Written in 1987, the year that Stephen King turned 40 (and I was born!), The Eyes of the Dragon was perhaps his biggest detour of styles to date. Classed as horror on the back cover, it really leans closer to the fantasy genre. A bit of a gamble for a man known predominantly for gruesome spine-chillers, ... Read review
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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. Th...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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!
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies and his successor must do battle for the ... more
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!
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Great characters and setting, different style to King's other works Disadvantages: Fans may not like it as much as King's horror stories
Written in 1987, the year that Stephen King turned 40 (and I was born!), The Eyes of the Dragon was perhaps his biggest detour of styles to date. Classed as horror on the back cover, it really leans closer to the fantasy genre. A bit of a gamble for a man known predominantly for gruesome spine-chillers, and its not just the genre of his work that is different here, his whole writing style has changed. But The Eyes of the Dragon triumphs thanks to ... ...fine life - the son of a King, next in line for the throne and a popular person. Things take a turn for the worse though when his father, the King of Delain, unknowingly drinks some poisoned wine and dies. Someone has set Peter up, he is charged with his fathers murder and locked away at the top of the 'needle', a very tall, thin tower.
The plans of the evil court magician Flagg are working wonderfully - the strong-minded Peter is ... more
Written in 1987, the year that Stephen King turned 40 (and I was born!), The Eyes of the Dragon was perhaps his biggest detour of styles to date. Classed as horror on the back cover, it really leans closer to the fantasy genre. A bit of a gamble for a man known predominantly for gruesome spine-chillers, and its not just the genre of his work that is different here, his whole writing style has changed. But The Eyes of the Dragon triumphs thanks to his story-telling abilities alone.
Peter has a fine life - the son of a King, next in line for the throne and a popular person. Things take a turn for the worse though when his father, the King of Delain, unknowingly drinks some poisoned wine and dies. Someone has set Peter up, he is charged with his fathers murder and locked away at the top of the 'needle', a very tall, thin tower.
The plans of the evil court magician Flagg are working wonderfully - the strong-minded Peter is locked away and so his younger brother Thomas takes the throne. He has a less confident, more reclusive nature to him and Flagg finds him easy to manipulate. Soon Flagg will be able to grasp total power in Delain and plunge it into darkness. But unknown to Flagg, Thomas watched him give his father the poisoned wine through the eyes of the dragon the dead king had slain, a peeping hole Flagg himself had shown to Thomas when he was younger. Quietly at the top of the needle, Peter is plotting a daring and risky escape, which he has had to wait a very, very long time for. But time is running out - Flagg senses something is wrong and it is only a matter of time before he comes for Peter: 'Here I come Peter! Coming for your head!'.
The characters in this story are extremely strong, with the evil Flagg proving the best (why is it that King's best characters are always psychotic maniacs?). Flagg's masterplans and ruthless foul-play (hiring someone to kill Thomas' mother, making it look like she died whilst giving birth was rather nasty) together with his ability to concoct some eye-watering potions and spells means he is a constant source of worry, especially towards the end. Flagg's motives for wanting rid of Peter are obvious - Peter was close to his father and developed a strong-willed, determined personality. However, Thomas felt like an outcast - he didn't particularly share the same interests as his father and was quietly unpopular, blamed for the death of his mother. Flagg cunningly preys on the weakness of his character throughout. Other characters have roles to play - Dennis, Peter's old servant, wants to help him along with his childhood friend Ben. The escapades of several characters all join together towards the end for an excellent finale.
Though there is a fair bit about the characters pasts to read about, this actually proves a great deal more interesting than 'The Shining''s opening section (also talking about characters pasts), which droned on without any truly significant information being revealed. By comparison, The Eyes of the Dragon builds a clear picture of the characters and environments in the readers mind and you know exactly how everything stands going into the final part, which involves the escape attempt.
Something that struck me about The Eyes of the Dragon is how well presented the book is. I have a paperback edition which features some genuinely outstanding illustrations from David Palladini, which pop up just a handful of times throughout. Though this doesn't effect the story, it makes the book as a whole a bit classier and better value.
An interesting point I thought I would mention is that the book is dedicated to Naomi King and Ben Straub. Nothing unusual there but read the story and you will find a couple named Ben and Naomi. Coincidence? I seriously doubt that!
A fantasy tale with a dash of horror - The Eyes of the Dragon is a memerisng read and thoroughly enjoyable, as King shows he doesn't necessarily have to scare the reader to engross them.
Advantages: Simple language, no real horror, some cross-over characters Disadvantages: Simple langauage, no real horror
...good king, he just does the best he can. He's brought two sons into the world, (with the not inconsiderable help of Sasha, who could very have been described as a good queen), and the land of Delain is peaceful and prosperous. When King Roland dies of a mysterious poison, his eldest son Peter finds himself accused of regicide and only he and The Dragon's Eyes know who the true murderer is…..
I have to say that I've spent the last few months wading ... ...comparisons between those books and The Eyes of the Dragon than there really were. Even reading the back of the book, I wondered is that "The Roland", however I soon discovered that this could not be the case, King Roland does not share any of those characteristics, he is a nice enough character who is fairly well drawn (as are many of the others), there is a true multi-dimensionality about him. He tries to do his best, but in the end he has the ...
sandemp 18.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
Advantages: enjoyable,easily read,perfect intro to genre Disadvantages: hard to put down
...less well known book is the ideal introduction. I first read it as a 16 year old in 1987 having bought it in an airport shop (because the front cover captured my imagination) and finished reading it mid air wishing I had bought a few more King books.
