Eragon

Aug 12, 2007

Brownbetty rated it

Recommends it for: no one I liked

Two or three years ago, everywhere I went there was some display attempting to sell me Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. It was obviously a bad book without opening the cover: the back cover carries a quote from the book, and an endorsement by Anne McCaffrey, and I'm pretty sure I could get that woman to supply a blurb for a double mint wrapper to the effect of "I couldn't put it down! An author ... to watch for!" The quote is "Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that wo...moreTwo or three years ago, everywhere I went there was some display attempting to sell me Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. It was obviously a bad book without opening the cover: the back cover carries a quote from the book, and an endorsement by Anne McCaffrey, and I'm pretty sure I could get that woman to supply a blurb for a double mint wrapper to the effect of "I couldn't put it down! An author ... to watch for!" The quote is "Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world." Please note, the author has just claimed that the world is going to be changed by a smell. Which would actually be an interesting book, sadly, not this one. I know this, because that quote is the first sentence of the book, and what the author means is "Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent giving warning of the coming of persons who would set in motion events that would change the world." I know, it lacks a certain something.

Better the eighty percent of the pit of voles, but still, undeserving of being published.

I do not blame Paolini for writing a bad book. People write, and sometimes, they write badly. But I do blame the editor, and his publishing house. This book is crap, and it should have been obvious to anyone who read it. The main character's most interesting bit of characterization and only vestige of personality is that he collects rocks, and this is only mentioned in one paragraph. He's a transparent sue. Everyone acts as if they have just acquired their motivations and history on a 3x5 card before walking on for their scene.

The plot is a clumsy clunker that is foreshadowed on page 22. He has never known his father, and his mother refused to answer questions about him! Do you think this will turn up again later? His name is Eragon. Like dragon, but with an E. An old man pops in to tell what in a better novel would be suspiciously appropriate myths and folktales every time Eragon needs to know what is going on.

Descriptive sections are often incomprehensible, as for example, "His hand was numb, his fingers paralysed. Alarmed, he watched as the middle of his palm shimmered and formed a diffuse white oval." The only reason I know what the author is intending to say there is because I have read enough fantasy to recognize the Mystical Mark.

Our hero makes decisions that make no sense, simply because they are necessary to move the plot forward. Obstacles like hiding a dragon from those living in your house are hand waved away in two paragraphs. Things that oughtn't be obstacles, like buying groceries, are, just to build sympathy with the protagonist by inserting baseless discrimination.

Why publish this!? Were they incapable of finding something more deserving? Was this book even edited? Is he someone's nephew? Publishing this book is an insult to readers and a disservice to writers everywhere, including Mr. Paolini. It's like telling someone they look great when they have spinach in their teeth. Dammit!(less)

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May 14, 2007

Keely rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, novel, reviewed, american

Standard fantasy fare, except that while most fantasy authors lift their plots only vaguely from a previous author, Eragon is simply the first Star Wars film with a LOTR paintjob:

Princess flees, tries to keep precious item out of emperor's hands. Boy finds item. Bad guys burn down his farm and kill his uncle, whom he lives with. Old mysterious man turns out to be part of a secret order of knights to which boy's (now evil) father belonged. Gives boy father's sword and takes him (event...moreStandard fantasy fare, except that while most fantasy authors lift their plots only vaguely from a previous author, Eragon is simply the first Star Wars film with a LOTR paintjob:

Princess flees, tries to keep precious item out of emperor's hands. Boy finds item. Bad guys burn down his farm and kill his uncle, whom he lives with. Old mysterious man turns out to be part of a secret order of knights to which boy's (now evil) father belonged. Gives boy father's sword and takes him (eventually) to princess, then dies tragically. Boy learns how to fly X-Wings, er, dragons and goes to take on his father and the evil emperor, &c., &c.

Paolini also follows other fantasy authors by denying that he is a fantasy author, instead imagining that he is a great literary talent. In his own words:

"In my writing, I strive for a lyrical beauty somewhere between Tolkien at his best and Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf"(1)

Unfortunately, his control of the language is more akin to the lower-tier authors of Star Trek novels. There are some days that I wish my parents would pay to have my book published, too. However, if such a boon would require me to write as obliviously as Paolini, I would have to decline.

Yeah, I know he was 18, but so was Byron when he wrote "Hours Of Idleness" and Pope when he wrote his "Essay on Criticism". If Paolini doesn't hesitate to compare himself to (what he sees as) literary greats, I certainly have no problem with letting my criticism fall with equal weight on his little bit of fluff.

I think the reason I keep returning to Pulp writers like Robert E. Howard is that those authors just wanted to write exciting stories instead of the next 'literary event'. Authors who lack pretension often write very good stories, because they aren't or forcing themselves to write overblown, overly-complex stories. Many modern fantasy authors do the opposite: they write redundant escapist yarns and then get upset that no one considers them to be literary greats, yet.(less)

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Jan 19, 2010

J.Elle rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: NO ONE!

I cannot adequately express my complete and utter loathing for this book. I was working at a library during the time that this book was being published and had access to a galley of the novel. I did finish it, but only so I could know (entirely how much) Christopher Paolini (the supposed 16-year-old author-genius) had plagiarized J.R.R. Toklien's "Lord of The Rings" trilogy. If you are not familiar with the Inheritance books, allow me to inform you:

Lord of the Rings: Tri...more

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May 07, 2007

Chelle rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: 8 year olds

Shelves: worst-books

I hate Paolini's work. To my very core. I don't really think it's so much the "he stole from Tolkien/Lucas/Ghandi/God/my dog.." Even though he blatantly took ideas from masterminds, that isn't what bothers me. It's his writing style... When I was fourteen, I admired him out of mere jealously. I was absolutely green with envy that he could publish a book at age fifteen, and recieve any kind of high acclaim. But on retrospect (and nearly vomiting as I attempted to get through a chapter o...moreI hate Paolini's work. To my very core. I don't really think it's so much the "he stole from Tolkien/Lucas/Ghandi/God/my dog.." Even though he blatantly took ideas from masterminds, that isn't what bothers me. It's his writing style... When I was fourteen, I admired him out of mere jealously. I was absolutely green with envy that he could publish a book at age fifteen, and recieve any kind of high acclaim. But on retrospect (and nearly vomiting as I attempted to get through a chapter of Eldest, which I failed at miserably), I was done.

On a sort of similar topic: have any of you realized that he is obsessed with stating distances? Something like, "Two feet away stood three troops of fifty, in rows of five, making ten people per row" is a possible sentence that wouldn't surprise me had I seen it in one of his books. He has zero character development (Who IS Eragon? I seemed to have forgotten what he even looks like, or any part of his personality). I DO remember Murtagh... a little. Probably because I pictured him as being hot (and he's played by Garret Hedlund in the movie, which I'll admit I did see because of the amazing CG dragons). Seriously though... the plot is a cliche hero's journey, with no flavor or haecceity thrown into the mix. The characters also are horrible. None of them are memorable and the main character is my least favorite character of them all.

