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The Eyes of the Dragon

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 47,947 ratings · 1,527 reviews

A tale of archetypal heroes and sweeping adventures, of dragons and princes and evil wizards, here is epic fantasy as only Stephen King could envision it.
The number-one New York Times best seller - the prelude to the classic Dark Tower series.

427 pages

Published (first published 1987)

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Aug 08, 2007 Silvercharmer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy/Stephen King fans

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, stephen-king, young-adult

i need to preface this by saying that this was the first stephen king book i ever read. he is my father's favorite author, and i grew up staring at the dozens of hardback books all in a row on the shelves of his office, all with king's name on them. i really wanted to read one, see what it was dad read, and the reason he handed me this one was the same reason king wrote it: so his kids could read something he had written. in other words, it's kid-friendly, and actually written as a children's bo...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Stefan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, this was a REALLY quick read for me. I remembered liking this one from the first time that I read it, but I didn't remember the storyline at all. It turned out to be one of those stories that I just didn't want to put down for long.

Eyes of the Dragon is very different from most of King's other works. Written for his tween-age daughter because she complained that he had not written anything that she was interested in or felt comfortable reading, the Eyes of the Dragon is basically King's t...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy

Interesting and slightly odd mixture of Stephen Kings story telling and a slightly more classic/mythological tale than we're used to from the modern prince of horror.

This is described by some as Stephen King doing children's literature". Well, I wouldn't really call it that. I'm aware that Mr. King dedicated this to his daughter...but I would suggest that you read it yourself first before giving it to a child, at least a child younger than say, 12. Just my opinion. It's how I'd handle it.

The sto...more Interesting and slightly odd mixture of Stephen Kings story telling and a slightly more classic/mythological tale than we're used to from the modern prince of horror.

This is described by some as Stephen King doing children's literature". Well, I wouldn't really call it that. I'm aware that Mr. King dedicated this to his daughter...but I would suggest that you read it yourself first before giving it to a child, at least a child younger than say, 12. Just my opinion. It's how I'd handle it.

The story is a fair one and you'll see echos of a lot of Mr. King's other books not to mention echos of other stories going back to early myths and epics.

I'll not be adding this to my "permanent collection" and I don't have plans to read it again, but still it's a pretty good yarn.

So, what's positive and what's negative? Well there is still the slightly tainted feel I've noted in most of Mr. Kings other stories. (view spoiler) We get a bit this. There are at least two scenes with relatively long detailed descriptions of nose pickers, one of whom likes to eat his discoveries... get the picture?

Also there are a few times where the story gets repetitive. We cover a period of time, then we go back and get the story of what went on in detail. Then there are times we drop back and cover the same period of time from another character's point of view. I did get a bit bored, enough to skip some of the book at one point.

Still, the story is laid out in a straight forward manner that will I believe draw most in. Even with the repetition it doesn't slow way down often. The story is told in a more traditional style drawing on older stories even fairy tales. It weaves a tale that while I doubt most will find it surprising it will keep you interested and give some enjoyment.

I'll go four on this, if just and recommend it.

(view spoiler)(less)

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May 21, 2008 Nick Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At times, King's approach to writing from a storyteller's perspective is a little cloying, and there's a lot of old-fashioned narrator presence in this one. "I'm sorry to say," "It's not for me to tell," "You'll have to make up your mind"; to me, this stuff is cute in very small doses but betrays a little too much the mechanics behind writing itself. It's difficult to get really lost in a story when the author continually reminds you that it's a story. Other than that, this is a good adventure y...more

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Nov 25, 2007 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvies, fictions

Stephen King. For kids? Yeah, sometimes. Eyes of the Dragon is as close as King comes to being for all ages.

This is a shift from most of King's other writings, but carries much of King's traditional thematic and style. Stephen King's world is connected to our own and it's in that world that all his stories hang out, blending together in fascinating and engaging ways. One can't help but see the connections in Dragon to other books; The Stand, It, The Dark Tower. Maybe it's just that I really like...more

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Nov 30, 2012 StoryTellerShannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, owned

I read this about ten years ago and just read the book again about two years ago. Well, I'm delighted to say that it still has all its magic.

