Eyes of the dragon, The
by
King, Stephen




Review:
School Library Journal Review: YA A fantasy set in the
mythical kingdom of Delain. Aging King Roland is murdered by
his court magician, who sees to it that the king's eldest
son and heir, Peter, is blamed for the crime. Peter is
imprisoned and his younger brother Thomas ascends to the
throne. Thomas is easily manipulated by the evil magician,
and the kingdom's last hope is Peterif he can escape from
prison and set things right again. The Eyes of the Dragon
starts out slowly, but, as in most of King's books, the pace
speeds up steadily, building to an exciting and satisfying
climax. While some King fans who want their favorite horror
writer back might grumble, fantasy or adventure fans of more
open mind will find The Eyes of the Dragon a thoroughly
entertaining book. Karl Penny, Houston Public Library
Publishers Weekly Review: Advance publicity hails this
"story" (not labeled a novel) by the popular writer as
appealing to "readers of all ages," although its genesis was
in a story King told to his children. King's legion of fans
are likely to find that a restrained maturity marks the
differences between this stylish, successful effort at
fantasy (illustrated by 21 half-tones) and his earlier,
sometimes overwrought writings. Eyes details the crusade of
Peter and Thomas, two princely brothers, to destroy the
400-year-old Flagg, the evil magician who threatens to
control the kingdom of Delain after the death of their
father, King Roland, who remained unwed until he was past
50. Flagg has imprisoned Peter, the heir apparent, on
suspicion of murdering the king (actually it was Flagg who
did it) and installed the profligate second son, an easier
mark, on the throne. Surprisingly, Eyes is a gentle story,
despite violence, gore and his standard vulgarity, because
King has ingeniously interposed himself between reader and
narrative as if he were telling the tale aloud, with a
soothing cadence practically audible in the evocative prose.
This heartwarming chronicle of brotherly love may be enjoyed
by young adults and their parents.
Publication
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