Stephen King strikes again with another tale to tell.
“The Eyes of the Dragon” centers around the fictional kingdom of Delain and its royal family. More specifically, brothers Peter and Thomas. Peter is well-loved, athletic, and caring. Thomas is a good boy but can never live up to Peter’s example, and it’s clear that King Roland, while he tries to include Thomas, favors Peter. Both boys love their father dearly.
It seems that there would be one other person besides Thomas who is not overtly fond of Peter of Delain. That person is the Magician Randall Flagg. Flagg is the advisor to King Roland and yet another incarnation of Stephen King’s immortal Walking Man character seen in “The Stand”.
When King Roland dies in a gruesome Dragon Sand poisoning incident, the evidence points to Peter as the culprit. Those who could prove his innocence are silent on the subject. Peter takes the fall and is imprisoned in The Needle, a high tower prison in The Plaza of the Needle near the palace.
Peter has been sentenced for life, but he doesn’t plan on staying that long. Because Peter is a king, with all the manners and cunning and brain worthy of a king. While he rots in the Needle, Thomas rules Delain under the thumb of Magician Flagg. Maybe you see where this is going, but I’m not about to spoil the ending.
My opinion: “The Eyes of the Dragon” is a wonderful book in a very Stephen King style. It reads fairly simply and the story has a quality I can’t quite place. Once again, themes and characters are reincarnated. I recognized them from mythology, from literature, from religion, and of course from other King books. Stephen King has a wonderful knack for making the undying tales that everyone knows and, to an extent, experiences, and putting a fresh coat of paint on them. Everytime I read “The Eyes of the Dragon” I notice something new. It’s fascinating. I invariably read all the way through every time I pick it up.
Highly enjoyable and highly recommended.
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