As an aspiring writer, I was breaking down the story, trying to figure out what made it special. It's not so much the setting as there are many fairy tale legends which are similar to this one . .. nor is it the actual idea as many good princes have been unjustly imprisoned and then tried to redeem themselves later.

This tale's strength is in its narrative p...more

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Mar 10, 2013 KRUSTAL-chan Joanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: xxl10-books

сюжет - 2
идея - 3
герои - 3
жанр - 4
поетика - 5

"Очите на дракона" е една фентъзи история, разказана като приказка за малки и големи любители на този жанр, а Стивън Кинг показва за пореден път своето майсторство, като обхваща един по-различен кръг от читатели. Въпреки това не бих я препоръчала на хора, които са чували за твореството на Кинг, но не обичат ужаси и трилъри и въпреки това искат да прочетат нещо негово.

Сюжетът не е една от най-силните страни на историята. Книгата е била написана специа...more сюжет - 2
идея - 3
герои - 3
жанр - 4
поетика - 5

"Очите на дракона" е една фентъзи история, разказана като приказка за малки и големи любители на този жанр, а Стивън Кинг показва за пореден път своето майсторство, като обхваща един по-различен кръг от читатели. Въпреки това не бих я препоръчала на хора, които са чували за твореството на Кинг, но не обичат ужаси и трилъри и въпреки това искат да прочетат нещо негово.

Сюжетът не е една от най-силните страни на историята. Книгата е била написана специално за дъщерята на Стивън Кинг, която, по онова време, е била на 12-13 години. Личи си праволинейното развитие, което е предсказуемо и типично приказно: имало едно време една земя с един крал, който трябвало да се ожени и да има наследник... Преразказана накратко, сюжетната линия не би се отличила от никоя друга приказка, в която доброто побеждава злото и справедливостта тържествува над света. Кинг е подбрал всичко най-типично за фентъзи жанра - крале, принцове, кралство, дракони, магьосници, като е добавил капка реализъм, без да излиза от границите на приказното и фоклорното. Никой друг не би могъл да я разкаже така, както Стивън Кинг, което я прави уникална сама по себе си.

Какво прави различна тази приказка? Мрачната атмосфера, потискащот усещане и реализмът. Всичко това би отблъснало част от читателите още от самото начало. До средата на книгата това действа с пълна сила, но след това започва да се губи. Атмосферата, която е в първите страници на книгата накрая вече липсва, губят се характерните неща, сякаш авторът е искал да приключи по-бързо и е забравил част от нещата, на които е наблягал. Всичко се променя, втората част от книгата би се харесала на читателите, на които не им е допаднала първата. Действието е малко бавно, Кинг обръща внимание на малките детайли, които човек би подминал с "лека ръка", но той специално ни ги обяснява "като добрия разказвач на малките си читатели". Този начин на повествование е приятен и различен, но не би допаднал на всекиго. "Очите на дракона" не е наистина книга с ужаси, които човек би сънувал в кошмарите си. Липсват всички обикновени хорър елементи, затова книгата си остава много повече чисто фентъзи - приказка от ужас.