What left is there to hold in high regard? His world building skills? Nay, my friends. I don't know why he decided that his world of Alagaesia had to have EVERY single climate condition imagineable. It made his world seem fake, trite, and boring in my honest opinion. And the language he "created," I'd rather not get started.

Anyway, not that I am one to talk, but Paolini really needs work in his writing skills. His book is receiving such high acclaim, and I am still trying to figure out why. Sure, it's great that he published a book at such a young age, but are we as a society lowering the bar that much as to celebrate mediocrity? Well, I think my job is done here. If you would like to see more of what I have said, there is an entire website focused on the Inheritance Trilogy (with many criticisms). http://www.anti-shurtugal.com/ Fun times at Anti-shurtugal.(less)

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Sep 07, 2007

Faith rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone...especially LOTR fans

Shelves: alreadyread

I LOVE the Inheritance books. I had never heard of Christopher Paolini before, and was walking through Barnes and Noble when I saw this book on the end display. What caught my eye was the dragon on the front cover (I love dragons, and my "artistic eye" was captivated by the artwork). This is a great fiction/adventure/fantasy novel. Anyone who is a Lord of the Rings would truly have an appreciation for this book. I was hooked from the moment I picked up this book and began reading. The ...more

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Jun 03, 2010

Echo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Children who haven't been introduced to quality fantasy yet

Shelves: youngadult, fantasy, duds

It's been a few years since I read Eragon, and someday I mean to pick it up again and reread it so I can move on to Eldest. Unfortunately, I remember very little of the book. When I picked up Eldest and read the introduction where Paolini explains what happened in Eragon, I thought, "Really? I don't remember any of that." It was that forgettable. So I can't give much information about plot, characters, or anything very detailed. What I do remember are my reactions when reading the...more

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Dec 21, 2008

Swankivy rated it

· review of another edition

A short (and somewhat sarcastic) summary: Main character = Eragon, mysteeeeerious boy-child left with his aunt and uncle by wandering mother, father unknown. Boy finds mysteeeeerious stone. Turns out to be dragon egg. Boy raises dragon and bonds with it strongly. Bad guys come and decimate boy's house and kill his uncle. Boy swears revenge. Boy's secret dragon is discovered by mysteeeerious storyteller who turns out to be master swordsman and random magic user. The hunt for the bad guys begins, ...moreA short (and somewhat sarcastic) summary: Main character = Eragon, mysteeeeerious boy-child left with his aunt and uncle by wandering mother, father unknown. Boy finds mysteeeeerious stone. Turns out to be dragon egg. Boy raises dragon and bonds with it strongly. Bad guys come and decimate boy's house and kill his uncle. Boy swears revenge. Boy's secret dragon is discovered by mysteeeerious storyteller who turns out to be master swordsman and random magic user. The hunt for the bad guys begins, and boy searches for his destiny as a legendary Dragon Rider (of course, that must be capitalized). Eragon goes through traditional bouts of training and learning about himself under the stern tutelage of old wise traveling companion. Along the way he gains and loses friends, and rescues a mysteeeerious woman from a horrible dungeon while never straying from his quest to put right all that is wrong in a world oppressively ruled by an evil king.

This book has gotten lots of attention since it first came out, partly because the author is so young. He was fifteen when he started the book, and was nineteen when it was published. I do not generally like to judge based on age, especially since I am a young writer myself, but when I read this book, I could TELL that the writer was either young or an immature writer. Though it seems people think it "got published" somehow because of its great merit, this book was actually published by the author's parents' publishing company, and then it was paraded around on a parent-funded signing tour. An established author happened to run into the family, thought a kid writing a book was interesting, bought a copy and made his stepson read it, and decided to try to get the book a deal when the kid liked it. The people at Knopf re-edited and repackaged and re-released it under that label. I believe that if this book had meandered its way to publishing houses the usual way, it would have been rejected as unpublishable, for reasons I will discuss in depth here.

Christopher Paolini himself, in his own words, describes his story thus: "Eragon is an archetypal hero story, filled with exciting action, dangerous villains, and fantastic locations. There are dragons and elves, sword fights and unexpected revelations, and of course, a beautiful maiden who's more than capable of taking care of herself."

I would argue that this book is not an "archetypal hero story" so much as an overused and overly traditional Tolkienien "epic," with "epic" in quotes because it lacks exactly that epic nature that made the world of Lord of the Rings so rich. There was absolutely nothing new or "unexpected" in this book (though the author claims there are "revelations"), and if a reader is excited by this book it is because he or she has never been exposed to the dozens of fantasy and science fiction epics from which this author pulled his influences. My feeling was that this book was nothing special because, if I may be so blunt, "it's been done," and it's been done better.

Overall, I just think that this book was written as though it had a template or blueprint for "traditional fantasy novel" and the details and names were simply filled in. I couldn't help feeling the entire time I was reading it that I had read this story before, nothing was much of a surprise, and things that didn't make sense or got in the way of a conflicting original vision were smoothed over with excuses or deliberate muddling of motives. I think that in order to write something so traditional, a writer needs something special, a unique twist or slant, and this just hasn't got it. (In other words, I'm not saying that writing an "archetypal fantasy epic" is BAD; I'm saying that it needs to not be a rehashing of overused themes that were INVENTED--not derived from mythology or legend, but INVENTED--by classic writers.) The boy and his powerful companion having an intimate relationship? Done, in everything from Anne McCaffrey to freaking Digimon. The hero quest to punish the baddies and bring the good guys back into power? Done, in Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Lush descriptions of landscapes and surroundings? Done by Tolkien of course, but more as a background to action rather than in stagnant heaps of detail. Mysterious companions to whom there is more than meets the eye? I don't even want to think about all the books and movies that have done that. I can't pick out a single thing that this book has that has never been done before, the characters didn't interest or capture me, the storytelling was riddled with too many attempts to be grand that I was just entirely turned off by it.

Some specifics about the bad writing style:

Every imaginable permutation of the word "said" is used. If the reader cannot tell how someone is saying something by what they are saying, it is likely that the dialogue has been written sloppily. "'You're not thinking,' admonished Brom." Yes, that is an admonishment without you telling us so. Leave it out. "'Get on with the story,' he said impatiently." Well, if one person is urging another to get on with it, it stands to reason that it's being said impatiently. Running into "'Sorry,' apologized Brom" made me cringe. The fact that Brom said "Sorry" means that he apologized, so use "said." You can deviate from "said" if for some reason HOW the sentence is said is not obvious, such as volume ("he whispered") or intent ("he said sarcastically," if it isn't obvious that that's a sarcastic comment anyway). Leave out the decorations because they're tacky. The speech tags are not the part of the writing that is supposed to be interesting, so don't distract us; believe me when I say that if you do it, nearly any editor will consider it an early warning sign that you are an amateur.

