Author: Christopher Paolini
Ideal Age Range: 12 and Up
Mass Market Paperback: 730
Blurb: “One boy…One dragon…A world of adventure. When 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 family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.
Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.”
Synopsis: Eragon begins the story living with his Uncle and cousin in the village of Carvahall, where he goes out into the wild hunting. He finds a blue stone, thinking he can sell it to pay for food for the winter, but it hatches into the blue dragon, Saphira. He ends up fleeing Carvahall when the king sends two monsters to capture him, when they fail to do so he loses much more than his freedom.
The old man from the village, Brom, joins him and they go in search of a rebel faction called the Varden. On the journey he learns about the fabled Dragon Riders, and realizes that he must become one to possibly save the Empire from the evil reaches of the King.
My Rating:(★★★) Eragon is full of fun fantastical imagery. Paolini takes the things I like about fantasies in general and weaves an exciting adventure that made me want my own dragon hatchling and to become a Dragon Rider myself!
While I was reading the book though, I thought a couple of places were a little bit longer than was really necessary, mostly the journey across the desert. I also found too many similarities between Star Wars and elements of Lord of the Rings in Eragon. I’ll quickly list them here:
• Eragon = Luke Skywalker
• Eragon lives with his Uncle & Cousin, Luke lives with his Aunt and Uncle
• Eragon finds out he is destined to be a Dragon Rider, an elite group of individuals with magic and special abilities and a Dragon, whereas Luke finds out he is destined to be a Jedi, an elite group of individuals with midichlorians and special abilities and a Light Saber.
• Eragon is taught by an aging, in hiding old Dragon Rider, Luke is taught by an aging, in hiding old Jedi.
And that’s only the first quarter of the book. I won’t go on, but I’m sure you can draw up more similarities for yourself as you read the book.
I loved the character of Brom. I would have to say he was probably my favorite. I enjoyed the story overall, and I found it an interesting and mind engaging read for the most part. If you like fantasy novels, it’s definitely worth the time and effort, and if you have problems keeping names straight or pronouncing any of the made up places, there are helpful maps and a dictionary in the back of the book.
I have yet to finish reading the trilogy though; maybe I will pick those up at the library when I finish my current reading project.
Quotes: “What wisdom can I give people that they haven’t already learned? What feats can I achieve that an army couldn’t do better? It’s insanity!”
Currently Reading: Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
☆«·´`·.¸★☆★¸.·´`·»☆
My Rating System:
★ = didn’t like it
★★ = it was ok
★★★ = liked it
★★★★ = really liked it
★★★★★ = it was amazing
© demureconnoisseur/ Stacy Grey
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