I just finished reading Stephen King's "Eyes of the Dragon." Its strange that so far the books I've liked best by him aren't horror novels at all. This one, which is a fantasy novel, and the other one I really like "The Wasteland," which is a western novel.
Its usually a bad sign if a fantasy novel (or any novel really) has the word 'dragon' in the title. Despite being a little poor on the writing side, this one is quite a page-turner and has a pretty good ending that teaches the value of good manners. The plot makes a point to take unexpected turns on the archetypal fantasy/fairy tale formula, the biggest of which is the Hero slaying the dragon in the first chapter of the epic. The true struggle for the Hero becomes raising his two sons, the protagonists of the story. The true villain is Flagg, the court magician and King's Counselor. The dude is sinister. And sinister in that cold, calculating sort of way. Scheming and manipulative. Creepy.
The book references a line from a Stephen Crane poem that I later looked up. Nothing to do with the book, really. Just thought I'd throw it out there.
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."
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