Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)

by Christopher Paolini

It struck him then just how old the Riders were. A legacy of tradition and heroism that stretched back to antiquity had fallen upon him.

“Boy!” roared Brom. “You demand answers with an insolence rarely seen. If you knew what you asked for, you would not be so quick to inquire. Do not try me.” He paused, then relaxed into a kinder countenance. “The knowledge you ask for is more complex than you understand.”

“Why was the fire blue? How come it did exactly what I wanted, if all I said was fire?” “The color varies from person to person. It depends on who says the word.

The practice is more of an art than anything else.

We are becoming more powerful, Eragon, both of us. Soon no one will be able to stand in our way. Yes, but which way shall we choose? Whichever one we want, she said smugly, settling down for the night.

A sorcerer, like a Shade, uses spirits to accomplish his will.

ordinary, run-of-the-mill magician, whose powers come without the aid of spirits or a dragon.

witch or wizard, who get their powers from various po...

“Not quite,” admitted Brom. “They maintain that they don’t, and in a way it’s true, but they have perfected the art of saying one thing and meaning another. You never know exactly what their intent is, or if you have fathomed it correctly. Many times they only reveal part of the truth and withhold the rest. It takes a refined and subtle mind to deal with their culture.”

“Elves instinctively know theirs. No one else has that gift.

To know who you are without any delusions or sympathy is a moment of revelation that no one experiences unscathed.

There is an abyss beyond life where magic means nothing. If you reach into it, your strength will flee and your soul will fade into darkness.

“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.

People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn’t.”