Героите биха могли да се разделят на два типа: добрите и лошите, като при първите спадат Питър, Саша, Бен, Денис, а при вторите - Флаг и Томас. Питър наистина контрастира на Флаг, добро срещу зло, осезаема разлика, както при всяка приказка. Героите изпъкват като по-реалистични, по-земни, но не докрай. Характерите на повечето остават недоразвити, непоказани, особено при второстепенните като Бен, Денис иНаоми. Те са "добрите герои", помагащи да се осъществи победата над злото, но всичко спира дотам. Героят на Флаг също не излиза от рамките на приказното и остава ограничен. Той просто прави зло, защото иска зло и това му харесва... но каква е причината? Неговият герой присъства и в други книги на Кинг, но тук той остава крайно недоразвит персонаж, типичен злодей, който Питър - "почти типичният добър герой" трябва да победи, за да възтържествува справедливост. Образите на крал Роланд и кралица Саша също са доста различни. Тя е възпитана, умна, кротка, учтива, а Роланд е глупав, невъзпитан, несъобразителен, невзрачен. Само едно качество ги обединява - добротата. И тези качества по различен начин се предават на Питър и Томас, техните синове. Питър е самият идеал за принц и бъдещ крал, такъв, какъвто трябва да си го представяме. При него главна впечатлваща роля играят неговите действия и поведение: спасяването на куцият кон от смърт, който е собственост на един куц крал; ползването на салфетки на масата по съвет на майка му, което му спасява живота; играта с кукления майчин дом, което помага за неговото освобождение. Томас, от друга страна, е по-нетипичният герой. Неговото присъствие изпъква и се отличава. "Той не е лош" - както ни казва разказвачът, но малък, самотен, търсещ място под слънцето и любов, жадуващ за внимание и приятели като всяко дете. Той получава това само като измама от Флаг. Томас е добрият наранен герой, "приютен" от лапите на злото. Пътят, който Томас извървява, е не по-малък от пътя на Питър към свободата. Томас трябва да се пребори с много неща в своя "затвор", както Питър в неговия, за да стигнат до крайната цел. Толкова са различни, а ги обединява сходната братска съдба.

Да живеят приказките! Бих препоръчала тази книга на хората, които ги обичат и биха искали да разчупят рамките типичното. На хората, готови за нещо малко по-реалистично, което би могло да ги стресне и учуди, да ги накара да притаят дъх в очакване. В крайна сметка, всичко това ще си остане както по начало - приказка.(less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Jennalyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy

I have a confession to make: I've never read a Stephen King novel before. I've read several of his essays (and been quite impressed), but I'm just not a fan of horror as a genre.

But I do love a good fantasy or a twisted fairy tale, which is precisely what we have in "The Eyes of the Dragon." And it's delightful. The plot is simple: an evil magician murders the king, frames the crown prince, and then proceeds to install the younger prince as king... a king whom the evil magician can control. But...more I have a confession to make: I've never read a Stephen King novel before. I've read several of his essays (and been quite impressed), but I'm just not a fan of horror as a genre.

But I do love a good fantasy or a twisted fairy tale, which is precisely what we have in "The Eyes of the Dragon." And it's delightful. The plot is simple: an evil magician murders the king, frames the crown prince, and then proceeds to install the younger prince as king... a king whom the evil magician can control. But throughout this child-like tale, King's prose style and narrative voice are charming. He goes out of his way to make both Peter (the good prince and rightful king) and Thomas (the weak and jealous younger prince) into characters that I sympathize with, and, even with the simplicity of the plot, King is a skilled enough writer to keep me wondering what will happen next.

As in all fairy tales, there is a hint of a moral here and there, a classic battle between good and evil, and a series of fortuitous events that leads to the inevitable resolution. But every step of the way, King complicates the genre slightly. Thomas, despite his apparent position as a "villain," is not a bad boy, just a weak and fearful one. And the characters do not live happily ever after; to quote Mr. King, "they had their good days, as you do, and they had their bad days, and you know about those." I think it's this nuanced tone that makes the novel work for me. While using classic fairy tale motifs to appeal to the inner child in us all, the part of us that longs for black and white problems solved by trustworthy heroes, he also acknowledges the limitations of such simplicity. Instead, we're given a fairy tale world painted in shades of gray to contrast with its black and white morals. King manages to incorporate all the best elements of a fairy tale, along with some creepy horror-esque imagery and a very adult awareness of the frailty of human nature.

As a first foray into Stephen King, it left me pleased and wondering if perhaps I should try a bit more... perhaps something not too terribly creepy?(less)

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Mar 02, 2007 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans will devour it eagerly.

