Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon was originally published as a limited edition hardback book in 1984 and then published for general release 3 years later using a different publishing house.
At the time of writing the book, King was well-known for his sci-fi, thriller and horror genres but The Eyes of The Dragon didn't fit into any of these categories being the author's first foray into the classic fantasy genre.
Even though Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon is a fantasy novel which is set in the fictional realm of Delain and uses magic throughout the story, the main theme is one that is common in many of King's novels and that is the fight between good and evil.
The story is told using an omniscient storyteller who not only describes what happens but also adds his own viewpoint and explanations for the motivations of the characters within the book.
The central evil character is Flagg, the King's magician who intends to destroy the Delain Kingdom but who see's his plans being ruined by the pure heart of the Queen Sasha and the birth of her son Peter.
When the Queen falls pregnant again, Flagg uses the opportunity to have the Queen killed as she gives birth to Thomas her second son.
Flagg then plots to remove Peter from inheriting the throne when he becomes a teenager and a potential threat to his own position by killing the King and framing Peter for the murder.
Peter is wrongly convicted of the King's murder and imprisoned leaving the younger Thomas as the effective ruler and handing almost limitless authority back to Flagg.
After Peter requests that he is given access to some seemingly harmless possessions of his deceased mother, the Queen, he manages to escape his confinement.
As Peter searches for the King's bow and arrow, Flagg reveals himself as a demon and as he attempts to kill Thomas, the younger brother who is in possession of the King's bow and arrow shoots Flagg in the eye.
After Flagg uses magic to escape and disappear Thomas who has become largely despised in his kingdom for allowing Flagg so much abuse of power sets out to find and confront Flagg as Peter is crowned as the rightful king of the kingdom of Delain.
The story ends when Thomas finds and faces Flagg, although the storyteller does not reveal the outcome of the final battle.
Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon draws some parallels with his ongoing Dark Tower Series, the kingdom in the Dark Tower novels is Deschain which is very close to Delain.
Also there is mention of King Roland in both books as well as well as brief appearances in the Dark Tower story by both Thomas and his butler, Dennis.
The largest shared creation between the books however is Flagg, the main evil character in The Eyes of the Dragon and also a major villain in the Dark Tower stories.
The Eyes of the Dragon is a thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable read, transporting and immersing the reader in the fantasy world of Delain and it also shows off King's depth and breadth of writing ability adding the classic fantasy genre to his large writing repertoire.