The lighter side of King, July 24, 2000
Reviewer: "arualeiram" (Madison WI)

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.

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A well told tale of a murdererd king and a young prince imprisoned for life due to the designs of an ancient evil magician bent on the destruction of everything. But that's just the beginning.

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A fairy tale in true Stephen King fashion. A wonderful tale of betrayal and adventure. Highly Recommended!

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Hard to believe this was written by Stephen King. Not a horror story at all. High fantasy at it's finest with attention to character development and detail. Highly recommend.

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A great read, I don't usually read dragon/prince/evil wizard type books but this one had me from the first page.

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I loved this book!! I think this is my new favorite book. This beats the Gunslinger series hands down. I wish he made a sequel to it. Poor Thomas and his fear of Flagg. If only his brother Peter can teach him to use his inner courage before it is too late...

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Delightful fairytale, perfectly suitable for a younger crowd with the LACK of gruesome violence and mind twisting fear. Any avid Stephen King reader will pick up on some hints from other books such as the villains name (Flagg). There are traces of King in it, but it's not a normal King read. I loved the narration, as well as the story. It also goes towards a suspension of disbelief, but then brings you back to reality. Unlike any Fairy tale, or King book I have ever read.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change by Mr. King.

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King Roland is left to raise two sons after his Queen dies. One prince will soon be king, and sooner than anyone would think. An evil wizard who lives off of chaos plans to end the King's life and blame one young Prince. In a kingdom that is drowning in darkness and turmoil with no end, people will rise to fight but they may not win.

Out of Stephen King's books, this is a tame one. Very minor horror but there is a character that does show up in his other books and if you are a fan you know him right away. This was a second reading for me. I read it many years ago and did not remember much of it. I enjoyed it. It was clever and original in some places.

I had hoped for more fantasy and magic in a book with a wizard. Most of the story was pretty dark and I felt similar to what a minor depressive state feels like when I read it. I did not remember feeling like that when I read it the first time.

I love the fact that this story was written for King's daughter and that he was willing to branch out into a non-horror. I don't know if he has written anything like this since because I have only read a hand full of his books. I feel it is worth the read if only for the character who reoccurs in his other books.

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I read this book years ago and have always wanted to read it again I'm glad it is back in my library. Now I can share a great Stephen King book with my children that will not give them nightmares.

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Very good book, also introduces a few characters mentioned in the Dark Tower Series.

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I do not love Stephen King, as much of his work that I have attempted to read is simply too graphic for me nor I do not like that he makes children & animals the conduit for many of his stories. That being said I loved this fantasy tale of darkness & light, of good & evil. I have not read this book before yet the story seemed a familiar one to me.
This tale is about an evil magician who has lived for thousands of years & is bent on destroying the kingdom of Delain once again as he has many times in its history. Each time Delain has a worthy King or Queen, Flagg for that is the magician's name, would return and bring the kingdom to it's knees.
This story concerns the reader with Roland the good, the current King & his two sons: Peter, the very bright & engaging Prince who would be King and his younger brother Thomas who is not quite so bright, fears everything, is very needy & not nearly as sure of himself as is Peter.
Things are going too well within the kingdom of Delain to serve Flagg. They have a sound economy. The people are happy with their King & the Prince who will be King & with their lives in general. But Flagg needs a King he can easily manipulate in order to bring the kingdom to its knees. So he kills King Roland, sees that Prince Peter is blamed for the crime & sent to the tower. Now he has a very malleable King Thomas to work with.
This book is a page-turner & this reader could not put it down. I highly recommend it to those of you who are looking for an entertaining read & who enjoy a bit (or a lot) of surrealism or magic realism.

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A good solid fantasy read by contemporary master Stephen King. Written in King's usual reader friendly style, the book seems to breeze by. Another plus: for those that love fantasy, but hate to commit to a lengthy series, this is a single volume with no companion books. Fantasy lovers can't go wrong with this one.

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I have read this book 3 times, it is such a fantastic story

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Copyright Stephen King 1987 Printed and published in Great Britain in 1988 This edition is also illustrated. sm

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