The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King

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 ...  Read the complete review

The kingdom of Delain is thrown into turmoil when the old king is poisoned and his son Prince Peter is imprisoned for the murder. With the help of his friends Peter makes a daring escape to fight the deliciously evil magician Flagg for the kingdom that is rightfully his. First published in 1987 Eyes Of The Dragon was a surprising deviation from Stephen King who at the time was known primarily for horror writing. The book is quite literally pure sword and sorcery with both playing a major part in what is essentially a classic battle between good and evil. The story telling is first rate and easily confirms King's often used publicity tag 'master ...  Read the complete review

While King Roland is not a bad king he’s can in no way be considered a 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 through King’s Dark Tower series, and with those seven books still fresh in my mind, I probably found myself seeing far more comparisons ...  Read the complete review

Quite a strange one for King here, he delves into the litery world of fantasy for this book, bringing us to the wonderful kingdom of Delain and woods full of Dragons....and a familar old wizard. The sudden switch of King to writing a fantasy novel (and such a good one!) suggests some of that frustration that he tells us of when being typed as a horror writer, again using this as a vent to let off some 'litery steam'. The story introduces us to a King named Roland - no not THAT Roland - who is an old King and so far without an heir to his throne. He is presented with a few women and he takes who he views as the meekest - the truth is, he is afraid of ...  Read the complete review

This is rather a different kind of 'King' book. In interviews he has often expressed disappointment to have been 'tagged' a horror writer. And so he tries his hands at fantasy. Doing a very good job. The plot is rather simple. Flagg, and any of Stephen King's constant readers will recognize that name, a rather evil magician wishes to gain power in the kingdom. He kills the King and arranges the elder son to take the fall, as he feels the younger son is weak and impressionable. Everything goes to plan, King dead, elder son imprisoned in the highest tower in the city, lots of power. Naturally the elder son escapes, in a very ridiculous ...  Read the complete review