This novel, unlike the majority of Stephen King’s work, is a fantasy story, rather than a horror one. But I can assure you that Stephen King is actually very good indeed at the fantasy genre and this book should definitely be given a try.
The storyline follows the evil scheme of Randall Flagg (a recurring villain in King’s novels) to destroy the kingdom of Delain. In the kingdom there’s an easily misguided king, a good queen, and two sons: Peter and Thomas. Flagg tries to nurture Thomas to bring him around to his way of thinking and rule the kingdom through him, while Peter tries to stop all of this. This is an excellent standalone fantasy novel with a story which anybody can easily read and understand. The problem I think some people have is that they’re daunted by fantasy series which have about fifty novels in them, but that is a problem that this book avoids!
All the characters in this novel are very strong and likeable too, so you aren’t likely to feel alienated by the fantastical setting. On the whole, it’s a good story and one which is easy to read through. It is actually moderately long, which, in some cases, is a problem, but I don’t think the length was an issue because the story was interesting enough to warrant it being so long.
So, I heavily recommend this book: 9/10
