The Eyes of the Dragon: A Novel

I teach middle school and one of the things we are doing this year is working in small book club type groups where the students pick the books they read. Several students asked for scary books, particularly by Stephen King. Well, as a huge King fan myself, I could not think of anything that was appropriate for 7th and 8th graders. I scoured the internet and found this title on a list of recommended scary books for middle schoolers and ordered 4. Two girls picked this book and they were giggling uncontrollably during quiet reading. I asked them what was going on and they asked if I had read the book. I had not, and then one girl shows me on page 5 where it talks about the Kings flaccid penis. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Apparently this king does not like girls and was having a hard time performing on his wedding night. Thankfully, it did not say anything more detailed than that, but I was mortified enough that I pulled it from the shelves! The good news is now my students are fighting over books I haven’t read yet.

I took it home and read it. It’s a great book, but middle schoolers can’t handle the word penis.

Unlike any other King book I've read. And I've read a over a dozen now including all the Dark Tower books. Great characters as usual and a great bkgnd on Flagg who appears in this book as well as others. He is one nasty dude!
You'll never think of napkins the same way after reading this charming and very entertaining book. I hope King revisits this world and characters in the future. I really enjoyed the style of writing he took on in this book which is unlike any of the other's I've read from him.

Enjoying the story thus far... only problem is it jumps from page 24 to 57... missing section from Chapter 9 though 17. Be careful if buying the paperback version.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm reading this as part of The Dark Tower's extended reading list, and I can certainly see what purpose there was in reading this. I'd probably give this book to a younger teenager, as it touches on some violence but its a relatively tame and simple story of good and evil.

I love this book and I’ve been looking for it EVERYWHERE. I couldn’t find it on here for the longest time, and I’m so glad I found it finally! It’s a great book during the medieval times, full of magic, deception, and murder. 1,000/10 would recommend this book.

I read this in high school in the 80's so reordered it. Just as good the 2nd time around. A good change of pase for King fans.

I bought this book because my 11 year old was dying to read a Stephen King novel and reviews said this one would be more or less age appropriate. I read it first just to be sure and it was fantastic! We both enjoyed it, even tho fantasy isn’t my usual preference.

Awesome book! Keeps you very interested so you can't put it down!!!!

The kingdom of Delain is in trouble as a magician named Flagg causes death and destruction wherever he goes. This is the main antagonist of "The Eyes of the Dragon" the enthralling adventure by Stephen King who writes much less his typical horror and more in the realm of medieval fantasy.

With an effective villain, we also need a good hero, and we get one in Peter, a prince who is falsely accused of his father’s murder in a plot to overtake the throne. Likeable and someone that would make a wonderful king, he is almost too good to be realistic. Good thing it’s not only him that we get to root for, as there are even more interesting characters, mainly the semi-heroic Peyna, the legal authority in Delain who truly struggles between determining the truth of right and wrong. He is flawed, and it’s this struggle that makes him both believable and most interesting.

Back to Flagg for a moment. Is this the same Flagg who we see in "The Stand"? Though we’re not sure, it also does not necessarily matter (although I would really like to know) because the character is absolutely there to create trouble through the most diabolical of ways. This creates an element of fun which is essential to keeping this novel light enough to never be too serious. How he’s able to get away with so much when he’s mistrusted enough to where it’s mentioned often is also a mystery, however I can also buy that we are all capable of being fooled even when our internal alarm systems are ringing like crazy. Through a combination of someone having enough power or us not having enough proof, we are left with less than desirable people, and it’s one of the great internal struggles we all face.

Fantastical storytelling, this is one of King’s most energetic pieces. It reminded me of his great novel (co-written with Peter Straub) "The Talisman" which also has strong fantasy elements. When he gets away from the horror genre, he is still rich in his powerful word, and this held my attention until the end. Also, much credit goes to him for not having one of his longer endings, and though it may be a bit more abrupt than it should be, it is still better than some of his others that have gone on too long.

Bravo, Mr. King. Seeing the kingdom of Delain, its characters, and the danger it faces through your eyes is a delight.

4½ stars out of five

This is the novel that got me into Stephen King! It was the first of his books I read, he is so fantastic at storytelling that I could picture everything in my head as I read it. I have read more than a dozen of his books, but this will always be my favorite.