It is an easily read story with well written characters that brings out every kind of emotion from the reader, it has good over evil; loyalty and friendship that crosses the class system; internal struggles ... ...know that the wonderfully evil Flagg will be outdone but it doesn't stop you worrying about Peter, Ben and even Thomas!
I re read this book recently half expecting to find it a bit too easy to read and was pleasantly suprised to find that it is every bit as compelling now as it was as a teenager.
I would definately recommend it to yourself or for you to buy for a new starter to fantasy as it is an excellent way in and before you know it your shelves ...
mbevan1 18.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
Advantages: Enjoyable, straightforward Disadvantages: Too simple???
...perhaps, but for Stephen King. The American author has made millions from a series of horror novels, and has, to his resigned disappointment, become somewhat typecast. People only see him as a horror writer, and that is doing the man a disservice.
Eyes of the Dragon is a book that is initially more like a fairy story than a serious novel. This impression remains throughout, although events do take a supernatural turn or two, it seems quite normal ... ...I'm trying not to give the plot away to anyone yet to read it, but the story concerns a King, Prince, the Prince's brother, and a wicked magician. It is a straightforward story, with little or no external plotlines. It is free of graphic violence, and though there are some violent acts, it is all fairly acceptable stuff. There is no sex, no foul language, another thing which makes the book markedly different from the stereotype.
If you've not yet ...
AndrewDalton 12.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
Advantages: Related to Dark Tower, good story Disadvantages: Basic story line not that orginal maybe!
Probably the 'purest' fantasy book written by King. Totally different from other books he has written. Excellent story, and another appearance from 'Flagg' will make his constant readers interested! The story takes place in a world during medieval times. It centers on the King's death. Flagg insures that the older, and more honest son, is imprisoned for his murder. Flagg then corrupts the younger son and new king.
The inevitable, but rather ingenious, ...
tarachen 12.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
Advantages: extremely enjoyable fantasy Disadvantages: theres nothing wrong with it
...wizard who plots to kill the king and make his other son king who he can take control ofg and rule the kingdom. It is unputdownable and extremly entertaining and a bit dark and creepy at times. It is a less well known piece of his work but dont underestimate it because i loved it. A great bit of fantasy witha great plot and great characters. I dont want to go into too much detail as you must read it for yourself and see. The son who is supposewd ...
vicky180683 13.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King
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Advantages: Good writing style, very descriptive and involving Disadvantages: When's it going to end?
I've loved fantasy novels since I read The Eyes of the Dragon by StephenKing, in the early eighties. From that one book I have now collected nearly two hundred fantasy novels of which I rate Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series one of the best, easily bettering Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
The Wheel of Time consists of nine novels at present (the rumour is that it will finish at thirteen).
Book 1 - The Eye of the World - 1990
Book 2 - The Great Hunt - 1990
Book 3 - The Dragon Reborn - 1991
Book 4 - The Shadow Rising - 1992
Book 5 - The Fires of Heaven - 1993
Book 6 - Lord of Chaos - 1994
Book 7 - A Crown of Swords - 1996
Book 8 - The Path of Daggers - 1998
Book 9 - Winter's Heart - 2000
The books are originally published in the US by Tor books and by Orbit in the UK.
The series starts in a little place called the Two ...
Advantages: A classic of the genre, easy to read, good characters Disadvantages: None that I can think of
Of all the fantasy books that I have ever read, Magician is probably the only one that I read every year. It is such a great story (and I read so many books) that i re-read it just to refresh my memory and so that I can escape this often mundane world of ours.
I first started reading fantasy novels after reading StephenKing's 'Eyes of the Dragon' which he wrote for his children. (I was a big horror fan in my teens.) Then I read the first three Dragonlance novels and it was while reading these that a friend noticed and loaned me Magician by Raymond E. Feist.
Such is Feist's narrative and style that I didn't put the book down for three days (I was on holiday), except to eat etc. It is an epic tale, mainly about an orphaned boy, Pug, taken in by his home castle's cook. The cook has a son, called Tomas, of the same age and the first ...
Advantages: Amazingly well written, Great character build up, ingenious storyline Disadvantages: very long story! Shop around as buying each book could be costly
about the Dark Tower; the plot is too big, too grand, to sum it up in a few words.
A lot of Kings earlier works are starting blocks for The Dark Tower, with some characters appearing in earlier works (such as Insomnia, The Eyes of the Dragon and The Stand) which goes to show how long this masterpeice has been on StephenKings mind! This also makes you feel a certain kind of closeness to this series, as if this is the authour had been planning all along. As is Kings way, it is a very magical feeling!
Even if you haven't read StephenKing before I urge you to get down to the local bookstore or library. This is one peice of work I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on having the joy to read.
(After shopping around I have found that one of the cheapest sites to purchase all of the collection is Amazon, where you are able to buy them all ...
A kingdom is in turmoil as the old king dies, murdered by a strange and horrible poison. While the land of Delain mourns, the evil wizard Flagg, hatches an unscrupulous plot which sees the King's eldest son Peter imprisoned for his father's murder, and the youngest son inherit the throne. Only Peter knows the truth about his own innocence and the evil that is Flagg. Only Peter can save Delain from the horror that Flagg has in store. But first, he must escape from the high tower! See all Product Description
Compare The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King to other similar Horror Books »
Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's
Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more (*)
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