Book Review: Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini
Series: Inheritence #1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 26, 2003
Pages: 503

Summary: When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old,mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands…

LC's Take:

I went into this book looking for a totally amazing fantasy adventure that would basically transport me into another world and leave me dying for the next book in the series. I know, quite a tall order right? Well let me tell you, Eragon was everything that I was hoping it would be-- a fun, adventurous fantasy with lots of dragons, magic, elves, dwarves, and all the ale-drinking, spell-casting, and sword-fighting I could take. I went into this book expecting an epic high-fantasy story, and I definitely was not disappointed!

Eragon is just a normal farm boy from the small and isolated village of Carvahall. Nothing exciting has ever happened to him-- until he stumbles upon a very strange stone, that turns out to not be a stone at all. Before long, Eragon is being swept up into a story that started long before he was even born, and now he must learn to be the hero and legend his name implies-- one of the long-lost Dragon Riders who will fight to end the evil rule of the Empire's tyrant Galbatorix.

I loved Eragon's character, he was just like the quintessential young hero-- brash, slightly hot-headed, but underneath noble and true-hearted. Yes he could be annoyingly headstrong at times, but Eragon was absolutely a character I could root for. And after reading so many books with female heroines-- not all to my liking-- it was incredibly refreshing to read from a boy's perspective, free from sighing, swooning, whining, pining and otherwise driving me insane. I cannot WAIT to read more of Eragon's story and see what adventure awaits him next!

I also loved the friendship between Eragon and his dragon Saphira throughout the book. The way they communicate with each other, squabble together over things, but remain completely loyal and true to the other-- everything about their friendship was so genuine. And plus, c'mon now, who wouldn't want a dragon for their best friend?!? Yeah, definitely epic :D

The plot itself, while a bit slow towards the middle, was still captivating. This was the kind of story that I could just get totally wrapped up in-- the world-building, the characters, the dialogue-- pretty much everything about this book had me wanting more.

There were definitely parts to Eragon that strongly reminded me of Lord of the Rings-- not that that's a bad thing, but it's something to keep in mind if you were thinking of starting this series. For example, the murderous Urgals were very much like Orks, Orik reminded me of the belligerent yet lovable dwarf Gimly, Murtaugh reminded me a little of Aragorn, Farthen Dur reminded me of the mines of Moria, and a lot of the language, vocabulary and names for places reminded me of those from Middle Earth. I wouldn't say that there was anything that was a direct copy, just parts that seemed extremely reminiscent to me. But once again, this in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story and I actually enjoyed this book much more than I did the LOTR books!

So altogether, I am in love with this series so far. This was one of those books that as soon as I finished, I had to race to the library to pick up the next one, that's just how addicting the story is! The very best thing about a book for me is how it takes me to another time and place and makes me feel like I'm right in the middle of the story. Not all books are able to accomplish this feat, but Eragon is in the elite few that really made me fall head over heels into another world. I can't wait to start Eldest and return to Alagaesia for the rest of Eragon's adventure!

~Cover Talk~

Totally LOVE this cover! I'm sorry, but that dragon is freaking SWEET. As a whole, I am absolutely in love with the covers for this series, as each book features a different dragon. Here we have Saphira, Eragon's dragon. She doesn't look like anyone you'd want to mess with, but at the same time she has that crooked smile and gentle eyes , which fit her character perfectly. Saphira is definitely not a whimpy dragon and will tear her enemies limb from limb, but she is fiercely loyal to Eragon and would sacrifice herself to protect him. Awesome, awesome book cover!!

LC's Rating:

To any high-fantasy fan, this book is a must-read! Eragon gets 5 stars for transporting me into a whole other world, full of dragons, magic, quests, and adventure. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!