Customer Reviews

The Eyes Of The Dragon (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(250)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

"The Eyes of the Dragon" is one of the few--and best--fantasy novels Stephen King has written so far. It takes place in the kingdom of Delain where an old king (Roland) rules with his meek wife, Sasha, and two sons (Peter and Thomas). Lurking in the background is the king's evil magician, Flagg, who has been plotting the collapse of this family for years. First to die is Sasha, while giving birth to Thomas. King Roland and Peter succumb within days of each other--Roland dying of poison, and Peter arrested for his death and imprisoned in the top of a tower for the rest of his life. Finally, Flagg has his opportunity to rule vicariously through the youngest son Thomas. However, he never anticipated Peter to come up with such an ingenius plan to stop him, all the while confined to his cell.

This is one of the first books I ever read by Stephen King, during my I-won't-read-anything-but-Stephen-King period when I was about 11 or 12. If you're reluctant to read anything by King for whatever reason (either he's too gratuitous or verbose, etc.), at least try "The Eyes of the Dragon". I don't read very many fantasy books, but this is one of the best that I have read. King does such a wonderful job of storytelling that it's hard to put it aside even for sleep. And for those of you who hate reading long books, this one is just under 400 pages (which is unusual for King), with some beautiful illustrations by David Palladini.

Out of all King's books, this is still my favorite. I highly recommend it to everyone, not just King fans.