Unnecessary description is inserted with maddening frequency. I am not usually a reader of traditional fantasy, and traditional fantasy does tend to be more flowery than the hard stuff, but either way random descriptions should not just be thrown into the mix. Eragon is waking up and stretching. Suddenly we get a description of the items on his night table, including the random information that he likes to look at one of the objects on it frequently. In the meantime, while we are getting this rush of information, Eragon is putting on his shoes. He then does not proceed to touch, pick up, or look at anything on the night table, and none of it is ever mentioned again. Also, people and places just get sudden paragraphs of description. We're fighting an Urgal and all of a sudden . . . drop some description on us. While he's rushing at Eragon with drooling fangs, no less. By all means, describe the fangs, slipping the adjectives in gracefully. But don't give us a run-down of a typical Urgal when we're a lot more interested in whether those fangs are going into Eragon's head.

And lastly, too many words, phrases, and concepts seem to be entirely lifted from other well-known works. Word choice seemed as though it was the author's attempt to use all his SAT words; it was verbose and flowery as if on purpose, trying to impress with vocabulary that would have been better used sparingly. The similarity of some people's and places' names to those of Tolkien have not gone unnoticed by seasoned fantasy readers; I have heard several people call this book "Aragorn" without even noticing that they weren't saying it right, not to mention things like Ardwen (compared with Arwen), Isenstar (compared with Isengard), and Isidar (compared with Isildur)--and there are a LOT more. A ridiculous number of phrases seem to be something I've heard before, though I'm not sure where; for example, near the beginning someone is touching a wrapped package repeatedly, "as if to reassure herself that it was still there." I mentioned this to a friend and said, "That's FROM something." He replied, "It's FROM everything!" Far too often, ridiculously overused or clichéd similes and metaphors are used, such as tears being described as "liquid diamonds." It is less like this book was written and more like it was sewn together from the torn apart products of others, like some old quilt on which the stitches are showing. (How's that for an original simile?)

There's definitely not enough space in this little box (which has a character limit) for me to go into as much detail as I'd like talking about how bad this book is, so if you really want to read my ranting in all its entirety, you might want to check out my essay about it on my Web page.(less)

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Mar 21, 2007

Brent rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: dragon lovers and fighters

i learned that this book kicks butt i mean common ppl you see this explosion in a forest gather up the guts to go see what it was and its a hue piece of saphire (or is it?) well then eragon goes around trying to sell it because his family is poor but know one wants it because it came out of the spine! (for those that dont know what te spine is its a collection of mountians only the brave go in but only the lucky come out) i seen the movie and i literally wanted to send a P.O. email to him i swe...more

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Nov 10, 2011

Lissa rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: boy-hero, fantasy, kinda-sucky, here-be-dragons, young-adult, young-adult-high-fantasy, 2011

I give up.

Today is November 10, and I've read a grand total of 26 pages since August.

I just don't like it. The writing itself isn't quite up to the standard I would expect, but I know Paolini was a teen when he wrote it. I'm not excusing the choppiness based on his age because I know some teen authors who are simply angelic with their writing, but that kind of polish comes with experience.

Some books manage to be epic fantasies where interesting things actually...moreI give up.

Today is November 10, and I've read a grand total of 26 pages since August.

I just don't like it. The writing itself isn't quite up to the standard I would expect, but I know Paolini was a teen when he wrote it. I'm not excusing the choppiness based on his age because I know some teen authors who are simply angelic with their writing, but that kind of polish comes with experience.

Some books manage to be epic fantasies where interesting things actually happen.

Also, each chapter ends as Eragon goes to sleep or is knocked out.

Also, I have issues with the name Eragon. To explain why, let me tell you about the book I'm going to write about the last unicorn rider. Her name is Vnicorn. And the book I'm going to write about the last griffon rider, called Hriffon. And the book I'll write about the last chimera rides, called Dhimera. Get my point?

Names and technique aside, I'm also not interested in the story, the plot of the whole thing. It's been done so many times before I know exactly how it's going to end. And while I do re-read books for the enjoyment, this is not the kind of book I would want to re-read. I'm just not invested. I don't give two tosses about Gary Stu Eragon, Wise Man Brom, and Animal Sidekick Saphira. I was endeavouring to finish this book, but I've got other books waiting for me, and I don't feel right wasting my time on this when aspiring authors who deserve a chance are waiting for me to critique their work.

I'm sorry, maybe it's the concept of the whole 'the last whatever' that gets to me. The inherent sadness and sympathy we're supposed to have over the last of the whatevers doesn't work if it can't be enjoyed. Let me read a book where there's a FIRST of something. Let's see how they cope with no advice and no one to guide them, discovering all this tosh for themselves. That'd be an interesting book.

(for the record, I can think of two off the top of my head: Kiersten White's Paranormalcy and Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave.
My darling Anila reminded me of How to Train Your Dragon.
Let's turn this into a game. Any other suggestions of books about the first of something amazing and cool rather than the last?(less)

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Jan 23, 2008

Cy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: My enemies.

This book spells 'trite' excellently. Unfortunately, that's the best quality it possesses.

This idea has been overworked many times before, and, if I may borrow a baking metaphor, overworked dough makes for flat product. Not only does he steal from successful greats, but ignores completely that the reason why they were great would be because of their ingenuity with GOING TO THE SOURCE and making it their own from there. The book takes information from mouths others, throws it together...more

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Apr 14, 2008

Ann rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of fantasy epics

Shelves: actionadventure, animals, fantasy, young-adult

I’m very happy I’ve finally read Eragon! It’s been a book that I’ve been curious to read for a long time. Because of it’s comparisons with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (which I very much love!) I’ve wondered if Eragon would be another great fantasy epic or a terrible rip-off. I’m not entirely sure that it is either. But I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it to others!

I’ve wavered between giving this three or four stars. I would like to give it three and half, but as I can’...moreI’m very happy I’ve finally read Eragon! It’s been a book that I’ve been curious to read for a long time. Because of it’s comparisons with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (which I very much love!) I’ve wondered if Eragon would be another great fantasy epic or a terrible rip-off. I’m not entirely sure that it is either. But I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it to others!

