I made an exception for this book.
I can't remember how I stumbled across "Eragon", but I was at loose ends after the third film of the Lord of the Rings series (and I've read the Tolkien books too many times to count) and I found myself craving more flights of fancy and fantasy. I was taken by the fact that a 15 year old prodigy had begun such an ambitious endeavor, for author Christopher Paolini is planning to write a trilogy about his young hero, Eragon, who goes from poor farm boy to a young master, growing in power, of magic. This first book is subtitled: "The Inheritance".
Paolini's family first self-published 10,000 copies, and Floridian Carl Hiassen helped to sell the fantasy to Knopf, which later released a first national printing of over 100,000 copies.
Paolini embraces the standard fantasy world of humans, dwarves and elves (no hobbits, here!), and adds the existence of dragons, nearly extinct, as creatures of power. Elves, and sometimes humans, are selected by hatchling dragons to become Dragon Riders, companions of dragons who can communicate with them and others by telepathy. Riders have magical powers, but the use of magic drains them of much energy.
The evil forces of the land are somewhat more creative. Sluggish, warring monsters (Tolkiens' Orcs?), the Urgals, abound, but are no threat until they are organized for the king by the evil Ra'Zac (creatures of the King that are not human, covered in cloaks, and strongest at night) and the terrifying
Durka, who is a Shade (a spirit in human form, with crimson hair and maroon eyes) all of whom are working for the king, and trying to locate Eragon and his dragon.
Set in the fantasy world of Alagaesia, Eragon's land is ruled by Galbatorix, who once was a Rider himself. The adult dragons have all perished, and Galbatorix has been dispossessed of one of three dragon eggs by a group dedicated to ending his cruel rule, the Varden. This egg is conveyed to Eragon, and the dragon hatches in his care. Much of the facts of the land are uncovered as the book moves along, and Eragon is slowly filled in on the history of how he got to be who he is. His mother, Selena, has been missing from his life since he was a child, and the book ends without disclosing the mystery of what happened to her and just who his father was.
Alagaesia is bordered by Du Weldenvarden, a deep forest, home to the Elves. It appears that this will be the setting for much of book 2. The country south of the forest is a vast desert that Eragon and his traveling companions must cross to reach safety (the Hadarac). Paolini is particularly clever in devising how the small band of travelers with Eragon gets water while crossing. He's also created rich city and village profiles in the kingdom, as Eragon tries to locate the Ra'Zac, to revenge killings in Eragon's home. South of the desert are the Boer mountains, home to the dwarves, who are assisting the Varden; the climax of the novel takes place in these mountains.
Paolini has peppered his cast with strong characters who will assist Eragon in fulfilling his role. Brom, a wise soothsayer, with mysterious origins, becomes Eragon's mentor. Murtagh, a fearless fighter, accompanies Eragon across the desert to the Boer mountains; his history, when uncovered, is somewhat shocking. Arya is the elven woman that fills Eragon's nightmares, and must be rescued by the travelers from a prison, where she has been cruelly tortured at the hands of Durka. Ajihad is the strong leader of the Varden and Hrothgar the King of the dwarves, both of whom risk their followers to assist the young Rider. Two of the most interesting characters are Angela, an herbalist and her werecat, Solembum, both of whom are much more than they seem. Eragon encounters them more than once in this novel.
Above all, Saphira, the dragon that Eragon hatches and accepts for his own, weaves a magical air into the story, and her relationship to the homeless boy, and their telepathic communion and communication, form the strong story background that sets "Eragon" apart from much of what has been written in the genre in the past.
Paolini's a rich storyteller, with short chapters, and action-packed scenes. He doesn't forget to give his hero a conscience, nor does he fail to set the tone for the second book in the series, "The Eldest". I very much enjoyed the read, and hope he's close to finishing the second in the trilogy.
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Definitely worth it!
The book follows Eragon a young farm boy who stumbles on a mysterious looking rock. unknowing that the rock is a dragon’s egg, he takes it home. The hatch of the egg open Eragon’s eyes on what he thought to be legends and fairytales. Overnight, Eragon experienced loss and had what seemed to be a simple life shattered only to be thrown on a journey with a fledgling dragon and a storyteller wise beyond expectations and a past unknown to most. The writing style was impeccable, it was very easy to understand and get engage into. I can’t say I found any errors in the writing style, the plot, nor the world development. The world development might be one of my favorite things about this book, as you read you get immersed into the world as it’s being described. The character development throughout the story was impressive, each character had a personality and past of their own. The author left me wanting more of each character’s past, the mystery of each character gave me the impression that I knew said character bit the enigma remained. However, I do believe that the mystery surrounding each character is really needed since this is book one of the cycle. Whether or not the book was heavy on action depends on the reader and their reading history, to me the story was not heavy on action, but it certainly kept me on my toes. The combat parts of the book were engaging and descriptive, I did not feel confused or lost, it was easy to visualize. The end was very satisfying, the story as a whole was well wrapped up and well-paced pace. I highly recommend this book to adventure, magic and dragon lovers.
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2004
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Top reviews from other countries
- ralicaReviewed in Germany on March 4, 2024
Great book
Amazing book. Great story. Finally I am able to fill my collection. However, the cover is not as presented here.ralicaGreat book
Reviewed in Germany on March 4, 2024
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- It's super comfortable 🫶🏻Reviewed in India on February 9, 2025
It was a gift for my babe and she was in love ❤️
