Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Book Details
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Paperback, 384 pages
2001, Signet
ISBN: 0451166582

Synopsis
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.

Review
Between the scattered pictures throughout the story and the easy concepts and vocabulary, The Eyes of the Dragon seems like it is a children's book. While the book is devoid of Stephen King's patented terror, it's still chock full of his wry humor and warped mind. This is definitely not for the little ones.

The Eyes of the Dragon takes place in the same world as Stephen King's Dark Tower series and was the first book he published that was completely apart from the horror genre. The title mentions a dragon, but the story focuses on the creature for just a short while. The real story here is about a king, his two sons and his adviser, an evil magician. There is murder, betrayal and much alcohol. The story isn't scary, but it can be creepy at times.

The Eyes of the Dragon is colorfully written in a flawless tone that feels as though the reader is being told the story aloud, first-hand. The narrator takes on an almost gossipy tone most of the time, only coming across as serious when the situation requires. The story is easy to get into, avoiding the stuffiness that is sometimes felt in classic/high fantasy stories.

I'm not usually drawn to books of this nature, but as a Stephen King fan I had to check it out. I was expecting something completely different and was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I'm very glad I took a chance on it.

Rating

Links
Stephen King's website

6 comments :

  1. Nice review! I like Stephen King as well, but it seems like his writing has gotten pretty weird. I enjoy his earlier stuff much more.

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  2. i'm a stephen king nut myself and this is one of my favourites

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  3. My mom actually read this book aloud to my brother and I when we were 8 and 10 years old, and we loved it. I didn't realize until years later when I read it for myself that she had left out A LOT of the book. lol.

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  4. This sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'll have to go see if I can get a copy from the library. :)

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  5. I remember reading this when I was jr high age I guess.Loved the book then, I hadn't thought of it in ages. May just have to reread it.

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  6. I think you may be the only other person I know on the book blogs that is as big a fan of Stephen King as I am. I haven't read this one yet, but I own it so I'll get to it someday. Great review!

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