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Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 57,884 ratings · 5,770 reviews

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they...more

ebook, 880 pages

Published November 8th 2011 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Community Reviews

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Apr 30, 2012 Mikaela added it · review of another edition

Shelves: hyped-up-books, kick-ass-covers, loveable-characters, borrowed-from-a-friend, craptastic-ending, frustrating-books, major-disapointment, ridiculously-hot-guys

Before I begin this, I'd like to say that it's a rant. For those of you who don't like ranting- Don't read it. I actually happened to love this book, but I'm just a tad mad at the ending at the moment.

Dear Christopher Paolini,

How. Could. You.

(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Eric Allen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inheritance
Book 4 of the Inheritance Cycle
By Christopher Paolini

A Review by Eric Allen

After his early success, Christopher Paolini set to the final book of his trilogy. Unfortunately, for everyone involved, the outline he'd written for the third book wasn't going to fit in a single volume. He decided to split it in two. I have to question why, but I'll get into that later in the review. Now we've finally come to the end with the fourth and final book of the series. Was it a good ending? Well, to...more

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view all 111 comments

Eric Allen There are few things that I hate more than someone telling me that I didn't like something because I just didn't understand it. I understand math pret...more There are few things that I hate more than someone telling me that I didn't like something because I just didn't understand it. I understand math pretty well, it doesn't mean I enjoy it. I mean, could you BE a bigger douchebag to someone? Could you be any more condescending, arrogant, and just plain asshole-ish? If you want to tell someone you think you're superior to them, don't be a pussy, just come out and say it instead of dicking around and playing word games to cover up you own opinion.

Allow me to explain in great detail why you are wrong in your assumptions that I did not understand aspects of the book.

I believe Nasuada is a relatively minor character. The vast VAST majority of the series does NOT center around her or anything she does or does not do. She is a minor character by the very definition of the term. Minor characters CAN be important to the plot, HOWEVER, nothing she does are things that cannot be done by another character, save having Murtagh fall in love with her. Running the Varden? Newp, as soon as she is kidnapped, the Vardenkeep doing exactly what they were doing and don't even seem to need Eragon's leadership. If nothing she does cannot be done by other characters, why is she so important to the plot? And you seem to have entirely missed the point I was trying to make to begin with on those comments. That the RELEVANT character changes are the ones happening in Murtagh, NOT in Nasuada... SO WHY IN THE HELL WAS IT ALL TOLD FROM HER POINT OF VIEW!!! THAT is why those scenes are pointless, not because of whatever other importance she might have to the series.

Roran does not grow as a character in this book. He doesn't learn anything new about himselfor about life, etc. His entire storyline was absolutely NOTHING but rehash of things he has already done, things he has already learned, and discoveries he has already made. You are mistaking a retelling of his previous character development as new character development AND IT IS NOT!!! You can remove that entire battle and the events leading up to it that he led from the book and no one would have been the wiser. The entire thing is barely even mentioned in passing during the rest of the book. It served no purpose to the plot, and Roran did not show any new sides of himself, unless you count the douchbag side as a new side. Therefore, the entire thing was pointless and should have been cut from the book. You should not have to make up things for your characters to do to pass the time, and that is exactly what Paolini did with Roran here. He made up a diversion for the character to participate in while important things were going on elsewhere so that he would not be left out of the action.

As for relevance, HUGE sections of the book can be completely removed without changing a single word in the rest of the book to make up for the loss. Every single scene, every single page, every single sentence and word SHOULD be absolutely VITAL to the plot. If you can remove parts of it without any impact at all, then they SHOULD be removed. This isn't the Eragon sitcom where you can get away with stuff like that, this is the finale of an epic fantasy series. There were just far too many scenes that served no purpose to the plot whatsoever and could have been utterly removed without any impact on the story at all. They should have been removed or developed further so that their relevance was not uder question. The book is, frankly, unfinished because of it. Just because you may enjoy some of these scenes does NOT make them relevant to the plot.

