| Stephen King, The Eyes of the Dragon Eyes Of The Dragon by Stephen King NY Viking (1987) 1st Edition, ISBN: 0-670-81458. The Eyes of the Dragon is a most superb book. It is, sadly, the only real fantasy book written by Stephen King EXTREMELY RARE STEPHEN KING...LIMITED PRINT Return to Litl Bits Book Sales and Promotions Main Site A tale of archetypal heroes and sweeping adventures, of dragons and princes and evil wizards - as only Stephen King can tell it. The passage through the castle is dim, sensed by few and walked by only one. Flagg knows the way well. In four hundred years, he has walked it many times, in many guises, but now the passage services its true purpose. Through the spyhole it conceals, the court magician observes King Roland - old, weak, yet still a king. Roland's time is nearly over, though, and young Prince Peter, tall and handsome, the measure of a king in all ways, stands to inherit the realm. Yet a tiny mouse is enough to bring him down, a mouse that chances upon a grain of Dragon Sand behind Peter's shelves and dies crying tears of fire and belching gray smoke. A mouse that dies as King Roland dies. Flagg saw it all and smiled, for now Prince Thomas, a young boy easily swayed to Flagg's own purposes, would rule the kingdom. But Thomas has a secret that has turned his days into nightmares and his nights into prayed-for-oblivion. The last bastion of hope lies at the top of the Needle, the royal prison where Peter plans a daring escape... Writing with the wit and power that have enthralled millions, Stephen King has taken the classic fairy-tale form and transformed it into a masterpiece of fiction that will captivate readers of all ages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A very scarce title in any condition! Overall, this copy is a grade collector's book. This book is very elusive in this superior condition as only a limited number were ever printed, and copies of this scarce book go quickly. This book is getting harder and harder to find, especially in this supurb condition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Novel Critique The Eyes of the Dragon seems to be, at first, a stunning departure for King: this is not a horror novel, but a fairy tale of Kings, and of Queens, and of magicians. On closer inspection, though, this tale fits in comfortably next to King's stories of shapeshifting killer clowns and telekinetic girls; one just needs to look a little harder to see it. Originally, this story was written for an audience of one: King's daughter Naomi, who didn't much care for her father's scary stuff. King has stated that, while The Eyes of the Dragon started off as being Naomi's, it became his -- that is, he played fair with the story by giving himself fully to it. And it shows. The book itself concerns a Kingdom called Delain, its King Roland, and his two sons, Peter and Thomas. Peter is a through-and-through good boy -- thoughtful, moral, and kind. Thomas, however, is more complicated: in anoher family, perhaps he would have been seen as ordianary, normal. Next to Peter, however, he pales in comparison, being neglected of the love Roland showers upon Peter. Thomas is a sad, weak, misunderstood boy (but who, as we are frequently told, is not really a bad boy.) There is also a dark character here: the King's magician, Flagg. (Those who have read The Stand will recognise this character, and immediately fear him.) Flagg's intent is that of mayhem and mischeif, and as he watches Peter grow, he decides that the boy cannot inherit the throne when Roland passes on. In response, he concocts a devious plan to muder Roland, and have the blame placed on Peter, making Thomas the King of Delain. And making Flagg his Cheif Advisor. Thus, Peter becomes jailed at the top of a towering prison known as The Needle -- the highest structure in Delain (throughout the story, King often uses exaggerated superlatives -- the tallest, the widest, and the phase "since time out of mind" appear frequently.) Delain begins to slowly crumble; the nobles are murdered or exiled, the people live in fear of the chopping-block, and King Thomas himself becomes a withdrawn, scared, and frightened man. There is only one hope for the survival of Delain: Peter's ingenuity. He requests two things for his cell: his mother's dollhouse, with which he played frquently as a boy, and a royal cloth napkin at every meal. His mother had taught him (before she, too, died as a result of Flagg's doing) that a proper person must use his napkin at every meal, and he has never forgotten the lesson. It is with this firmly ingrained lesson that Peter's life, and the life of the Kingdom, hangs in the balance. I will not go into the end of the story, or divulge one of the many secrets which make this story special. I will say that it is a