginning when King talks about… very adult show more things… the cadence of this story feels like a middle grade novel. It is not a childish tale, not one that is unenjoyable to adults. Rather, it is told by a “storyteller” figure and has the sort of charming, narrative feel that I remember from Iron-Hearted Violet. But it’s important to remember that The Eyes of the Dragon is a Stephen King novel, so there’s some crude imagery, some hysteria, some swearing, and some gore. I’m a fan of King’s fantasy, so the way this whole story was told felt very familiar to me, but those who come in for the horror may not expect this book.

It is the story of a kingdom, and of an evil wizard who has patiently waited for centuries for his moment to take over… and now it has arrived. The body of the story itself is a familiar one, and it’s fairly simple. The Eyes of the Dragon was meant to be told as a children’s tale to his daughter, and it is just the type of story I wish my parents had told me (aside from the crude imagery at the beginning… I’m all set there). It’s captivating with a variety of interesting characters whom you get to know very well. For King, this is even a short book, coming in at about a quarter of the length of his other, more renown works (looking at you, It).

My only complaint has nothing to do with the book, but with the audiobook’s narrator. For the most part, he was fine. But, for some reason, the choice was made to do Flagg’s dialogue in a harsh whisper. It just came off a bit strange and broke the flow a little. I wasn’t a fan of it, but it didn’t ruin the book.

I very much enjoyed The Eyes of the Dragon and its dual roles as fantasy and thriller. It was an easy read, but utterly engrossing, and I’ll definitely be checking out the Hulu series when it airs. show less

Only Stephen King could make napkins interesting. And I mean that literally. This book really should be called The Royal Napkins for the prominent role those handy dinner accessories play in this rare fantasy gem by the master of horror. And one would think that a novel featuring napkins as a crucial plot point can only lead to sheer boredom… but leave it to Stephen King. He can take napkins and make them as fascinating as the scariest of monsters.

Luckily for those who are still wary of a book about square pieces of linen, The Eyes of the Dragon isn’t just about napkins. It is an old-fashioned fantasy with dragons, magic crystals, magic poisons, magicians, kings, and princes, with murder, betrayal, loyalty, and wrongful show more imprisonment, and with napkins… of course. The novel chronicles the lives of two royal princes: the older brother Peter, and the younger, Thomas, and their father, King Roland the Good, who rules over the magical kingdom of Delain. Roland is advised by the sinisterly evil magician, Flagg, who wants to wrest more control over the kingdom, so he murders the king, and frames the older (and far more courageous) son, Peter for the crime. When Peter is sent to prison “at the top of The Needle,” the younger and weaker brother, Thomas, takes the throne. He rules in name only, however, since Flagg really holds the power.

And Peter may be trapped in his cell at the top of the tallest tower in Delain, but he has an escape plan. Peter’s staunchest allies, including his childhood friend, Ben, and his former butler, Dennis, are doing everything in their power to get Peter out too. But can they get past the dark magician? Can Peter prove his innocence and claim the throne that is rightfully his? And what did Thomas see the night his father was murdered?

A very fun read, and it is obvious in the tone and style of the novel that King had fun writing it. There isn’t much depth to The Eyes of the Dragon as found in some of King’s other works, but that is kind of the idea here. Kick back, relax, and enjoy a fun romp through an equally fun fantasy world. Watch Peter grow up, first under the quietly intelligent eye of his beautiful mother Sasha, and later under the tutelage of palace staff. Watch him become a man in his prison cell, and hatch his crazy escape plan, which (SPOILER ALERT!!) will involve napkins. Conversely, watch the delicate and borderline-sniveling brother, Thomas, cope with his jealousy at his stronger and more confident older brother by hiding in castle corridors and spying on his father. Watch him regress when he wakes up one day and finds himself king. And throughout the narrative, watch the viciously evil Flagg wreak his black havoc… because he can.

There isn’t much to be gained from The Eyes of the Dragon – besides a new appreciation for the power of napkins – and that is a-ok. It is a fun ride. Thank you, Stephen King, for taking me on it. show less

A simple fantasy tale told by Stephen King- but told well. The plot was easy to manoeuvre and the characters grew lives of their own. For this one, the style came off as economical and, at times, poetic. Surprisingly a great read and was not disappointed by the story in the least. It bears resemblance to a myth mixed with a fairy tale, but poised in King's own conceptualization. Very interesting read and totally worth the entire ride.

4 stars.

I haven't, in the rereading of King's work, read his collaboration with Peter Straub as yet. I'm saving [b:The Talisman|59219|The Talisman (The Talisman, #1)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1170530286l/59219._SX50_.jpg|3324421] and [b:Black House|10607|Black House (The Talisman, #2)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388263466l/10607._SX50_.jpg|1738813], along with the Dark Tower series until the end.