Before he began his quest for the Dark Tower, King took an earlier foray into the fantasy genre with a book called The Eyes of the Dragon. Written for his thirteen-year-old daughter who didn’t much appreciate his horror stories, Eyes takes place in Delain, a kingdom like many another. The court magician Flagg plots to assassinate King Roland and frame the murder on his heir, the noble Prince Peter. With Peter imprisoned, Flagg has free reign with younger Prince Thomas under his sway.

The set-up i...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: King fans, Classic fantasy lovers

I re-read this book to check if it was suitable for my 11 year old daughter to read. It's sometimes referred to as "Stephen King for children" but on re-read, I find that's not really true. There is some pretty direct sexual euphemisms at the beginning... how the "King's sword hardened before the Queen's forge," frank talk about how babies get made, allusions to sexual violence. But more than that, you can't really tone down Stephen King's zeal for murder, torture and mayhem. The bad guy is REAL...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars

Evil is lurking through the streets of Delain, a land still full of dragons, princes, wizards, and powerful magic. It seeps through the stone walls of the inns, and snakes through the fields. This isn’t just any evil, but one so great that it can bring down an entire kingdom that has flourished for centuries. Queen Sasha, beloved by her people, is found dead giving birth to her second son, Thomas. Her death wasn’t just a fluke or from a natural cause either. It was murder. Only a few years later...more Evil is lurking through the streets of Delain, a land still full of dragons, princes, wizards, and powerful magic. It seeps through the stone walls of the inns, and snakes through the fields. This isn’t just any evil, but one so great that it can bring down an entire kingdom that has flourished for centuries. Queen Sasha, beloved by her people, is found dead giving birth to her second son, Thomas. Her death wasn’t just a fluke or from a natural cause either. It was murder. Only a few years later, Sasha’s husband King Roland, the ruler of Delain, has been viciously murdered with a gruesome poison. Officials and judges make haste to find the murderer, and in a rash decision they falsely accuse Roland’s favorite son, Prince Peter. Peter is a tall, strong, and handsome young lad that loved his father and would never harm him. As a boy, Peter excelled at everything that he tried. This caused a lot of jealousy in his younger brother Thomas. Now Peter is locked up in the Needle, the most terrifying dungeon in all of Delain, while Thomas leads the kingdom into misery. Thomas is too young to lead a kingdom, and is under the misleading influence of the castle’s mysterious and manipulative magician, Flagg. Flagg conducts all of his mysterious works deep below the castle, in his lair filled with spiders, spells, and poisons. Can Peter muster up the courage to escape his prison, claim his rightful throne, and avenge his father’s death?

I think that Stephen King did a fantastic job telling this extraordinary tale. His vivid detail and narrative voice made reading The Eyes of the Dragon a pleasure. There is something so mesmerizing about Stephen King’s writing. The way he weaves different elements of the book together is incredible. I also feel that he expressed the theme of the book, to never give up until good topples evil, very clearly. If you are up for an enjoyable fantasy filled with sword fights, murder plots, and fire-breathing dragons, you should definitely read Stephen King’s The Eyes of the Dragon.
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Jan 29, 2013 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars

The novel is a tale about the mythical kingdom called Delain, and the conflicts and struggles revolved around its monarchy. King Roland’s eldest son, Peter, is a perfect fit as heir to the throne. He is loved by the entire kingdom, and is a strong and caring individual. The only person who does not want to see Peter take over is his father’s long-time advisor, a dark magician named Flagg. Unknown to those around him, Flagg has been overtaking and destroying royal kingdoms for hundreds of years,...more The novel is a tale about the mythical kingdom called Delain, and the conflicts and struggles revolved around its monarchy. King Roland’s eldest son, Peter, is a perfect fit as heir to the throne. He is loved by the entire kingdom, and is a strong and caring individual. The only person who does not want to see Peter take over is his father’s long-time advisor, a dark magician named Flagg. Unknown to those around him, Flagg has been overtaking and destroying royal kingdoms for hundreds of years, and his current interest is to cause the downfall of Delain. He knows that in order to do this, he must somehow get rid of Peter, making his younger brother Thomas the next king. Flagg manages to frame Peter for his father’s murder, causing a young, unprepared Thomas to take over the throne, followed strongly by Flagg’s advice. Trapped in a jail tower, Peter must figure out how to prove his innocence and save his beloved kingdom from the dark magician.
Fantasy is the genre that I probably have read the least of, so I was iffy about trying this book. However, the classical magic and dragons-type story proved to be very appealing to me. The story focused more on the conflict caused by Flagg, and the internal struggles of Peter, rather than constantly bringing up the fantasy elements. King seemed to simply place the story in a fantasy setting, making the elements of fantasy more secondary to the plot of the story. For example, Flagg is a magician who is hundreds of years old, and can create all kinds of dangerous potions, but as the reader, I focused more on how he framed Peter for his father’s murder and was using Thomas to gain control of Delain. I think this was a first good Stephen King book for me to read, and would also be a good first step for Young Adult readers who want to get into his more complicated stories.
Stephen King originally wrote this story for his daughter, Naomi, who was 12 or 13 at the time and complained that she didn’t like to read any of her father’s usual work. It is much less complicated and is shorter than most of King’s usual stories. Therefore, I think it is a perfect book for the Young Adult audience. I would especially recommend it to a YA reader who wants something different from the more popular YA books. This is because it doesn’t include the usual teen-aged narrator, and it doesn’t fit in the common realistic fiction genre. The writing is a bit more mature than in many YA books, so I would recommend this more for advanced middle school or high school readers. I would also suggest this book for readers who don’t really enjoy fantasy, or are into more classical fantasy stories, such as the Lord of the Rings. Younger readers might also enjoy the opportunity to read a book from an author as well known as Stephen King.
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Jan 06, 2013 Anjali rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my very first review of a book on Goodreads.com, so please bear with me if my writing is really crappy (I'm working on improving my writing skills by reading a multitude books and, of course, by writing a lot):

I've always loved reading Stephen King books, so I picked this novel because I knew he would never disappoint his fans. However, a few pages into this book, I had a feeling that this would be your typical fairy-tale story, whcih was not my expectation at all. When I stumbled upon t...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Sandi Wiseheart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

Forget everything you think you know as to what a Stephen King book is. This book is not gory; it is not scary (much); it is not filled with other-worldly strange beings who control human lives like game pieces, leaving trails of broken bodies and torn spirits in their wake. It is not about reality gone astray; it is not about sacrificing the best of us to save life itself.

This is a fairy tale, in the best sense of the phrase. It is a tale of a journey, a young man, a young woman, a mysterious d...more Forget everything you think you know as to what a Stephen King book is. This book is not gory; it is not scary (much); it is not filled with other-worldly strange beings who control human lives like game pieces, leaving trails of broken bodies and torn spirits in their wake. It is not about reality gone astray; it is not about sacrificing the best of us to save life itself.

This is a fairy tale, in the best sense of the phrase. It is a tale of a journey, a young man, a young woman, a mysterious dragon head, love, betrayal, strength, courage, fear, huge obstacles that must be overcome, suffering, joy, and all that good stuff. It is fantasy, not horror. It is imaginative without being cloying; it is storytelling as only King can do. However, it is storytelling as though he were writing a tale out of love for his grandchildren instead of a tale from the depths of his very badly-behaved writer's mind (see Bag of Bones for the origins of that phrase).

This is a wonderful book. My only complaint is that Mr. King, who normally is fanatical about doing research on the details, forgot to ask a real weaver and a real handspinner about the details he used involving those two crafts. I know that back when this book was first written, it may have been difficult to find someone to tell him that what he was describing in the scenes that mention weaving and spinning was like describing a car made of wood salvaged from a daisy meadow, being driven across the country on a fuel made of lace curtains where the car in question lacked both spark plugs, seats, and a fuel pump.