I’ve wavered between giving this three or four stars. I would like to give it three and half, but as I can’t, I’ll go with three for now. I feel it’s a good, solid, well thought out story. I felt that I trusted Paolini to have thought through all of the choices a character had available, and that he’d made sure the characters were making the correct choices for them at that moment in time (and that if not, that were the point).
I thought there was good character arc and good build to the story. I liked the characters a lot, but I’m not sure I totally loved them or felt completely invested. It took me a while to understand Saphira’s personality, but once I did I liked her a lot, and the fact that she reminded me greatly of cats was a huge plus! It is a fantasy epic like LOTR, but it focuses of fewer characters, which I think hindered the story (for me) a little, because I didn’t feel a huge connection with the characters right from the beginning. But, as I said, I did like them all, and was curious for the outcomes and hopeful that the end would be happy.
All in all it was an enjoyable and interesting read, and Paolini raises some good, interesting moral questions. And while a few times I felt certain parts were a bit lengthy, and sometimes a bit confusing, overall the writing style fit the story very well, and was pretty clear.

Regarding the “rip-off-ness” of the book:
Having dabbled in writing and other creative works myself I find that I am very defensive for both Paolini and Tolkien. While I feel that plagiarism is a horrible injustice, I also feel that accusing someone of it where it has not occurred is similarly sad. Therefore, I wanted to be very fair in my analysis (which is, obviously, simply that – my analysis form reading the book without any other insights). So, here are my thoughts on the matter.
I don’t think it can be denied that Paolini’s races in Eragon are derived from Tolkien’s races. Paolini’s descriptions of elves and dwarves are incredibly similar to Tolkien’s – even the Urgals in Eragon are reminiscent of Urk-Hei (sp?). Whether these similarities are due to “thievery” or simply from “inspiration” and the understanding of elves and dwarves that Paolini grew up with, I, of course, cannot say. But I would like to think it the latter.
Also, while there are other LOTR similarities in regard to setting, style, and arc, I don’t think one can say that these were stolen, because such similarities will occur when dealing with good and evil, an ancient era, and fantasy elements.
Aside from these things, I cannot recall much else that was blatantly related to LOTR. The character of Eragon appears original, as does his journey, and the dragon as a character and plot point appears unique as well. Of course, there is the wise-old sage and teacher, but this occurs time and time again anyway.
(One of my favorite parts, actually, is the acknowledgements section of the newer edition of the book.)
So, I did enjoy the book very much, and am looking forward to reading the next. (I enjoyed the book much better than the movie, if that helps.) And yes, I would recommend Eragon to fans of the Epic Fantasy.

***
Sorry, Eragon. Just wanted to let it be known that the reason this book has been on the "reading" shelf for a while is that (well, A, it's very long) but because I started to read Inkheart because I thought the movie would be coming out soon. So, my reading time was put to Inkheart. However, now I've more time to read Inkheart, but since I already know the ending of Eragon, and I don't know the ending of Inkheart, my focus will probably still be on Inkheart for the timebeing as it will be easier to pick Eragon back up and know where things were left off.
Well, that's my hope anyway<g>

***

I started this a few days ago and am very curious to see what the book is like! I've heard so much about it. I wasn't totally impressed by the movie, but so far it seems that there was a lot of detail that was left out of the movie that is in the book. Anyway, I'm glad to finally be reading it!(less)

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Feb 03, 2008

Briana Patterson rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Ah...what to say about this book? I can't feel that great about it. In essence, as I have not been a big fantasy reader until recent years, the narrative was done well enough. Paolini has a decent writing style, and I did not find reading this book painful.

However, I do have to say that I agree with many of the statements that he lacks a lot of the originality. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Eragon is hardly more than a Luke Skywalker and that Darth Sauron - I mean Galbatorix...moreAh...what to say about this book? I can't feel that great about it. In essence, as I have not been a big fantasy reader until recent years, the narrative was done well enough. Paolini has a decent writing style, and I did not find reading this book painful.

However, I do have to say that I agree with many of the statements that he lacks a lot of the originality. I mean, it's pretty obvious that Eragon is hardly more than a Luke Skywalker and that Darth Sauron - I mean Galbatorix is a rip of other things...

I don't know. I think it's commendable that a fifteen year old wrote this piece, buuut his immaturity really does show. When you hear people talking about this book, you don't hear how bright, fresh and amazing it is. You hear "oh he was fifteen!" Well that's great and groovy, but I think it's a pity that his claim to fame is his age and not the content of his story.

I feel this story should have been shelfed and allowed to be editted and rewritten. Paolini seems to have skipped a lot of the stages that other authors experience. With one foot in the printing business through his parents, he didn't have to go through the grueling process of scrutiny, self-doubt, editing that many others may go through. Paolini has not had to prove himself. A grand marketing scheme has pumped him up and inflated him above what he really is.

There are so many blatant 'mistakes' throughout the book that I just can't let slide. Translations into made up languages are word-for-word. The dragon - a predatory animal - has to turn its head to the side to look at someone, versus having eyes set forward like any other predatory animal. There are painfully obvious corollaries between modern political and religious opinions, and Paolini comes off as downright preachy in his delivery rather than judicious. In the telling of his own opinions I found his reasoning faulty and inconsistent.

I kept reading for the sake of knowing what happens - and I read Eldest as well which I felt brought forth even more flaws with Paolini's writing, philosophy and youth. I will probably read the upcoming Brisingr as well - and I hope that there is something fresh added to that mix.

Overall, if you keep your expectations low, this may be a reasonable read that you can sit down and manage to enjoy. My approach to this book was one that I take to action movies. I can enjoy them as long as I've made up my mind to believe some unbelievable, and accept that i will be seeing nothing new. Then you might find it at least entertaining.

(less)

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Aug 01, 2008

Emma rated it

· review of another edition

In 2002 I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. I was the Manhattan finalist for a storytelling festival. I was writing, mostly poetry. The year before I had been named runner up in a contest held by the Poetry Society of America and had the poem I entered read on the radio. I used to feel pretty good about those accomplishments until I read Christopher Paolini's bio on his first book.

In 2002 Christopher Paolini was 15 and a high school graduate. So, of course, the next obvious step...moreIn 2002 I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. I was the Manhattan finalist for a storytelling festival. I was writing, mostly poetry. The year before I had been named runner up in a contest held by the Poetry Society of America and had the poem I entered read on the radio. I used to feel pretty good about those accomplishments until I read Christopher Paolini's bio on his first book.

In 2002 Christopher Paolini was 15 and a high school graduate. So, of course, the next obvious step was to write a novel. Which is why readers now have Eragon, the latest in a long line of dragon-centric fantasies (I just made that term up). This novel is the first in the Inheritance Trilogy (Eldest is already out and Brisingr is due for release soon). It was also made into a movie in 2006 that I enjoyed quite a bit even before I found its excellent tagline: "You are stronger than you realize. Wiser than you know. What was once your life is now your legend."

The reason I mention the movie at all is because this is one of the only books I can think of where I saw the movie adaptation before I read the book. I really liked both and found it interesting to be motivated to read a book because of the movie. Before I review the book I just want to get this out of my system: Eragon was really good and I enjoyed it, but it did at times sound like it was written by a fifteen-year-old. I'm not saying that to be petty or because of sour grapes--I just really think that's the case.