swiftly paced, ingenious tale, packed with action and intrigue, with secrets and magic. More, the characters, though in a way stereotypical, are deeply felt; we cheer each of Peter's victories, pity poor Thomas and understand his pain, fear each breath Flagg takes, and read with swift anticipation the breathtaking final chapters. The Eyes of the Dragon was written for a child, and, as such, reads much like a child's story. But -- but -- it is a child's story that does not pander, and that does not talk down. In addition, the book is one of a series of novels surrounding the world of King's Dark Tower series; the inclusion of Flagg here is an indicator, but the explicit mention of Thomas and his butler and friend Dennis in the third Dark Tower novel The Wastelands drives the point home. This is not a single volume of dragons and princes and enchanted worlds -- it is one of many. And the open end of this volume promises more to come: one can only hope that the next Dark Tower volume picks up where Eyes left off. A magical, entertaining, and beautiful story, The Eyes of the Dragon is one you shouldn't miss. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Observations I love The Eyes of the Dragon. This is weird for me, because, with non-King authors, I prefer hard science fiction to fantasy. But this story (and it is a story, not a "novel"; the writer is not so much an author but a storyteller. It's a subtle difference, but it's that much more inviting.) is less a "fantasy" per se than a tale of mystery, suspense, and intrigue. True, the structure of royalty, the fact of a Magician, even the title lend itself to fantastic motifs and symbology. But consider this: Peter's struggle in the Needle is very much like that of Andy Dufrense's in "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption." Flagg is not confined to just this story. Check out The Stand if you don't believe me. (Or any Dark Tower novel after the first.) Various other references to other King stories throughout the text. My reasoning is this. Far more often than not, King is an amazing storyteller. I'll read anything he writes at least once, be it horror, nonfiction (Danse Macabre), fantasy, crime (The Dark Half), science fiction (The Long Walk, The Running Man), mainstream (Roadwork, Dolores Claiborne), or even Gothic romance (Wizard & Glass). King once said it was the Voice more than anything, Stephen King's Writer Voice -- and he's right there. In conclusion, The Eyes of the Dragon is an amazing acheivement, one of King's most overlooked masterpeices, and I've read the book four times (including one I read in a four-day rush recently.) Go read now!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Limited Edition In 1984, King published The Eyes of the Dragon through his own Philtrum Press, in lieu of the third installment of the now defunct The Plant. He chose the artist (Kenneth R. Linkhauser, or Kenny Ray Linkous, depending on which name he's using now), he supervised production, and well, he wrote it. Not until the later Six Stories has King ever been this involved with the production of one of his own books, and the finished product is one to see. Beautifully illustrated (putting the mass-market illustrations to shame!), paper the quality of fine linen (the napkin connection is appropriate), bound handsomely: this is one terrific book. I only hope to own one before too much longer goes by. It was distributed through a complex "lottery" system (the later first-come-first-serve of Six Stories worked much better!) and only a few hundred were produced. It's quite expensive (in the $400 range) but worth it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- News (Sep 15) From King's official site: Eyes of the Dragon is now listed as an upcoming animated feature According to King himself (at the AOL chat), the feature is being developed in France. Then, perhaps, King might consider the Dark Tower series as animated features. Hmmm... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interesting Factoids: The limited first editions were distributed through a lottery system. Interested King collectors sent in their names and 1,000 were selected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Mary Sutherland is the author of the following books
Check Out Books Written by Mary Sutherland She is also the creator of
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- Living in the Light: Believe in the Magic
- Mysteries: Exploring the Mysteries of Burlington and Southeastern Wisconsin
- Revelations: Truths Revealed
- In Search of Ancient Man: Lost in Time
- The Red Haired Giants
- Haunted Burlington Wisconsin
Check Out Books Written by Mary Sutherland She is also the creator of
BURLINGTON NEWS one of the largest and most popular websites on the world
wide web.
