Stephen King Book Reviews:

BLACK HOUSE

BAG OF BONES

BLOOD AND SMOKE

COLORADO KID

CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF

CARRIE

CUJO

CELL

CHRISTINE

DANSE MACABRE

DARK HALF

DEAD ZONE

DESPERATION

DIFFERENT SEASONS

DOLORES CLAIBORNE

DREAMCATCHER

DRAWING OF THE THREE

EYES OF THE DRAGON

EVERYTHINGS EVENTUAL

FIRESTARTER

FROM A BUICK 8

FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT

GERALDS GAME

INSOMNIA

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS

IT

MISERY

Stephen King Book Reviews:

NEEDFUL THINGS

NIGHTMARES AND DREAMSCAPES

ON WRITING

PET CEMETERY

RAGE

REGULATORS

RIDING THE BULLET

ROADWORK

ROSE MADDER

SALEM'S LOT

SKELETON CREW

SONG OF SUSANNAH

STORM OF THE CENTURY

THE DARK TOWER

THE GREEN MILE

THE GUNSLINGER

THE LONG WALK

THE PLANT

THE RUNNING MAN

THE SHINING

THE TALISMAN

THE TOMMYKNOCKERS

THE WASTE LANDS

THINNER

TOM GORDON

WIZARD AND GLASS

WOLVES OF THE CALLA

 Eyes of the Dragon is Stephen King’s first and, for the most part, only venture into the genre of sword and sorcery fantasy. Written because his daughter Naomi disliked his fictional explorations into the horror genre, readers might also be interested to find out that one of the characters, a peasant girl, is also named after King’s daughter.

Following the classic template for general fantasy, Eyes of the Dragon is a tale of good and evil with a host of characters whose names will be familiar to those who are familiar with King’s work. The villain of this novel, Randall Flagg, also makes appearance in King’s Dark Tower series and The Stand, among other works.

Eyes of the Dragon is the tale of Prince Peter of Delain, beloved son of King Roland (a name that will also be familiar to readers of the Dark Tower series) and rightful heir to the thrown of Delain. The tale takes a turn as the result of sibling rivalry when Peter’s younger and weaker brother, Thomas, becomes a pawn of the king’s magician, Randall Flagg.

After King Roland is murdered and Peter framed for his murder, Thomas is made King of Delain and Flagg his chief advisor. Peter is imprisoned in the Needle, a structure that towers over the Kingdom of Delain. Under the rule of Thomas and the deception of Flagg, Delain begins to move quickly into chaos.

Peter, trapped inside the Needle, begins to plot an escape in order to save his Kingdom from the evil Flagg as Thomas becomes nothing more than a puppet of Flagg. Requesting only his mother’s dollhouse and a royal napkin with each meal, Peter begins to plot to save his kingdom and clear his name.

Eyes of the Dragon is told in true fairy tale fashion and combines King’s trademark storyteller’s flair with a passion for a genre that King normally avoids. However, the combination works and makes Eyes of the Dragon one diversion from the normal King fare that both King fans and fantasy readers will enjoy.