In addition to mentioning his age, Paolini's back flap bio mentions that he has an abiding love of fantasy that subsequently motivated him to write his own fantasy novel. For that reason, Eragon owes an obvious debt to some of the fantasy big shots. Like Tamora Pierce's books (and Gail Carson Levine's), this one has a medieval-esque setting. The most obvious similarities that I noticed lie between this book and Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea and J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books (and The Hobbit too). Obviously, then, if you like those books you will like Eragon. At the same time, though, these similarities did leave me wishing there were more "acceptable" ways to write a fantasy setting. Maybe that's me.

More than an event book where events are central to the plot and the story moves from event to event, this is a journey book. Stuff happens, but most of the novel is spent traveling. In a sense, the entire book is a journey to the end which I assume leads to more revelations which will be found in the second book in the trilogy.

The book's journey starts with its title character, Eragon, a fifteen-year-old youth living in a rural town in the land of Alagaesia. Once a place of glory where dragons and their riders kept peace across the country, the Empire is now ruled by a cruel king called Galbatorix. Such concerns are far from Eragon's daily concerns though. Living with his uncle and cousin, Eragon's days are spent helping his family farm their land and prepare for winter.

All of that changes when Eragon returns from a hunting trip with a mysterious stone. Soon enough, he realizes the stone is actually an egg. A dragon egg. The presence of this new dragon will not only change the course of Eragon's life but also the path of the entire Empire. Thus Eragon is set on a new path with only his dragon, an old storyteller and a mysterious sword to help him find his way.

And that, really, is what this book is about: Eragon finding his way as he learns what being a Rider, and dare I say being a hero, really means. One of the subtler things I liked about the writing is that when Paolini begins this story, his protagonist is clearly a boy even if by Alagaesian standards he's only a year from manhood. By the end of the novel, though, Eragon is a man. The writing changes subtly to reflect this important change from beginning to end.

Eragon is literally finding his way too--the novel features a lot of long, perilous journeys and long, dangerous battles. All of which were good to read but did leave me burnt out when I finally made my way to the end of my paperback copy (on page 497). Sometimes it's just surprising how long it can take to read a long book.

For fear of providing accidental spoilers, that's really all I have to say. Once I got over the fact that I did not graduate high school at fifteen or write a novel, the book was not at all depressing. Eragon features some great characters (Brom to name one) and some of the scariest villains seen in recent fantasies. I have high hopes for the next installment in the trilogy once I get my hands on it.(less)

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Apr 21, 2008

Nightfalltwen rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: 15 year old boys with a sword fetish

Shelves: children-9-12

The story is your typical Hero's Journey (for more info, study up on Joseph Campbell) and that makes the plot fairly predictable. I know a lot of people compare it to Star Wars and say that Paolini copied the ideas from it and LOTR, but Star Wars follows the Hero's Journey almost verbatim and so does Eragon. Come on people. George Lucas and JRR Tolkein are/were no strangers to the idea either. Quit making stupid comments about how this author stole from that author. The hero's journey has b...more

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Jul 15, 2007

Archgallo rated it

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Probably the most expensive fanfiction I've ever read. I'm not sure what possessed the publishing company to publish this book (although I heard that Christopher Paolini was self-published at first). I also wrote a book when I was 16 (much like Paolini) and the quality was pretty much the same as Eragon, that is to say, awful. Eragon (the character) is a total Mary Sue/Gary Stu: he learns to fight with a sword in just a few weeks, his past is angsty, he's the first dragon rider for centuries, ...more

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Jun 10, 2007

Kristin rated it

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One of my former roommates is addicted to Young Adult fantasy books, and got me hooked right along with her. She had read the first two books in this series right when they first came out, and urged me to read them before seeing the movie (which, I later found out, was awful). So I did. Despite the criticism that Paolini's books get, I found I really, really enjoyed Eragon. He pulls a Tolkien and creates his own world, complete with different races, cultures, and languages, which is no easy task...more

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Aug 07, 2007

michelle mcdonald rated it

Shelves: fantasy

A friend lent me this book after he finished, and I knew nothing about the novel going into it, short of what I had read on the teaser. And so I began...

It took me a while to get into the story. From the get-go I felt that author was trying too hard, being overly dramatic with descriptions and using words like "raven-hair" and "smote". Plus, there was something lacking in the character development; there was a beginning to it, yet the typical layers that exist ...more

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Jul 24, 2008

Randocommando added it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

The rating of zero stars is on purpose.

This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. If you search hard, between the covers of this book you may find an original idea. He ripped off ideas from Anne McCaffery, Jane Yolen, Tolkien, etc. He just had the happy coincidence of writing his book McCaffery and Yolen have faded into obscurity.

I have never seen a book published with so many editorial errors. He had poor sentence structure. He used so many words in ...moreThe rating of zero stars is on purpose.

This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. If you search hard, between the covers of this book you may find an original idea. He ripped off ideas from Anne McCaffery, Jane Yolen, Tolkien, etc. He just had the happy coincidence of writing his book McCaffery and Yolen have faded into obscurity.

I have never seen a book published with so many editorial errors. He had poor sentence structure. He used so many words in the wrong context that it was obvious he wrote it with a thesaurus in hand so he could insert synonyms without full knowledge of their connotations.

His characters changed to fit the situation, especially his main character. He did not know how to depict the feelings and motives of his characters, so he had to go to great lengths to inform as to what they were thinking.

His book was only held together by its plot, and its plot only survived if there was a fight every chapter.

Well, I could go on like this for forever, but I should say a few positive words as well. He started writing this book when he was in high school. From that perspective, I have to say it is a great achievement. I certainly never wrote a bestseller in high school.

However, his publishers, I think are regretting it. The second book was very different. It was a more adult style, he had a better idea of how his characters would react to situations, and it was much less action-oriented. Unfortunately, it was also boring. How often have you heard someone get excited about Eldest?

I think the mistake here is not Paolini's. I think it was his publishers. They should have waited until he was finished with all three books and then edited them for consistent writing style. Or even better, they should have kept him to a single book and then let him write his trilogy after he had matured as a writer.

