The Eyes of the Dragon was an odd one. Not only because it's Stephen King's straight-forward take on the fairytale narrative – a fairy tale, not just a tale of epic or high fantasy. Mainly because it's also a very strange reading experience.

Initially I was amazed just by how simple the story really was. Again, not elusively simple – plain simple! Departing king, unloved child, evil wizard. Plot against the heir apparent. That's basically it. It's kind of fun, not the least because of the whimsical style of narration. In short, I was dead set on this being a three-star read – good, but nothing too memorable.

Then something happened. It would be too cliché to say that some magic was at play, but that was kind of how it felt. At first I was amazed by how witty the writing and how well thought-through the plot really are. Maybe not elusively simple, but perhaps elusively plain. For me the prose got very enticing, not in spite of but just because of how direct it was.

Then the plot – or scheme – with the napkins. It's so silly, I absolutely loved it. The image of the guy working away at the tiny weaving loom, meticulously crafting his escape. Obviously it doesn't aim to be believable, yet for me there was some emotional power to the idea of giving it your all despite all the hopelessness.

What really won me over in the end were the characters. I mean, it's Stephen King after all. I think it's because of their loyalty and their willingness to correct past mistakes. Not sure what it is about these kinds of emotions and virtues, but stuff like this always wins me over.

Or maybe it's because of the dog. Dogs always win me over. No, seriously, I was sad when the story ended and I'm sure I'll reread the book one day.

Rating: 4/5