I consider The Talisman to be his first misstep, the first time I read something by him and was disappointed, but I'd put it down to the perenially disappointing Peter Straub (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, he's good blah blah blah. I do show more not like his stuff. Get over it.)

But with this book, King officially produced his first solo stinker. King is a very versatile writer, and he can write horror, thrillers, mysteries, coming of age stories...he's good in so many areas. But when he turns his hand to either SF or Fantasy, I'm sorry, but he simply stinks. The things that save the Dark Tower series (and believe me, there are times when it stinks too), is that, while it's essentially fantasy, he throws everything in that pot. Westerns? Sure. Horror? Yep. SF? Definitely. Comics? Why not? Harry Potter? What the hell, it takes all kindsa critters to make Farmer Brown's fritters, right?

So, ugh. Eyes of the Dragon. This was likely more of a chore the second time through, because I knew there was really no payoff. The first time, at least I could anticipate something (please God, anything) happening.

King trots out every damn fantasy cliche here. The befuddled ineffective king. The good king that is prevented from ruling. The pathetic king ruled by someone else. Prison towers. Unendingly loyal subjects. And even a half-assed dragon.

Remember when King wrote two books side-by-side, [b:Desperation|10584|Desperation|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1395764566l/10584._SY75_.jpg|14015] and [b:The Regulators|10596|The Regulators|Richard Bachman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554402378l/10596._SY75_.jpg|955346], one under his own name, one under the Bachman tag? They had some passing similarities, but they were also remarkably different in tone, story, and quality? Yeah, I feel like this is the same thing.

Stick with me here for a moment. So, remember King's excellent Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption novella from [b:Different Seasons|39662|Different Seasons|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329662611l/39662._SY75_.jpg|2248680]? Of course you do.

So, to me, it feels like King borrowed some Dark Tower names, stuck them on Shawshank Redemption characters, then moved the story to a fantasy setting, so now, instead of Andy Dufresne taking years to escape Shawshank, you've got Peter the Good taking years to escape the Needle. But with none of the engaging prose, characterization, or heart.

Even Flagg, a character he's had fun with in a few books up to now, and who actually starts out fairly creepy in the start of this story, turns into a drooling, raving idiot by the end. And he, like everyone else in the story, has no motivation whatsoever. Peter is good because he's good. Thomas is ineffectual because, well, dad didn't love him enough. Flagg is a mustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash type here.

Yeah, this book deserves to be buried deep and forgotten, perhaps surviving only as a footnote about a not-very-good curiousity, oddly connected to his Dark Tower series.

Like I said. A stinker.

His next one would be [b:The Tommyknockers|17660|The Tommyknockers|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394210331l/17660._SY75_.jpg|150226], but we'll deal with that particular stinking pile when we get there, won't we? show less

This is a proper fairytale with an actual dragon, though it doesn’t survive past the first act, because the king kills it (rude). How is it still relevant enough to be featured on the book cover if it ended up dead? You’ll have to read the book!

In the Authors Group Chat post’s comment section, several lovely folks mentioned Stephen King writing The Eyes of the Dragon for his daughter (1984). I wouldn’t call it a children’s book. This was more like a dark-ish YA epic fantasy with light emotional damage.

🎧 Listening to the audiobook feels like a father sitting at the edge of a bed, telling his kid a story before the lights go out.

⚔️ Read this if you:
• love fairytale-style fantasy with a dark edge
• are looking for show more something to read with an older kid
• don’t mind that the dragon is dead

📖 Maybe skip if you:
• are expecting King’s signature horror
• don’t have the patience for a narrator who occasionally wanders off point

👑 Overall, this is a well-written fantasy that would’ve been even better as a shorter story. It has violent moments and creepy imagery, but carries that classic good-vs-evil fairytale-style intimate storytelling vibe. show less

I first read this book as a pre-teen, and it has stuck with me since. No, it is not an incredibly unique story, but very few are these days.

What I loved about this book and storytelling:
The unnamed narrator, speaking directly to the reader
The ties to other stories King would/has/will write
The "camera" work, moving from scene to scene.

As a storyteller myself, I am in awe of the techniques.

As I began this book, I didn't like it. It felt too young adultish and too fantasy. But it slowly grabbed my interest and in the vein of "The Dark Tower", I ended up enjoying it. Peter vs. Flagg! With napkins! :-) It ended up, for me, being a good story, and I would read any follow up, as was hinted at the end. (or the other story hinted in the middle!) Capture that Flagg!