Maybe you should do a little reflection on the things that went on in that book before you go around accusing people of not understanding them. Because YOU are the one that appears not to have understood a single thing. If you enjoyed the book, go right ahead and keep on doing so, but please don't patronize me. I know what I'm talking about and I have reasons for saying what I say. If disagree, it doesn't mean I didn't understand the book. It means that you disagree. And making wild and wrongful assumptions on someone's character because of that disagreement does little but serve to make you look like an asshole.(less)
updated Mar 12, 2013 10:01pm

Sparrowlicious Thank you for this amazing review. I was only today explaining to some colleagues why it's beyond me that Paolini had to write two books instead of on...more
Apr 04, 2013 05:17am

Jun 01, 2012 Lauren Elena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magic, dragons, the-champions

Before Reading:

I can't wait for this book to come out, but a tiny, miniscule part of me doesn't want it to come out because if it is not absolutly flipping fantastic, then I may have to kill myself. This final book needs to be better than the previous books, which is not an easy feat. Plus all the lose ends need to be tied up. I for one, am interested to see how Christopher Paolini pulls it all together.

Two things I am hoping for in Inheritance:
1. We will see some action from Galbatorix. And...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Emily marked it as to-read · review of another edition

June 2011 Update
Fixed the rating thing, so never mind the May update.

May 2011 Update
I do apologize for being one of those idiots who gives a book 5 stars before they've even read it. I accidentally clicked the "rate" button when I added this book, and the only way to remove the rating is to remove the book.

March 2011 Update
Okay, so now there's a release date set for November 8 this year. I really hope this won't get changed or moved around!!! I've been waiting three years for this book.

Original...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Rowan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Is anyone else so freaking excited for this book?! Why does it take him so long to write though? It's torture.

I have so many predictions about what's going to happen, I couldn't list them all here if I wanted to. But the main ones are:

- Eragon ends up with Arya... I don't really like her but it would be kinda weird if Christopher Paolini threw in a new girl he falls in love with, in the last book.

- Murtagh is going to end up being good! He's going to change his name and get free from Galbatorix...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Kasey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Update:

If you would like a chapter-by-chapter commentary/sarcastic review of Eragon and Inheritance, check out "distinctvagueness" on youtube...he pretty hilarious :)

POST-RELEASE REVIEW

Well, I have to say I was extremely disappointed with this conclusion. It was by far TOO perfect and way too tidy. It was over complicated with wards, spells, ways to kill dragons, ways characters avoided death, perfect weapons, too perfect characters, anti-climatic battle with the king, and references to other bo...more Update:

If you would like a chapter-by-chapter commentary/sarcastic review of Eragon and Inheritance, check out "distinctvagueness" on youtube...he pretty hilarious :)

POST-RELEASE REVIEW

Well, I have to say I was extremely disappointed with this conclusion. It was by far TOO perfect and way too tidy. It was over complicated with wards, spells, ways to kill dragons, ways characters avoided death, perfect weapons, too perfect characters, anti-climatic battle with the king, and references to other books/ tv shows. Seriously? A blade that can slice through anything except the sheath it's kept in?! *cough AMBER SPYGLASS cough* And really? "Raxacori-" Yes, Paolini, I realize you are a Doctor Who fan for real now. (The reference was Raxacoricofallapatorius...an alien planet from Doctor Who series 1 (revived series))

I personally really wished Angela's past would have been revealed a bit more. You won't be disappointed with her parts in the book (my opinion, some of the best parts), but Paolini dangles this mysterious character in our face for three books and gives us NOTHING concrete at the end. There are some vague hints you can put together however you want, I just wish he would have gave us something definitive.

In my opinion, the book was okay, but not great. That's my opinion. I would, however, recommend this series because while I didn't like the last book doesn't mean you won't like it. It's a matter of opinion; I think some people will love this book, others (like me) will think it's ok but that it could have been better, and others will absolutely hate it. Grades 9+

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW

Arya BETTER NOT BE THE NEXT DRAGON RIDER!! She is too perfect already and that (being a dragon rider) is the only thing Eragon is better than her at--admit it...she's too perfect!

I think that the next dragon rider will be a character that was briefly mentioned in the past two books...and she (or he) will be on the Varden's side.

No more speculations, but all I have to say is that I can't wait for November!!! :D(less)

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May 16, 2013 Morgan F marked it as didnt-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, dragons, young-adult, series, adventure, 2011

What the hell is taking so long? Wasn't this gonna be part of the third book anyway?