| Exploring the Unknown with Mary Sutherland |
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| Mary Sutherland is an author and researcher focusing her work on consciousness studies, ancient history and unusual phenomena. She is a "hands on" researcher and the creator of one of the largest website on the internet with hundreds of pages providing information on the paranormal, UFOs, ancient races and their cultures, sacred sites and power points of the world, underground tunnels and cave systems, dimensional worlds , metaphysics, etc. The governor of Kentucky commissioned her as a ‘Kentucky Colonel” for her work on the ancient sites of Kentucky. For the last 5 years, she has been exploring, mapping and documenting the ancient underwater structures of Rock Lake – near Aztalan. For the last fourteen years she has been documenting the ancient sites around Burlington, WI. Truth is her passion. She believes it is through truth that we will break ourselves free of our present entanglements in life. When we become free, we will create our own ‘personal story’ of the ‘hero’s journey’ suggested by Joseph Campbell. |
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“There are rare persons in this world who see things others
don’t; persons who connect the dots of existence and
possess an instinctive talent for linking with kindred souls to
reveal otherwise invisible patterns and excavate hidden
truths. Such a person is Mary Sutherland. She is a natural-
born networker in all she does --- from her Burlington
Vortex Conferences and Sci’Fi Café to her public talks and
published books. Nowhere, however, is her gift for
perception more developed than in her latest title.“ Frank
Joseph .
Joseph was nominated by Japan's Savant Society as
Professor of World Archaeology. He was editor-in-chief of
Ancient American Magazine from 1993 to 2007 and has
traveled the world collecting research materials for his
twenty-seven published books.
don’t; persons who connect the dots of existence and
possess an instinctive talent for linking with kindred souls to
reveal otherwise invisible patterns and excavate hidden
truths. Such a person is Mary Sutherland. She is a natural-
born networker in all she does --- from her Burlington
Vortex Conferences and Sci’Fi Café to her public talks and
published books. Nowhere, however, is her gift for
perception more developed than in her latest title.“ Frank
Joseph .
Joseph was nominated by Japan's Savant Society as
Professor of World Archaeology. He was editor-in-chief of
Ancient American Magazine from 1993 to 2007 and has
traveled the world collecting research materials for his
twenty-seven published books.
"Mary Sutherland is not simply a reporter of all these phenomena;
she lives them! As readers expect, her studies extend beyond her
own experiences. The author and investigator often takes visitors
on tours containing an inter-dimensional vortex and hosts yearly
conferences and meet ups with many well known speakers on
anomalous phenomena."
What differentiates her book. Haunted Burlington Wisconsin , is that
Sutherland includes her explanations of the unknown realms and
phenomena with tips for heightening the reader's own psychic
awareness. Readers who complete this dizzying journey may find
they can no longer look at Burlington in exactly the same way.
Perhaps, then, this book itself may be considered a vortex. and
whether or not it actually transports you to another place, it will
certainly draw you in."
Linda Godfrey , award winning author on strange creatures, people
and places. She has been featured guest on dozens of nation TV
and radio shows, including Monsterquest, Sean Hannity's America,
Lost Tapes, Inside Edition, Sy-fy's Haunted Highway, Monsters and
Mysteries, Coast to Coast...and the list goes on!
she lives them! As readers expect, her studies extend beyond her
own experiences. The author and investigator often takes visitors
on tours containing an inter-dimensional vortex and hosts yearly
conferences and meet ups with many well known speakers on
anomalous phenomena."
What differentiates her book. Haunted Burlington Wisconsin , is that
Sutherland includes her explanations of the unknown realms and
phenomena with tips for heightening the reader's own psychic
awareness. Readers who complete this dizzying journey may find
they can no longer look at Burlington in exactly the same way.
Perhaps, then, this book itself may be considered a vortex. and
whether or not it actually transports you to another place, it will
certainly draw you in."
Linda Godfrey , award winning author on strange creatures, people
and places. She has been featured guest on dozens of nation TV
and radio shows, including Monsterquest, Sean Hannity's America,
Lost Tapes, Inside Edition, Sy-fy's Haunted Highway, Monsters and
Mysteries, Coast to Coast...and the list goes on!