Details of spinning and weaving aside, this is a fantastic book that stays with you for a long time.

P.S. Mr. King, should you ever be interested in updating this book with details that will accurately and truly help the plot to proceed as planned, then I would be more than honoured to assist you in tweaking certain passages so that they do not make those of us who make our living with looms and spinning wheels shake our heads in disbelief. Other than that: DAMN, man. You can seriously WRITE.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandi Wiseheart(less)

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Sep 25, 2012 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book review

Eyes of the Dragon 4/5

Eyes of the Dragon had amazing Characters I felt that I knew them

personally that's how well Stephen King made you see them as a person I feel that is a

major sign of a great book. The setting being Delain a land of wizardly powers, dragons

usurpers, treachery, skulduggery, spying, daring escapes, and amazing loyalty. Which

are all carried out by those amazing characters who are well fit to do the job they are so

original on how the act and behave.

The whole plo...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Thee_ron_clark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Eyes of the Dragon is a novel set in a fantasy realm of magic, mythical creatures, kings, and knights.

A drunk and slovenly king rules the kingdom of Delain with the aid of a trusted magician. Said magician should not be trusted as he is none other than Flagg (The Stand, Dark Tower, etc., etc.). Flagg finds himself struggling to continue to corrupt the king due to the queen's kind wisdom. Flagg also sees a problem with the oldest prince, who appears to have the makings of a great and noble k...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Zorba rated it 3 of 5 stars

Scritto nel 1984 da un giovane King, è uno dei suoi libri più atipici. Dedicato a sua figlia Naomi (che da il nome anche a uno dei personaggi) è lei la causa della peculiarità di questo libro. Non avendo l'età sufficiente per leggere i libri del padre, scrive questa storia che sta a metà tra il fantasy e la fiaba.
Leggere un incipit di King che comincia con "C'era una volta" è sempre sconvolgente...

Nel regno di Delain, il vecchio Re Roland cerca di governare il paese come meglio può. Non è un gra...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first Stephen King. I thought he just wrote horror, which I don't like. This is old fashioned fantasy--a king, two princes, an evil magician, a castle, a dragon.

But it was a bit more than that. It was quite religious, or moral, or ethical. I particularly liked this passage about fasting from Chapter 52:

"He spent that first week...carefully thinking out his position, and trying to decide what he should do. He had fasted to clear his head...During the first day or two, he grappled with useless...more My first Stephen King. I thought he just wrote horror, which I don't like. This is old fashioned fantasy--a king, two princes, an evil magician, a castle, a dragon.

But it was a bit more than that. It was quite religious, or moral, or ethical. I particularly liked this passage about fasting from Chapter 52:

"He spent that first week...carefully thinking out his position, and trying to decide what he should do. He had fasted to clear his head...During the first day or two, he grappled with useless feelings. The childish part of him kept crying out, Not fair! This is not fair! And of course it wasn't, but that sort of thinking got him no place. As he fasted, he began to regain control of himself. His empty belly peeled the childish part of him away. He began to feel cleaner, husked out, empty...like a glass waiting to be filled. After two or three days of eating nothing, the growlings in his stomach subsided, and he began to hear his real thoughts more clearly. He prayed, but part of him knew that he was doing more than praying; he was talking to himself, listening to himself, wondering if there was a way out of this..."

The whole story is about faith. The faith that leads us to act the way we know we should, although we cannot see how (or if) things will work out in the end. The best characters in the book are willing to do what is right without knowing if they will live or die because of it. And if you believe in God, or divine help, you can see in the story how each brave, faithful character, by doing his small part, makes the final miraculous ending possible--how their small contributions are orchestrated into a much greater whole. Each person is thinking that he needs to do something, but he doesn't know why or how it will help. As he follows that feeling, he becomes just the answer to another person's prayer, just the thing to save another person who has also bravely followed his feelings without seeing the end.