There is a bigger problem highlighted here: bestsellers are not made by a good book. Bestsellers are made by a publicity campaign. If Eragon had been put on the shelf the same as every other kid's fantasy, I'm not sure it would have received any more notice than the others. It probably would have been better for the publishers, the movie-makers, and - most of all - a young man who shouldn't have to put up with the pressure of having to write the third book in a bestselling trilogy that is going to have at least one less purchaser. I'm going to save my money and check it out of the library.(less)

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May 11, 2008

Franco rated it

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This novel would be classified under, “Fantasy Fiction” because lf its creatures and elves. The main summary of this book is, an fifteen year old regular teenager sets off on an long journey of vengeance. One day while hunting he found a blue rock or “egg”. He later tries to sell it for meat, but they wont accept because its from the spine. Eragon later lost interest in the stone and put it aside for a couple a days until something extraordinary happened. The egg hatched and it was a baby dragon...moreThis novel would be classified under, “Fantasy Fiction” because lf its creatures and elves. The main summary of this book is, an fifteen year old regular teenager sets off on an long journey of vengeance. One day while hunting he found a blue rock or “egg”. He later tries to sell it for meat, but they wont accept because its from the spine. Eragon later lost interest in the stone and put it aside for a couple a days until something extraordinary happened. The egg hatched and it was a baby dragon, it was a dark blue and had long scales. He later went to the town dragon lover, Brom. He asked how take care of them and find a good name for one in particular. He names the dragon Saphira and cared for her over time. After his conversation with Brom, he realized that the dragon could communicate by mind. A day later he saw men interrogating his house, and wanted to get them but Saphira was too scared so she flew away with Eragon. Eragon woke up and went back to the house and saw the whole house burnt’ down and his uncle down on the ground. He brought his uncle back to safety and helped him from being sick to healthy. The last part of the trip he goes to the Varden, he must deal with an a lot dangers, including an army of Urgals chasing them all the way there. The Vardens fortress, located in the depths of the Beor Mountains, is host to groups of dwarves, elves, and Varden, who are in league, having sent Saphira’s egg to The Spine where Eragon found it. Given a short rest, the three along with the Varden and their allies must prepare for the arrival of the Urgal as the approach the mountain. They learn for sure that Galbatorix is in league with the dark forces from a stolen messenge and soon they are in a battle with the Urgal. However, the battle with the Shade leaves him horribly in pain, he still wins!
I thought the writing of this novel was very flat and dry no hard words just a perfect novel to sit down near a small fire and read. The strengths were a good plot and so good characters. The weaknesses were that he made his own language and so I had to keep looking back. I choose this book mostly because Mrs. McGivern told me to choose a different book then Michael Crichton. And I would compare this book to its sequel Eldest. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers.
Words: 310 (less)

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Feb 02, 2008

Gabriella rated it

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I tried writing a novel when I was fifteen, too; but the difference between me and Paolini is I had the decency to chuck it when I realized how terrible it was. I’m not going to list a host of authours he ‘borrowed’ from — many people just have different opinions where exactly he borrowed from so I don’t want to get into it. It’s just… I think he had potential; descriptively, there were some parts of Eragon that were very well-written. But for the rest, he tried too hard and he tried too early. ...more

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Feb 08, 2008

Sabrina rated it

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An orphaned boy is raised by his uncle and discovers a power he didn't know he had. He leaves home to learn about this power from an old master after the farm is destroyed by agents of evil. Along the way, he discovers more about his own parents that brings into question his heritage.... wait a minute... haven't we heard this story before? Is anyone else waiting for the James Earl Jones barritone "I am your father" declaration?

Seriously now. Aside from Eragon being another...more

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Dec 07, 2011

Jonathan rated it

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Recommends it for: fantasy fans who are more on the young side

Shelves: personal-favourites, fantasy-challenge

There are a lot of novels out there that are closely inspired by The Lord of the Rings and similar fantasy icons. Some so closely that certain people name them as rip offs.

Eragon is one of those novels that has been called a knock off of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. However I make a distinction. To me this novel is merely inspired by those tales. There is no direct copying at mind but a mere translation of similar themes and archetypes commonly found in fantasy nowadays.

...more

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Jan 30, 2011

Mariel rated it

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Recommends it for: my headphones melted

Recommended to Mariel by: Uncle Owen before the sand people got him

Shelves: theyhavelargertalons, malkovich, seen-not-heard, asleepanddreaming, snoozeville

You know the part in Diana Wynne Jones's Fire and Hemlock when Tom sends back Polly's writing with harsher than the harshest red lines in the margins criticisms? He told her to get her own ideas. Polly had just been reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and felt "inspired". I totally get feeling like telling stories when you are hyped up about something you love. I also know that this was published because mom and dad owned a publishing house. I never, never, never, EVER ripped off LOT...moreYou know the part in Diana Wynne Jones's Fire and Hemlock when Tom sends back Polly's writing with harsher than the harshest red lines in the margins criticisms? He told her to get her own ideas. Polly had just been reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and felt "inspired". I totally get feeling like telling stories when you are hyped up about something you love. I also know that this was published because mom and dad owned a publishing house. I never, never, never, EVER ripped off LOTR. I swear. Or Star Wars. (The movie rips off Earthsea and Star Wars more than LOTR.) I didn't see a dime for what I didn't write.

I'm only writing this review because I can't remember which review featured my list of "John Malkovich as kings" list. I left off Beowulf! This has haunted me.

John Malkovich as kings in films:

1. Johnny English. This movie sucks but there was Malkovich money! (If he were kiiiiing of the foorreessssst, anyway.) Stoopid Rowan Atkinson thwarts my Malky's plans.

2. The Messenger. That's Luc Besson's movie with Milla Jovovich as Joan of Arc. The Passion of Joan of Arc this is not. Besson gets chicks by casting them in his movies. I have liked Jovovich a couple of times (she's good in Dummy). Usually she sucks. Also, she used to date John Frusciante and the song they did was one of the only Frusciante songs I didn't like. Boo! Malkovich is the king.

3. The Libertine. This could have been great if they didn't montage all of the good stuff. Malkovich played the Earl of Rochestor on stage. He surprised his leading lady by.... Maybe that's not appropriate for goodreads. (Tease!)

4. Beowulf. I haven't seen this. That's still no excuse for shoddy listmaking.

5. Eragon. I'm sure that the other actors who sold out for this comforted themselves that at least the Malkinator was selling out with them. To me that's like the crap artists of today consoling themselves that David Bowie made Never Let Me Down. Jonah Hex has replaced Eragon for worst Malkovich film in my affections, anyhow.

P.s. I'm waiting for one of my favorite Canadians to name an album after Eragon.

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Nov 15, 2009

Celine rated it

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Shelves: advisory-9th

Eragon
By Christopher Paolini
528pp. USA
Alfred A Knopf, $10.95
ISBN: 0-375-82669-6

Eragon, the nephew of a farmer, accompanied by his blue dragon Saphira and Brom is on a mission to kill the Raz’ac, to get revenge for his uncle. Facing mysterious monsters and traveling to unknown places in Alagaësia, he continues training determinedly. Eragon is a very exciting book and will keep your pages turning. If you love reading fantasy novels, this book has some really c...more Eragon
By Christopher Paolini
528pp. USA
Alfred A Knopf, $10.95
ISBN: 0-375-82669-6

Eragon, the nephew of a farmer, accompanied by his blue dragon Saphira and Brom is on a mission to kill the Raz’ac, to get revenge for his uncle. Facing mysterious monsters and traveling to unknown places in Alagaësia, he continues training determinedly. Eragon is a very exciting book and will keep your pages turning. If you love reading fantasy novels, this book has some really creative monsters and faeries that will make you even more interested. If you don’t think fantasies are as good as any other genre, you should definitely start reading Eragon.