All his die-hard 5th grade fans will have grown up and hate reading by the time this is released.

like 13 likes · see review

Dec 12, 2011 Cheyenne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Old review when the prospective title was Shur'tugal:
Title fail. Brisingr was hard enough, this is suicide. Only the hardcore fans (like me) will even bother to learn how to pronounce the title. "Empire" would have been a great title.

New review:
"Inheritance" is a GREAT title :) First of all, it's a pronounceable, English word, and second, it will actually help us remember what the proper name of the series is! lol And the cover is just Gorgeous! :)

Looking forward to reading it :)
____________
Read...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Apps *๒l๏๏๔ ๏ภ เςє* rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: inhuman-books-vamps-weres-etc, i-actually-liked-these-books

After Inheritance

It was quite disappointing actually. IT played out exactly how everyone thought.After all the emphasis on no eldunaris, it was kinda annoying when it was all they could find to save themselves! I was hopping for something like a super kickass spell or an awesome sword that could shoot lightning through shields or...never mind, but in short I was hopping for something dramatic. Everyone knew Eragon would kill galbie. Great surprise! Eragon went along with exactly as Angela's pro...more After Inheritance

It was quite disappointing actually. IT played out exactly how everyone thought.After all the emphasis on no eldunaris, it was kinda annoying when it was all they could find to save themselves! I was hopping for something like a super kickass spell or an awesome sword that could shoot lightning through shields or...never mind, but in short I was hopping for something dramatic. Everyone knew Eragon would kill galbie. Great surprise! Eragon went along with exactly as Angela's prophecy said. The green dragon's rider was no surprise either. The fight to defeat Galbie was Boring!(with capital B) IT was like paolini had run out of things to write, which I guess he had as this was an extra book in what was going to be a trilogy. I basically slapped my face every page. The only things that were a bit interesting were the ultimate true name, the 'All Race Alagaesian Olympics' and 'Urgal and Dwarf Riders' and the 'eggs'. Everything else...BORING. Though the parts about Nasuada's kidnapping were a bit interesting(the tortures and all) and I think she will make a good queen..maybe is Murtagh changed his mind, he would make a good king too but I guess we'll never know. As for Arya and Eragon...not even a kiss?? Ow, come on! BORING!

Before Inheritance:

oooooooooookay....now everybody is going crazy for the new book ,I'll admit i'm going crazy toofor the new book

Now as i'v read the other's pridiction too I don't totally agree with them.If eragon ends up with arya and roran becomes the new king ...then there will hardly be any fun left cus everyone is expecting that!!!!!
so here are my prediction-
Eragon stays bachlor......'cuz he dies a herioc death with saphira.
elva becomea the new queen.....and kills galbatorix...somhow
arya becomes the rider of shruiken...dude it was against his will to serve galbatorix!!!
roran's son\daughter becomes the new rider of the last dragon..

Well.....my pridictions are the most unlikely ....but it would be fun if it was that way!!!!!! (less)

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Nov 28, 2011 Dena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Final Review: I think out of all four books, I did like this one perhaps the most. It had less of Eragon moaning and complaining and more of him thinking for himself. I guess that shows he has matured? I will say that I really don't like reading about Roran. I think any plot line that contained Roran was wasted space. Sure, he is smart at war strategy, but we didn't need to read about it and it took up a large chunk in the last 3 books that really weren't necessary. And finally, (view spoiler)...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Micki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WHEN IN THE WORLD IS THIS GOING TO COME OUT. I READ IT 2 YEARS AGO AND CAN BARELY REMEMBER ANYTHING. HOW AM I GONNA READ THIS NEW BOOK ( IF WE EVER GET A RELEASE DATE) AND NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING. THERE BETTER BE A GOOD INTRODUCTION. ALL I REMEMBER WAS THAT ERAGON WAS MY FAVORITE BOOK.

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Feb 29, 2012 Jessie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, different-world, fantasy, i-wish-i-was-the-protagonist

Pre- release

I have no idea why this didn't occur to me earlier, but why is the series called the Inheritance Cycle? Does that mean the series is going to pull a Dark tower by stephen king, and end at the beginning of the first novel? I don't think I can take that. I can take any other predicted or non predicted twist. I can take Eragon leaving Alagaesia, I can take Saphira dying and Gallbatorix winning the war and burning the whole world down. But if this series ends up being an actual god-forsa...more Pre- release

I have no idea why this didn't occur to me earlier, but why is the series called the Inheritance Cycle? Does that mean the series is going to pull a Dark tower by stephen king, and end at the beginning of the first novel? I don't think I can take that. I can take any other predicted or non predicted twist. I can take Eragon leaving Alagaesia, I can take Saphira dying and Gallbatorix winning the war and burning the whole world down. But if this series ends up being an actual god-forsaken cycle, my brain will disintegrate.

