Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

Ok so here is my first ever book review, at least since any grade school book report about a million years ago. First though, a Confession! I haven't actually completed reading Duma Key. I've made it a good deal of the way thru, and some good things are happening, so I wanted to put down my thoughts on this novel so far as I am enjoying it very much.

Duma Key, a novel by Stephen King

If you are a fan of Stephen King and have read a lot of his prior work, you will find this type of story somewhat familiar. The book starts off kind of slow, and revolves primarily around one character. It is told mostly in a first person point of view and reminded me a lot of the novel Bag of Bones, in both the feel of it and length. Without getting into specifics and spoilers, the main character Edgar Freemantle goes thru a life altering experience; suffering a debilatating injury, and has to learn to cope with the changes brought about by it. On advice from his doctor, Edgar, who is about 50, decides a change of scenery might do him well, and leaves his home in Minnesota for the warmth and semi isolation of Duma Key off the western coast of Florida.
There begins a new passion in the arts, as well as recovery and healing. Soon Edgar befriends Duma Key's other two full time inhabitants, who he finds out have also suffered a injuries in their past. He begins to suspect his arrival and stay on Duma is more than accidental, and he also begins to sense a dark history to the island when his new found artistic abilities bring out the macabre.

For me, this book was just what the doctor ordered. Slow and methodical, at over halfway thru, it's not overly exciting, but it is building towards something and the pace is starting to pick up. There have been some mysteries created along the way and I'm looking forward to seeing how things are resolved. The characterizations, as usual with King's stories, are very good, and there is just enough of a touch of supernatural to keep things rolling and wondering what is going to happen next. The south Florida island setting also makes for good escapism during the colder months as you can picture the sunsets and waves and tropical beaches.

Eye's of the Dragon is King at his best but directed in a completely different direction. King creates a fantasy world that is fully fleshed out with bitter intrigues and plot twists. Though not completely original in its plotline King retells the story of a dethroned king regaining his kingdom in a compelling and entertaining fashion that is accessible to all readers unlike the fantasy of Tolkien. And for true fans of King he includes an earlier appearance of Flag, the symbol of evil in his epic novel "The Stand"

My main criticism of Stephen King's books is that his characters ultimately don't have souls. King has a great talent for describing an addiction, a fear, a sexual desire, or a physical attribute, but somehow the whole taken together doesn't come alive. Almost, but not quite. Consequently, I'm left with a feeling that his characters exist and were created solely to undergo the horrors and plots that drive his books.

This is true for Eyes of the Dragon as well, but it does not bother me as much. I think the reason is that it takes the form of a fairy tale like Hansel and Gretel or Snow White. In those tales, the characters are not so much people as they are etchings or types. Thus, King can get away with characters who lack human souls.

Eyes of the Dragon is a good tale, and like other King books, makes me want to find out what happens next. But, it suffers from this lack of human feeling which is why I consider it good reading, but not great.