Reading this story in part because of its connections to The Dark Tower, I was pleasantly surprised by King's ability to write a children's story. As Mike's Book Reviews noted, this is solidly a fairytale, not a high fantasy. The Eyes of the Dragon felt much like something that Godfather Drosselmeyer would read to Maria Stahlbaum, the narrator is very present and opinionated.

It is worth noting that this story is male led. While there are some female side characters, the focus of the story is the prince Peter and his supporting cast. Beyond just his name, noble Peter feels very similar to his counterpart in The Chronicles of Narnia. While archetypical, King's Peter feels more dimensional

, especially during his time in prison

. Randall Flagg also makes an appearance, here as the court's magician. While creepy as ever, he's toned down from his role in The Stand.

It is interesting to note that characters in this world also begin to dream of him and fear his name as he becomes more villainous in this book.

 

While the setting is a somewhat minimalistic medieval England, I really liked certain elements King adds, especially the tall prison tower he names "The Needle." It's also interesting to note that the narrator mentions two different stories he might tell in the future about characters in this story. The Eyes of the Dragon was an enjoyable read, but it only makes me wonder how Flagg ties in to the broader Steven King Multiverse. Can it only be a coincidence that the king in this book is named Roland?