Okay, so the series wasn't a cycle. Thank god.

Inheritance is one of those series that, when finished, will make you miss its characters and story. While a lot of the plot points were obvious twists that everyone predicted, Paolini managed to keep things fresh with a few unexpected surprises here and there.

Thankfully, all the necessary loose ends are tied up. Whether you cared about it or not, it's going to be wrapped up pretty well in this book.

One of the main shortcomings with Inheritance is the switching perspectives. Granted, it can be interesting to see a sideplot from Roran or Nasuada's point of view, but these breaks often happen right when something EXTREMELY INTENSE is going on with Eragon. In fact, you'll feel so into the action that is Eragon's life that it feels really jarring to be taken out of it. I actually found myself thinking unspeakably horrible things about Roran (grumble) whenever he took me away from what I actually wanted to read about.

Plus, those chapters were waaaaaay longer than they need to be. (go to hell Roran!!!!)

The conclusion... Eh. It could have been better. While we can't always expect a "Harry Potter" ending where all the right people marry eachother, it would have been nice to have a bit of romance for our main man, Eragon. (Who cares about Roran and Katrina? Seriously?)

This book is a huge step up from the previous novels. It goes without saying that if you enjoyed the Inheritance series thus far, you're going to enjoy the conclusion.

'Nuff said.(less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Kendall Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-want-to-read-soon, books-i-want-to-own, books-of-2011

What is going on Goodreads?!?! When I added this book it was called Shurtugal, and now its UNTITLED?!?! WHY??? And WHEN is he going to be DONE?!?

------------------------------------------------
OK OK Goodreads, I'm going insane!! First, This book was UNTITLED with no cover. Then they called it Shurtugal with no cover. NOW its called INHERITANCE WITH COVER?????? OMIGOSH!!!!!! IS THIS THE REAL COVER???? DOES IT REALLY COME OUT IN NOVEMBER???????? AWESOME!!!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLE...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Drakonflight rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

It took me forever to read this book (it's over 800 pages) but I am finally done and ready to write a review.

Obviously, this book is the end of the Inheritance cycle. You have no idea how profoundly sad that makes me. I love this series, and some of my all-time favorite book moments occur during it. I shall never forget you . . .

Despite, how long it is, you don't really notice. Riordan paced the book perfectly, so it never feels like some new, completely unfeasible stretch is being made to end t...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Taz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is taking so.. long.

MY PREDICTIONS are very much based on the prophecy from the werecat, and a bit from the Menoa Tree.

VAULT OF SOULS;
I'll wager that this is where all the Elundari are being kept by Galbatorix, and Eragon will use their strength to defeat him. OR, dragon magic will change them into real dragons again. The latter is a bit wild, I'll admit.

GENERAL HAPPENINGS;
Eragon will storm Galbatorix's hideout twice possibly. Once to get the last egg, and another as the finale piece...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Cassandra (Irene) LE rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-and-action, imagination-world, murder, faries-and-magical-creatures, favorite-shelf, old-century, fiction, romance, humor, mythology

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What the ... with the ending... ?

Finally finish this book after four days.
Hmmm....
Firstly, I want to thank my aunt, Bushgirl for buying me this book. I was really appreciated it, because it will require me such a long time for the e-book version.

I must said that I really enjoyed the ending. I don't really mind the descriptive details this time, in fact, I must admitted I enjoyed it.

My favorite part was the discovery of the secret entrance, the hearts and dragon eggs, and especially Nasuada'...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Madeline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm just ready for this series to be over. This author is taking FOREVER!!! At least we know what the cover looks like. The author's probably spent the past couple years with writer's block and is adding tons of unnecessary details so the book's going to be painful to read. BUT I really want to know what happens! The suspense is killing me! Sigh. I'll probably have to reread all the books over again because I forgot what happens. :P

Update:
Sadly, the book was given to my sister instead of me fo...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Lea Tan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly, I have to say that I was not even expecting a fourth book in this series. It was stated in Eragon and Eldest already, that this would be the Inheritance TRILOGY. So, unfortunately, learning that the series did not conclude in Brisingr was a major turn-off. I only read this book in hopes of finding out what happened between Eragon and Arya, a romance that Paolini has cultivated very slowly but quite well.

