The Eyes of the Dragon [Hardcover]

Stephen King (Author), David Palladini (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1987

In the kingdom of Delain, a young prince must struggle against powerful forces to gain his rightful inheritance.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the throne. Pitted against an evil wizard and a would-be rival, Prince Peter makes a daring escape and rallies the forces of Good to fight for what is rightfully his. This is a masterpiece of classic dragons-and-magic fantasy that only Stephen King could have written! --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Advance publicity hails this "story" (not labeled a novel) by the popular writer as appealing to "readers of all ages," although its genesis was in a story King told to his children. King's legion of fans are likely to find that a restrained maturity marks the differences between this stylish, successful effort at fantasy (illustrated by 21 half-tones) and his earlier, sometimes overwrought writings. Eyes details the crusade of Peter and Thomas, two princely brothers, to destroy the 400-year-old Flagg, the evil magician who threatens to control the kingdom of Delain after the death of their father, King Roland, who remained unwed until he was past 50. Flagg has imprisoned Peter, the heir apparent, on suspicion of murdering the king (actually it was Flagg who did it) and installed the profligate second son, an easier mark, on the throne. Surprisingly, Eyes is a gentle story, despite violence, gore and his standard vulgarity, because King has ingeniously interposed himself between reader and narrative as if he were telling the tale aloud, with a soothing cadence practically audible in the evocative prose. This heartwarming chronicle of brotherly love may be enjoyed by young adults and their parents. 1,000,000 first printing; $300,000 ad/promo; BOMC selection.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (February 2, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067081458X
• ISBN-13: 978-0670814589
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (388 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "He must be put out of the way...", January 18, 2004

By 

Betty June Moore (Douglas, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eyes of the Dragon (Mass Market Paperback)

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.)

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy from King, February 11, 2003

By 

pol (MO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eyes of the Dragon (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The lighter side of King, July 24, 2000

By 

"arualeiram" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eyes of the Dragon (Mass Market Paperback)

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.