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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Book Review: Eragon

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

21 comments:

  1. This book has been sitting in my TBR pile for ages now ever since I watched the movie. Great review! I definitely need to read it ASAP!

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  2. The first three were really exciting reads and I went and bought the 4th (Inheritance) a few months back and while it isn't disappointing, I can't get used to how big it is and long it takes to actually get somewhere. However, Christopher Paolini is amazing for writing Eragon at 15 and getting it published at 18! He's definitely a idol of mine

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  3. Eragon was really good read but i also thaught it was slow paced. I have to read rest of the series soon. I hope you enjoy reading the rest of the series as well!

    Great review! =D

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  4. Aww I remember how much I loved this series! It's like the epitome of epic. And the dragons are just so cool lol. I have Inheritance on my shelf but I'm debating whether to reread the series because it's been so long since the last book! I'm sure I'll enjoy going back into the story once I read it though!

    Hope you like the rest of the series as well!

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  5. I loved the first three books and have the last one lined up in my queue. I probably won't reread the three books before reading the last since there is a synopsis at the beginning to refresh my memory.

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  6. Awesome review! I read this a couple of years ago, and I loved it SO much as well. It's just... EVERYTHING in this series is so well written and described. It's impossible not to fall in love with it <3
    I noticed you didn't mention Arya in your review. Did you like her? :D
    Really hope you'll enjoy Eldest. It's not my favorite book, but it's very interesting ^-^

    ~~Beatriz

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  7. I love Eragon! I read it a few years ago and it's still one of my favorites :D

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  8. Thanks for the review. I've been thinking about reading this series, and now I actually will! :)

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  9. I started the series way back in high school, but I stopped at book 2. That was around the same time that my love for reading kind of wavered (aka BOYS!).

    However, I loved them when I was reading them. They were really good. The book covers keep getting more stunning. I love the cover for Eldest and Brisinger.

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  10. I really liked Eragon, but none of the books in the rest of the series quite reached the same level of enjoyment for me. I still bought and read them all, and they were decent, but just not quite as good as the first one (in my opinion, of course). Still, I hope you enjoy the series!

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  11. I don't know how I've never read Eragon - most of my friends have raved about this series, but I never had any real desire to pick the books up. After your review? I'm definitely thinking I need to add it to my TBR list!

    -Jac @ For Love and Books

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  12. Great review! I will definitely get a copy :)

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  13. I read this a while ago, so I can't really remember what happens, but it's really truly something epic isn't it? I really need to re-read the series, because I just got the last book, but can't remember what happens previously to that. Great review!

    I currently have a giveaway going on my blog if you want to check it out HERE

    Rabiah
    Confessions of a Readaholic

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  14. YAY! I love your review. <3 so glad that you loved this book :D I have the first two books in a really pretty paperback edition. And I cannot wait to star Eragon :D It seems so good. And I just adore fantasy books these days. :)

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  15. So glad you enjoyed it! Eragon was one of the first series I read and what got me to love fantasy so much.

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  16. I've always wanted to check out this series but have been hesitant...the length of the books and series..ek! I really need to though, esp after your review. ;)

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  17. I've been really iffy about starting this series only because I've been on a Game of Thrones kick and I'm worried it won't seem grown up enough. With that being said, I think you're review finally put me over the edge and I'm going to give it a try. I love when books suck you in and, like you, I'm always looking for the next magical world.

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  18. Ahh so glad you loved this one! I started reading them years ago when Eragon first came out and it definitely became one of my favorite series, I still have to read the fourth book! But I ordered it recently so I'll be getting to it very soon :)

    Also I just thought I'd mention, as amazing as the books are the movie Eragon pretty much sucks. It was definitely a fail for me, but people that haven't read the book seemed to like it better I guess because they didn't realize all the important/good stuff that was missing.

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  19. Glad you liked Eragon! Sometimes Arya reminds me of Arwen. I hope you like the next three books. I'm currently reading 'Inheritance' and it's got me on pins and needles to see what the ending will be. I also agree with the others that the movie is one of the worst adaptations of a book that I have ever seen.

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  20. Hey, great review. I like this book! Please check out my book review of Eragon and feel free to follow my blog!
    http://cafereads.blogspot.com/2012/05/house-blend-eragon.html

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