As for the plot itself, Solembum's prophecy regarding the Menoa Tree and the Rock o...more

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Jan 12, 2012 logankstewart rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read, library, ebook

Say one thing for Christopher Paolini, say he finally finished his Inheritance Cycle. Beginning back in 2002 with Eragon, the series finally drew to a close nine years later with the release of Inheritance. Paolini started writing the story at age fifteen, which was probably about the age I was when I started reading the series. But as I matured, my tastes began to move away from clean, bland, cliched fantasy, and I lost interest in the tale of Alagaësia. By the time Brisingr came out--Book 3, 2...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Adi (Reading in the Windowseat) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read-list, class-adult, class-young-adult, all-time-best, genre-fantasy, last-in-series, own-on-paper

Read! Verdict... LoVeD iT! A truly fitting end, with probable future book companions - YaY! Review coming as soon as I can find the time.

Official Excerpt!!!

The sound was stabbing, slicing, shivering, like metal scraping
against stone. Eragon’s teeth vibrated in sympathy, and he covered
his ears with his hands, grimacing as he twisted around,
trying to locate the source of the noise. Saphira tossed her head, and even
through the din, he heard her whine in distress.
Eragon swept his gaze over the co...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Cathryn added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 28, 2012 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book Inheritance is quite thrilling. It is by far one of my favorite books other than Harry Potter. I find that the conflict in this book actually almost mirrors the one in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In both books, there is an evil tyrant that is ruling over their respective worlds. Voldemort and his Death Eaters took control of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. This is about as close to ruling the whole wizard world as you can get. For the book Inheritance, Galbatorix is still...more

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Harrys I agree with you, Zach, but you must remember that Christopher Paolini is only in his twenties, when JK Rowling has been a writer for many years. Wile...more
Feb 24, 2012 09:09am

Jake I like your comparison of this book with the book Harry Potter. Was there any other reasons that you chose to relate the book Harry Potter to this boo...more
Feb 24, 2012 09:17am

Jiale I never read both Harry Potter and the Inheritance, but your response had made me want to read it. I also like friction books, but I'm more into scien...more
Feb 24, 2012 11:36am

Nov 16, 2011 Gwen Cole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*No Spoilers!* :D

I really debated whether to give this four or five stars. The only reasons I would have given it four stars would be for his grammer (because I just rolled my eyes every time he used the word 'nevertheless'), and there were some parts that dragged a little. But then again, I think every book in this series had those moments.

But I have to say . . . I am very very happy with the way this book turned out. It was just as good, and maybe even better (I haven't decided yet), than the...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. There be spoilers here - Beware!

I'm in the middle of reading the book, so I can't review it completely; I might not finish anyway because I've already skimmed through the whole thing and read the parts I liked, and it feels more like I'd be finishing it out of duty than interest. I'm finding that the beginning of the book (the first third, anyway), is packed with battle scenes and dialog and exposition and all sorts of really uninteresting trivia about the Varden's war plans. (This puts me in m...more There be spoilers here - Beware!

I'm in the middle of reading the book, so I can't review it completely; I might not finish anyway because I've already skimmed through the whole thing and read the parts I liked, and it feels more like I'd be finishing it out of duty than interest. I'm finding that the beginning of the book (the first third, anyway), is packed with battle scenes and dialog and exposition and all sorts of really uninteresting trivia about the Varden's war plans. (This puts me in minds of previous criticism of over-explanations of Dwarf Politics or Elven Sword Making.) I personally could care less exactly how many men Eragon and Roran kill, nor am I interested in each slice, slash, cut, jab or whack they take. It reminds me of the longings of a playtron at the Rennaissance Festival, who wishes to be a part of the action and glorifies what can never be real. As this is a work of fantasy fiction, Paolini gets a break, but one wonders why he bothered having an editor - or what said editor removed. (I had the same problem with Brisingr, btw. Somebody let Paolini believe his own press, and he has run amok.)