Is King religious? This feels like a book only a person of deep faith could write, but perhaps an author can imitate that?

And by the way, if you are looking for good dog names, there is an awesome female husky in this book named Frisky. (less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Cameron rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the first Stephen King book I have ever read, if you can believe it. He's been an author that I have always wanted to read, but it is almost like starting to listen to alt country bands—you need to have some good advice on what to listen to first. Even though I have friends who are well versed in King, I instead opted to pick up an audiobook from the library that looked fairly short and enjoyable.

It was fairly short, and it was fairly enjoyable. It is clear to see from this, my first rea...more

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May 02, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oddly enough this is the only Stephen King I have ever read. I keep telling myself I will read others, but obviously I have a lot of things I want to read. When I think of this book I think the ultimate fairy tale. Okay, there is not really romance but still there is something so wonderful about the imperfect king, the benevolent queen and all the tiny details that make up this story. I don’t think this story belongs exclusively to Peter or anyone. The magician Flagg has been plotting the downfa...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Cristy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: kids, dark tower fans

Recommended to Cristy by: my aunt

This is one of my favorite Stephen King books of all time. I was an avid Stephen King fan at an inappropriately young age, and devoured every one of his books I could get my hands on. The Eyes of the Dragon was purchased for me by a family member for my 10th birthday as a more age-appropriate book because he had written it for his daughter when she was young, so she could read her dad's work. It is by far less gory and dark than his regular works, but even as a die-hard fan I would not recommend...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not a Stephen King fan, mainly because of his apparent fascination with and despairing acceptance of the evil in life adn the way in which he treats animals in his books. I enjoyed this novel, however, as that element of King's worldview was not as strident as in many of his adult novels. The story has fairy tale elements, which I always enjoy, and the characters are vividly individual -no cardboard cutouts here! The story is entertaining and captures one's interest from the beginning. The...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is amazing - in a completely non-traditional Stephen King way. If you like traditional Stephen King horror, you will not like this novel. It is a completely cliche story of good against evil set in a fairy-tale world, complete with an evil advisor to the king, two young princes (one the 'classic' handsome, older brother, and the other the younger, forgotten brother) and murder, injustice, struggle, and triumph.

The book is an extremely easy read, but by saying that I hope I am not cond...more

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Sep 08, 2011 R.G. Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't really know why I've resisted reading Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon since it was originally published during the Reagan Administration. Maybe it was my own personal distaste for high fantasy, or my inability to wade through the King/Peter Straub collaboration The Talisman, or the simple fact that I know King is at his best when lifting the shroud on urban/suburban horror rather than his forays into fantasy. Whatever the reason, in my panic over the impending end of summer, I was...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Simon rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the other Stephen King books I have read since The Dome. I love fantasy type books and I was shocked to see that Stephen King himself have attempted to write such a book. The book is pretty mediocre. I'm not going to write about what the book is about since I'm sure you can find that out yourself. The book is written and told from a narrator's perspective. Sorta like a story-teller talking to you. It's not a new idea but it worked very well for this story.

One of my main disappoin...more

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Jan 11, 2011 lynne naranek rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, multiple-reads

This is a tale targeted towards kids. It reads like a fairy tale. The narrator is all too present, too prominent, dropping too many hints of "oh if only so-and-so knew of the room full of such-and-suches, would it have made a difference? I'll let you decide," that might be amusing at first, but irritating after a while.

That said, I rather enjoyed this book.

Stephen King obviously had his Dark Tower characters on his mind when writing this: the land is named Delain (very similar to Roland Deschain...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Lins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

Wow, when I started reading this book I had to double check who the author was. It is so very different from Stephen King's normal genre. And yet, looking back at it having finished it, it's not too far a leap.