Throughout this book, one of the essential characters, Brom’s identity was kept a mysterious secret. From the beginning, Brom was introduced as the old man who told tales of the ancient defensive dragon riders. However during the journey, Brom knows a lot about what Eragon goes through but he never reveals anything about who he really is. He is actually not that innocent and calm storyteller in the village. As I read the story, I was very curious to find out Brom’s darkest secret and it keeps the reader attracted to the story. It is just like finding the culprit in a mystery novel. This will keep you guessing along the journey but what Brom says eventually helps you make an inference. This is a really appealing writing strategy because it keeps the reader (you) fascinated in the book. Identity~ who are you really?

The themes of this book also allow you to connect and keep you attracted as well. The themes of friendship, trust, and adventure could be connected to our everyday lives and we can learn off them. Eragon builds a strong friendship with Brom and Saphira. Since Saphira is his dragon, they share one life and builds trust among each other as they develop throughout the story. When Eragon meets Brom and talks about the inexplicable dragon riders and King Galbatrorix, a spark of adventure lights Eragon’s way. Not only is Brom and Eragon companions, they are also friends, and learners. Eragon didn’t really feel grateful for the appearance of Brom until later on in the book and he learns that having a friend and companion can really be useful and vital. After all, you don’t realize the importance of something until you lose it.

Do you wish you could telepathically communicate? That is exactly how Eragon communicates with Saphira. Paolini puts different types of communication in a different font and gives the book a special touch. Because the font isn’t all the same, the book would be more fascinating to read. It is also easy to tell who is talking because Eragon talks in a different way to the other characters. The organization of this book is very unique and that helps the book be more outstanding.

When you first look at Eragon, it may seem long but when you finish it, you would wish it wasn’t over yet. This book is awesome and I recommend it to people ages 13 and above. Children under 13 would have trouble with the vocabulary because some words are difficult. This is the best book any 15 year old could have written. You will get so much from it, and reading such a creative story once in a while can indulge your fantasy senses.
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Dec 06, 2008

Melora rated it

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Recommends it for: anyone with an imagination

Recommended to Melora by: Nan

While I hesitated to read this book at first (saw the insipid movie, and not a big fan of juvenile books in general), it's actually a great fantasy novel. Reading can be such a great escape, and these novels (I'm now on the 3rd in the series) are a great example of this.

I'm sure to irritate a lot of people by saying that I've purposely avoided the juvenile books for the masses (the Harry Potter cult and the Twilight-crazed zombies). And I was afraid that this series would be more...moreWhile I hesitated to read this book at first (saw the insipid movie, and not a big fan of juvenile books in general), it's actually a great fantasy novel. Reading can be such a great escape, and these novels (I'm now on the 3rd in the series) are a great example of this.

I'm sure to irritate a lot of people by saying that I've purposely avoided the juvenile books for the masses (the Harry Potter cult and the Twilight-crazed zombies). And I was afraid that this series would be more of the same; overrated drivel with no original thoughts, and an intellectual regression.

But this first novel captured my attention (no easy task) for most of a weekend. Luckily, the friend who insisted that I read this novel had the other two for me to start right after I devoured the first. Although it's not a short novel, time seemed to fly by (no pun intended, dragon and all, ha ha), and I didn't want the book to end. It's always a good sign when I get to the last page and I'm disappointed that there's not more after that.

Like any good fantasy novel, by the time I was done, I believed in all the ridiculous parts-- dragons, magic, etc. Much like the Anne Rice vampire novels, I half expected to see some of the fantastic characters (werecats?) walking around in the real world afterwards. That's not to say that I lost my freakin' mind, REALLY, it's just that I came to accept that world, and that I became completely engrossed in it.

Yes, there were a few moments where I realized how young the author must have been when he wrote this, which made me in turn feel a little old. But considering that he was only 15 when he wrote this, and that this was his first novel, it's pretty amazing that I didn't find myself annoyed by his naivete. Instead, I forgot all about his age (and mine), and just enjoyed the novel.

And no, it's not aimed at today's barely literate youth. The vocabulary is definitely more sophisticated than that, and the subject matter can be enjoyed at any age, I would think.

So if you have an imagination, and you enjoy escaping from all your daily realities into a completely different world, I'd recommend this book. But I warn you: you, too, may find yourself making excuses to read your book whenever possible, and being somewhat irritated by any/all distractions.(less)

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Sep 28, 2008

Benny rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone/Fantasy lovers

Recommended to Benny by: Friends

Shelves: fantasy-horror, young-adult

Eragon = Star Wars

From complaintlab.blogspot.com

The book opens with Princess Arya/Princess Leia smuggling a dragon egg/message or Death Star plans from the evil kingdom/Empire. She manages to hide it successfully but is captured by Ozzy Osbourne/Durza/Darth Vader and interrogated about it’s location. A simple orphan farm boy named Eragon/Luke acquires the egg/message/plans but doesn’t really know what to do with it. One day/night he returns home to find his uncle and aunt...more

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Feb 19, 2009

Michael rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

I know a lot of people love this book and the story behind it is great. But it's still the same basic plot as "Star Wars" only instead of the Force, you've got dragons.

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Nov 07, 2008

Shane rated it

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Recommends it for: All men

Recommended to Shane by: my friends

Eragon

Captivating, amazing, astonishing!

One day Eragon was out hunting in the Spine, a forbidden place where many enter and little return. He was on his third day of his hunting trip, he was tracking down deer when all of the sudden there is a loud bang and I burst of light. Eragon went to go investigate what happened, when he arrived where the bang happened he discovered a polished blue stone. He took the stone back to his village, Carvahal, and tries asking merchants...moreEragon

Captivating, amazing, astonishing!