Instead of finishing the book straight through, I have instead read the sections that interested me - Eragon's trip to the Vale of Kuthian, for example, or Nasuada's time of torture, the planning and execution of the final battle, Roran's unfortunately chopped up trip to the seige, Saphira's love interest, the plans for finding a safe place to raise the dragons. I skimmed the rest of it, including the extremely unsatisfying, melodramatic, nonsensical ending. On the ending - I got the distinct sensation that Paolini was tipping his hat to Tolkien by sending Frodo away, but he might have missed the important difference: Frodo had no love interest, nor did he have a dragon with a love interest. Frodo wasn't making a sacrifice - Frodo needed to go. Eragon chose to go.

And speaking of Eragon. . . poor, poor Eragon. He hasn't grown or changed at all, despite what has happened to his body. This makes sense, since he's a teenager, but man, is he a boring teenager, despite having all the traits of a stereotypical teenager: impulsive, self-centered, thoughtless, self-important, rash, loyal, well-intentioned but just not quite getting WHY. Occasionally I found myself wondering what in the world Saphira saw in him, much less Arya. Throughout the books, I found most of the other characters more interesting than Eragon, although he served well as the spoke in the wheel that all of them rotated around. And oh - what about the ones left hanging? Angela was fascinating - why not explain her? Or maybe she'll get a book of her own one day? The two children at the end, the ones that everyone agonized over - they're just tossed back at their parents after it's all over and explained away as being expediently expendable? Elva? Poor Elva is ruined and vilified and so unpleasant - why not do more with or for her? And King Orrin - he turns from an amusing scientist-king to a drunk, fearful, grasping jerk, without any explanation of why. I wanted more for or from Shruikan, and Galbatorix. . . well, I'm on the fence about Galbatorix. That said, I appreciated Murtagh's change - he's still messed-up Murtagh, but there is hope for him and Thorn.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip to Alagaesia. It was akin to traveling with an overly expository great-uncle, and I confess that my eyes glazed over and I didn't pay attention when he got to rambling. I'm not sure that I would read a new book by Paolini - I was invested in Eragon's world enough that I wanted to see how it all ended. Knowing that Paolini rambles and that his interests are so different from my own, however, might keep me from picking up anything he writes in the future.(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Charlotte rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-give-a-flying-meh, hard-to-tell, title-gave-plot-away

INHERITANCE? WHAT? Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever, man. That's a stupid name. Not like Paolini had any name imagination to begin with, though. Eragon=Dragon with an E. Arya=Arwen with a Y. Islanzadi=Nazgul (XD). Also, Eragon sounds like Aragorn. Just sayin'!

EDIT:
Well.
I went out and bought that yesterday, and after staying up all night and skipping more than a few pages (I'll tell you why later), I finished it at about 3 in the morning.
And, left with nothing to think on, I slept. Quite deeply.
Today, I...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Dustin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: will-not-pick-up-again

I finished reading this roughly 2 weeks ago. Ordinarily, I try to write my reviews sooner than that, but Inheritance left me incredibly conflicted. Up to the last 110 pages, I thought it had enormous potential, easily a 5 star rating. With practically non-stop action, and several twists and turns, it's no wonder that it was a highly addictive read. I just HAD to know how everything would turn out!!

First and foremost, I realized that Christopher Paolini's writing has matured by leaps and bounds...more
I finished reading this roughly 2 weeks ago. Ordinarily, I try to write my reviews sooner than that, but Inheritance left me incredibly conflicted. Up to the last 110 pages, I thought it had enormous potential, easily a 5 star rating. With practically non-stop action, and several twists and turns, it's no wonder that it was a highly addictive read. I just HAD to know how everything would turn out!!

First and foremost, I realized that Christopher Paolini's writing has matured by leaps and bounds. Throughout much of the novel, I would literally sit back in awe and wide-eyed wonder of what he'd achieved. Especially when one compares his debut novel, Eragon, to his latest offering. It's like, WOW!