A fantasy tale involving two princes, a rather boorish king, and an advisor who keeps to the shadows and deals in poison. Pretty classic really in a swords and sourcery way (and there is plenty of both). And a nice little tale about good versus evil, about justice and truth conquering all...more

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Dec 29, 2009 Jadewik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, i-own, how-to

"The Eyes of the Dragon" is a story about an evil demon, wizard named Flagg who has spent centuries putting the kingdom of Delain under his thumb with the intent of causing anarchy and the ultimate destruction of the kingdom.

I hated the story.

My husband convinced me to read this-- he is a huge fan of Stephen King's horror novels. I haven't been able to choke down one of King's horror novels because I don't like the blatant over-use of sex as a plot device (that rarely moves the story forward). I...more "The Eyes of the Dragon" is a story about an evil demon, wizard named Flagg who has spent centuries putting the kingdom of Delain under his thumb with the intent of causing anarchy and the ultimate destruction of the kingdom.

I hated the story.

My husband convinced me to read this-- he is a huge fan of Stephen King's horror novels. I haven't been able to choke down one of King's horror novels because I don't like the blatant over-use of sex as a plot device (that rarely moves the story forward). I was assured there was none of that in this story, but... Lo, there in the first few chapters I got to read about King Roland's virility in bed... as he impregnated his wife with an heir. Granted, it was fairly watered down, even for Stephen King.

I'm just not a fan of Stephen King's writing style... I didn't like the repetitive commentary from the narrator. I also didn't like the first 100 pages of the story, which moved terribly SLOW. I almost gave up, but my husband convinced me things would get better. They did... but that 1/3 of the book was a wash! With all the re-capping and flash-backs included in the latter 2/3 of the book, there wasn't much that was included in the first 100 pages of the book that was important to the plot that wasn't re-hashed later.

I also didn't like the narrator's commentary about what "could have been" if Peter had known about the room of napkins. If Dennis had told him or shown him earlier. Blah. Blah. Blah. Really, who cares? He DIDN'T know! ... and nothing the narrator could say would have changed that fact. I know it's a cutesy tactic to writing with a narrator in a juvenile book, but I didn't like it in the Series of Unfortunate Events and I don't like it here.

Now that I've ripped on the book enough, I have to say that it wasn't HORRIBLE. I just generally don't like Stephen King's writing style. There isn't much that would convince me otherwise.

This particular fantasy didn't really catch my attention either. It was lack-luster in plot, with the protagonist spending most of his time locked in a tower.... and the passage of years from page-to-page. As the reader is informed in earnest that the escape will happen, but not how you want it to happen... though, everything does work out alright in the end-- not quite how one might imagine it, but it does work out.

So... cheers to Stephen King for putting forth a valiant effort to write something teen-friendly and fantasy. The end result wasn't half bad.(less)

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Jul 24, 2009 Evan Mcclellan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have terrific memories of reading this book. As my brother and I left our sisters house one summer afternoon, she shoved this book into my hands and told me I'd like it. On the forty-five minute drive back to our house I started reading it out loud to my brother. By the time we got home we were both hooked. We took turns reading out loud to each other, doing voices for the different characters and the narator until we finnished it. The experience was almost like that of William Goldman, when h...more

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May 02, 2013 Kruunch rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Eyes of the Dragon is notable among the plethora of Stephen King novels and stories as one of his first forays into high fantasy.

The book is written in classic fantasy style (ala C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, etc ...) which is also a departure from King's normal writing style and features a fairly straightforward, good vs. evil theme.

Long time Stephen King readers will notice some familiar characters in this book, such as King Roland (of the Dark Tower fame) and Flagg (of the Stand and Dark T...more

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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Quotes from The Eyes of the Dragon

“He knew as well as we in our own world do that the road to hell is paved with good intentions--but he also knew that, for human beings, good intentions are sometimes all there are. Angels may be safe from damnation, but human beings are less fortunate things, and for them hell is always close.” — 42 people liked it

“I think that friendship always makes us feel such sweet gratitude, because the world almost always seems like a very hard desert, and the flowers that grow there seem to grow against such high odds.” — 9 people liked it

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