One day Eragon was out hunting in the Spine, a forbidden place where many enter and little return. He was on his third day of his hunting trip, he was tracking down deer when all of the sudden there is a loud bang and I burst of light. Eragon went to go investigate what happened, when he arrived where the bang happened he discovered a polished blue stone. He took the stone back to his village, Carvahal, and tries asking merchants and traders what the stone was but no one knew.
With in a few weeks the stone hatches and a small blue dragon emerges from the egg. Eragon was amazed and flabbergasted at first. The dragons where thought to be extinct except for the one the evil king has, king Galbortrox. Eragon raised the dragon not letting anyone know of it not even his uncle which he lives with. When Eragon first touched the dragon its powers engraved a scar on his hand which states that he is a dragon rider. After about a month Eragon goes down to Carvahal and sees a wise story teller named Borom. Eragon talks to him about dragons and dragon riders, Borom thinks that Eragon is a dragon rider but doesn’t tell Eragon about his suspicion. Borom tells Eragon to be cautious because a creature is looking for the egg that Eragon had they are called the Raz-zoc, an evil creature that can and will kill any thing in its path to get what it’s looking for. Knowing that most of Carvahal knows that Eragon has the stone he rushes home as fast as he can to go worn his family fearing that they will kill them while trying to find the egg. When he gets there his dragon scoops him off the ground and flies him to the Spine to protect him but Eragon wants to go back and fight the creatures but his dragon knows that he doesn’t stand a chance. Because his dragon doesn’t have a saddle its scales are digging in to his skin. Eragon and his dragon spend the night in the Spine and go back to Eragon’s house to see that it was burnt to the ground and his Uncle is on the floor unconscious. So his dragon which Eragon named Saphira flew his uncle and him to out skirts of carvahal and tells Saphira to go and hide for awhile while he goes for medical help.
The medics heal Eragon and he wakes a few days after the attack, he finds out that his uncle has died. Eragon is fuming so he decided to run away from Carvahal and track down the killers and kill them but before he can leave he is confronted be Borom and he confirms his beliefs that Eragon is a dragon rider and he wants to travel with Eragon, Eragon allows him to. As they travel to Eragon and Borom have fake sword fights to Eragon has learn the ways of the blade. They stop in many cities and in one of them they discover that a monster called the Urgals has raided a village in large numbers which was unheard of because Urgals always traveled alone and never in together. While in that village Eragon kills his first Urgal and he used magic for the first time by accident. So now on their journey Borom teaches Eragon the rules and tricks of magic.
Then after two months they finally encounter the Raz-oc but they where ambushed and Borom was hit in the rib by a throwing knife trying to protect Eragon. All the Raz-oc where shot but arrows, but not by Eragon or Borom. It turns out that a boy older than Eragon shot the creatures and saved Eragon. Borom dies from his wounds and it turns out that the boy that saved Eragon was the son one of the last dragon riders, a man that served for the evil king and the dragon rider that Borom killed with the sword Eragon carries. Eragon and the boy arrive at the Varden and when they arrive the boy is thrown in to prison for the crimes his father has done. Only after a week of being in the varden they receive news that they are about to be attacked by a huge company of Urgals. The Varden was largely outnumbered and they find out that the Urgals where under control of a shade, the most powerful creature in all the land. Eragon engages the shade and at first is losing bad taking stabs in the back and chest by its short dagger. Then out of nowhere Saphira comes and breaths fire at the shade giving Eragon the distraction he needed to kill the shade and in one fatal stab threw the heart the shade fell to the ground and vanished. Eragon was now known as the shade killer, but the story is yet to be over…

Questions:
1. I would recommend this book to all teenage boys.
2. My favorite character is Eragon, because he is very courageous and is smart.
3. My least favorite is the two twins, they seem very suspicious to me.
4. I think the author wrote this book just for enjoyment.
5. The last part of this book really kept the book in my hands at all times.
6. I was drawn in to it by the authors captivating words and the interest of the book.
7. I was not able to predict the ending of the book the author kept that well hidden from the reader.
8. I don’t know actors but I was the move and it was terrible.
9. I felt exited and amazed.
10. “Berzinger!” which means fire in the anchent language and is a word that when said while using magic will cause fire to come shooting out.
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Jun 26, 2010

Nian rated it

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Shelves: 2007

Eragon has got to be one of the most boring-est book I have ever read. I normally love fantasy (my love for Harry Potter is an indication of this) but Eragon, I could not get through. It was excruciatingly long for such a simple journey. He chances upon all things magical and makes such a big commotion of things. Everything is supposedly mysterious. But it is actually more annoying than mysterious.

The writing was terrible. There were so many details and not enough substance, and oft...more

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Jul 04, 2009

Nic rated it

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Shelves: map-in-the-front

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Excellent descriptive writing, especially in terms of setting. Dialogue a little iffy at times (characters used words and phrases that seemed anachronistic, such as "no clue" and "plus," and sometimes seemed just unlikely for people to say). The strengths are definitely description, setting, and worldbuilding, not characters or (suspiciously-and-blatantly-similar-to-Star-Wars) plot. I'll just say that the setting had me hooked thirty pages in, but I didn't become invested ...moreExcellent descriptive writing, especially in terms of setting. Dialogue a little iffy at times (characters used words and phrases that seemed anachronistic, such as "no clue" and "plus," and sometimes seemed just unlikely for people to say). The strengths are definitely description, setting, and worldbuilding, not characters or (suspiciously-and-blatantly-similar-to-Star-Wars) plot. I'll just say that the setting had me hooked thirty pages in, but I didn't become invested in a character for another three hundred pages, and then it wasn't Eragon himself or Saphira. I didn't dislike either of them, but I couldn't relate to them at all. Still, the fact that I'd stuck with the book for those three hundred pages should tell you something about the quality of the writing. I have to point out that the fantasy world suffers from over-apostrophezation and bizarre words; the pronunciation guide helped, but I have to wonder whether needing one should signal a problem to an author. Then again, I might be reacting ethnocentrically, since a lot of syllables seemed familiar enough to possibly be derived straight from another language - Welsh, maybe?

To hit the originality-of-plot issue one more time, let me summarize how this story begins: A boy lives on a farm with his uncle. He doesn't know who his father is, though his mother was nobility. Unexpectedly, he discovers that he has powers which will make him part of an ancient order which once ruled with benevolence, before one of their own turned on them and took the rule, creating the evil Empire. The boy's uncle is then murdered by servants of the Empire, and he must run away with a mysterious old man whose shady past is probably entwined with that of the rebels who fight the Empire. This man becomes his mentor, training him to use a blade and wield the power of his mind for purposes such as moving objects. The old man is killed, and the boy joins the rebels.

Yeah. Wonder who his father is?

Also, I thought the author was a little too careful not to describe Saphira's egg in a way that sounded like an egg. He never used a word like "ovoid" - in fact, does not describe the shape of the "stone" at all. It seems to me like Eragon would note at some point that it was egg-shaped - honestly, I'd have thought "giant egg" would occur to him. And it wasn't until after he lifted it that the stone is described as "about a foot long" - I had imagined it much smaller. My mental image suddenly jumped in a rather comical way.

Despite all my criticisms, I really enjoyed the book. The adventure was gripping, the settings mesmerizing, and the creatures inventive. It had that "this is definitely a continuing story" ending, and I do plan to read the sequel and the others as they come out, though I wouldn't expect to see me waiting in lines for them unless Eldest solves the problems I had with plot and characterization.(less)

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Eragon (Inheritance #1)

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