The Eyes of the Dragon

Flagg knows that Peter will be a good king and will see through him, so he prepares the poison that kills Roland and arranges for the blame to fall on Peter. The prince is convicted and locked away at the top of the Needle, a tall stone tower, while the weak Thomas becomes king under Flagg's control. What nobody knows is that Thomas secretly watched his father's death through the glass eyes of a mounted dragon's head, and the guilty secret torments him.

Peter remains calm and patient. For years he asks for a dollhouse and napkins with every meal, and slowly, thread by thread, he weaves a rope for his escape. Meanwhile, a few loyal friends, including the old butler Dennis, Peter's friend Ben and a resourceful young woman named Naomi with her dog, begin to suspect the truth. The narrator speaks directly to the reader in a warm, old-fashioned storytelling voice. There is some violence and a few dark moments, but far less than in King's horror novels.

A charming, suspenseful fairy tale with a satisfying ending, and a good introduction to Stephen King for younger readers and fantasy fans. About 400 pages in the Pocket Books paperback.