Inheritance starts like a lot of series installments: shortly after the previous volume left off.
With the introduction of new, interesting characters like the feline/human half-breed known as King Halfpaw, the overall intrigue is intensified. He is, by far, my favorite of the newly introduced.
But Paolini takes it even further by expertly developing many of the familiar faces. It's always a pleasant surprise to think that you know characters like Lady Nasuada, Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, even Angela to a certain degree, and then get to know them on a more intimate level. Furthermore, they were all completely believable. They didn't feel contrived, at all.

Several hundred pages into it, the final battle against Galbatorix finally arrives. And for the most part, it and the build-up are fairly well done. It isn't one of your typical battles where everything comes to an abrupt end after a seemingly short duration. Paolini also peppers said confrontation with dialogue which makes it all the more worthwhile. The insights into the war and particularly the Mad King, Galbatorix, are revealed in such a way as not to detract from the overall progress. It's all seemingly natural, actually, and I reveled in every word.
Then, just when all hope felt lost, and you think you know the direction it's going to take, Paolini throws a monumental curve ball. And while I enjoyed how it was accomplished (which is awesome, IMO,) sadly it comes off as slightly contrived and not exactly realistic. I can kind of understand the logic behind it, and how it might be possible, but if that's the case, then it needed further explanation.
Making matters worse, the last 110 pages are completely anti-climatic. Now, I'm not saying it didn't need some form of closure, because I think it did. But it's like, "Come on, tell the rest of your story and end it already!"
Instead, it just goes on and on, with little to nothing gained. The end result is basically an abundance of filler. Literally speaking, I had to force myself to get through it. Before I'd even finished, I no longer cared about the characters I'd grown to adore and cherish. I've been told by more than one reader that by doing so, it made way for a possible spin-off, and also that it leaves more questions. I couldn't care less, personally.
I don't recall ever being so utterly relieved to be done with a book! Good riddance, Christopher Paolini!!

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Jan 12, 2012 Mith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: wishlist, fantasy, young-adult, absolutely-spiffing, wizards-n-dragons, love-the-cover

It was better than I expected and then some.

The good stuff:
1. An admirable end to the ~~trilogy~~ cycle, with a fair amount of action, intrigue, magic and dragons.
2. The epic battle at Uru'baen was skillfully done and kept me at the edge of my seat.
3. Loved both Murtagh's and Nasuada's storyline.
4. Paolini's writing has picked up immensely; there was never a dull moment in the book - everybody was always on the move.
5. I'm glad the focus was more on Eragon and Saphira in the book. It was getting t...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Jennifer Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to start by saying, overall, I liked this book. I liked the whole "Inheritance" Series. Christopher Paolini has a wonderful imagination. However, I think that this book had parts where it was too detailed, i.e., sparing scenes with Arya, flight to the island, once when he was looking off into a field contemplating the grass and other organism--too much detail. I loved the way the ending wrapped up with Galbatorix, but then it dragged after that. I found myself having a hard time finishing...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Amena Khan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow. I actually finished this book on the 16th, but I forgot to update. Don't judge me. Anyway, read my review and enjoy. Oh, and there aren't any spoilers, so don't sweat it. :)

Ah, the last book to my favorite series. The book and the conclusion of the main plot was absolutely fantastic, but the end has a bittersweet, melancholy feel to it. Nevertheless, I completely, positively, absolutely recommend this to everyone who has read the series up to Brisingr, and if you haven't, and you love epic...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Saga rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ohgods. The dreaded Green Brick's actually lurking out there now. And some incredibly masochistic part of myself desires to find out whether it's as horrible as the prequels. Oh Paolini, why do you have to insist on being the Stephanie Meyer of "high fantasy"?

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About Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini was raised in the Paradise Valley, Montana area. His family members include his parents, Kenneth Paolini and Talita Hodgkinson, and his sister, Angela Paolini. Home schooled for the duration of his education, Paolini graduated from high school at the age of 15 through a set of accredited correspondence courses from American School of Correspondence in Lansing, Illinois. Followi...more

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Eragon, Eldest & Brisingr (Inheritance, #1-3)

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Quotes from Inheritance

“Why does everything have to be so hard? [Eragon] wondered.

Because, said Saphira, everyone wants to eat, but no one wants to be eaten.” — 63 people liked it

“When you teach them-teach them not to fear. Fear is good in small amounts, but when it is a constant, pounding companion, it cuts away at who you are and makes it hard to do what you know is right.” — 60 people liked it

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Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4)

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