Book Reviews

Book Review: The Eyes of the Dragon

Media Type: Audio Book
Title: The Eyes of the Dragon
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: Bronson Pinchot
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Format: MP3 Download
Duration: 10 hours and 18 minutes
Source: Library Download
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Genre: Fantasy
HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: All readers who love sweeping Fantasy with amazing characters written in!
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / BookLikes

Once upon a time – there was terror and dragons and princes… evil wizards and dark dungeons… and an enchanted castle and a terrible secret. With this enthralling masterpiece of magical evil and daring adventure, Stephen King takes you in his icy grip and leads you into the most shivery and irresistible kingdom of wickedness… The Eyes of the Dragon.

Narrator Review:
It took me about a half hour of listening to get used to Bronson Pichot’s voice, because he is very tame when he speaks. However I soon saw why! His ability to change inflection, volume, and the amazing voice he uses for the evil magician all told me that he was the perfect narrator for this book. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Book Review:
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.