The Eyes of the Dragon

Let's go back. Back to when this bookworm was a 13 year old girl, and Stephen King was still new to her. I remember laying my hands on a beat up copy of Needful Things, and that was it for me. Suddenly I was devouring everything King that I could get my hands on. I loved it all, the delicious horror, the gruesome details, all of it. That is, until I read The Eyes of the Dragon. Stephen King writing Fantasy? Bah. Where was the terror? Now, at the age of 29, I re-read this book and fell utterly in love with it from the first few chapters. It's interesting how time changes your perspective of things, and also how what you're reading at the time dictates what you want to read next. I'm a much more eclectic reader than I was back then. This book was just waiting for me to be able to appreciate it.

Sorry for the lengthy intro paragraph, let's talk The Eyes of the Dragon. This book is as close to a “children's book” as I think King will ever get. It has its moments of naughty language, and cruelty, but overall it's honestly pretty tame. It's also beautifully written Fantasy. The reader is introduced to the kingdom of Delain. To it's ruler, King Roland, and his two young sons. The story is told as if a storyteller were sitting right next to you. I loved this. It gives him the ability to tell you different points of view, to break that fourth wall and talk straight at you, and even to throw in his own opinion. I don't think I appreciated it this before, but I absolutely do now.

What I couldn't get enough of though, were the characters. They feel like real people, just waiting for you to come and meet them. The good guys are perfectly good, the bad guys are deliciously bad, but then there are also those in between. The people who can be swayed one way or the other. We all know these people. We are these people. When you're at your weakest is when you're the most malleable, and Stephen King shows that in this story. On the flip side, he also shows how much strength and ferocity can be hidden inside us at the same time.

Honestly, if you'd let me, I could go on forever about this book. I read it the first time, and listened to the audio book this time around. If you have the time, definitely try the audio book! Although it took me a few chapters to get used to the narrator, I soon found myself unable to stop listening to him. He's a perfect storyteller, and you'll love his impression of the evil magician, I guarantee it. Don't go into this expecting King. Instead, go into expecting something amazing, and it just might deliver that for you.