Eragon

Rating:
Summary: 5-stars
Review: I think that Eragon is defidently a five-star book. It reminds me of some of my other favorite books, like The Lord of the Rings, The Blue Sword, and Harry Potter. Eragon is a truely amazing book that draws you in, from the Prologue to the last chapter. I think that this is a wonderful fantasy story. They don't come much better than this. Christopher Paolini is a very creative writer, and once you read Eragon, you will be waiting eagerly for Eldest, the next installment to come out.

Rating:
Summary: Eragon: A Book of Adventure!
Review: I think this book is very interesting. It has mush to do with Dragons and such that you would fined in The Lord of the Rings. It starts with a 15 year old farm boy who finds a dragon egg on a hunt in the Spine. After much investigation of the so called stone it Hatched to reveal a dragon. After the Raz'ac Kill his Uncle and destroy his house he sets out on an adventure to catch them with a story teller Brom and his Dragon Saphira. The rest is in the Book Eragon, The First book of the Inheritence.

Rating:
Summary: Good for his age...
Review: Okay, the author is talented for his age, but that doesn't make this book a masterpiece or any better to read, for that matter. It was good but HORRIBLY unoriginal. It was an exact mixture of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (he finds a dragon egg, doesn't know what it is, the dragon "chose" him to be its companion, he raised it and they were able to communicate telepathically - EXACTLY like JT, DH which I read in 6th grade); the Lord of the Rings (the species and variety thereof in this book are very similiar to Tolkien's); The Wheel of Time series (how he meets and acts with his human companions reminded me of Jordan's works) and just about any other fantasy book I've gotten my hands on. The idea of the "Shades," is over-used, the personality and description of the "Urgals" can be found in many books but with different names, and everything was horribly cliche. It was also incredibly predictable (I would get into this more but it would be a spoiler for those who still want to read it). It's worth borrowing at the library but don't waste your money on it.

Rating:
Summary: surprisingly captivating
Review: This story, written by a nerd (Chris, if you're reading this, I mean this as a compliment, I'm sure that you are a chess playing, C++ programming, partial-differential-equation-solving-in-your- sleep type prodigy) who is my age, is the most promising fantasy I have read in about a year or so. It lacks depth, which doesn't bother me too much, and it is very predictable, but it captivated me and kept me reading it. I got a signed copy (unknowingly) and so I had to pamper it as I read it, so as not to damage it in the slightest way (I'm a freak about treating books properly).
I definitely suggest this if you like fantasy.

END

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining, though unfocused story.
Review: One of the most important aspects of being an artist is the ability to be sincere in your work. From sincerity comes vision, and from vision great stories are born. However, sincerity and vision alone do not a great novel make. Raw enthusiasm must also be tempered with technique and discipline. While Eragon strikes me as a book written from the heart, I do not believe Mr. Paolini has yet discovered his narrative voice.

I found the writing in Eragon to be a bit dry, especially when it comes to his choice of descriptive words and sentence structure. While Paolini certainly chooses words that are adequate for describing the scenes and characters, they lack that certain dramatic flair that grabs the reader's attention. Some sections felt downright mechanical. This especially shows in the dialogue. For a country bumpkin farm boy, Eragon and his family are amazingly sophisticated in their speech patterns.

However, if you can look past the aforementioned fault, you will find an entertaining story here. I'm a huge fan of dragons, and Saphira is a very interesting character. I feel she practically breathes life into the scenes. Some argue that the plot is archetypical, and I agree. Eragon isn't exactly the most original fantasy novel out there. Take the Brom character, for instance. Hmmm, now where else have I seen a wise old man who seems to know everything about everything, and loves nothing more than to puff his pipe and blow smoke rings into the air?

However, let's be realistic. Who in their right minds expects a 17 year old kid to write on Tolkein's level? Perhaps a child prodigy who works as a medical doctor at the age of 16, but us mere mortals have faults. I believe it's a credit to Paolini's intelligence that he wrote a book at all. It's all too easy to point fingers and find faults while failing to give credit where it's due.

That said, I believe Paolini has some raw talent which he must mold with discipline and technique. If nothing else, I believe Eragon is a good read for children and young adults. It's also good as a start for those who aren't into fantasy books. I can easily imagine Eragon being seen as incredible to those for whom this book is their first taste of fantasy. For the Tolkein fan boys and fantasy aficionados out there, I recommend steering clear of this one. It won't live up to your lofty biases and expectations.

I give it a 4 as a young adult read. A 3 for adults.

Rating:
Summary: Eragon's Cool Review
Review: This book was one of the best I've ever read, but it was very long. I really like Eragon because it was challenging. I liked the plot twists, because they were foreshadowed, but they weren't given away. I actually didn't know what would happen, unlike with most books. I thought that it was an excellent read, but not meant for people who can put a book down for long periods of time.

The beginning is about a teenage boy named Eragon, who lives with his uncle and cousin. He doesn't know who his parents are, and he has always wondered. One day, when he was hunting in the Spine, which are enchanted mountains that most are afraid of, he heard a loud bang. In the middle of a clearing, he saw a large blue stone with purple veins of a different type of stone. He didn't catch anything that day, so he brought the stone home to see if he could sell it. He showed it to the town storyteller, Brom, to see if he could tell how much it was worth. Brom got a strange look on his face, and the boy wondered why.

A few nights later, he heard a tapping. He got out his bow and walked around, but he realized that the noise was coming from the stone. The stone broke open, and a baby dragon came out. She marked Eragon with the gedwey ignasia, or the shining palm, when he touched her. This showed that he could do magic. He named the baby Saphira. This dragon birth led to a chain of events that changed Eragon completely. His uncle was murdered by the Raz'ac, an evil group of flying demons sent by the king, Galbotorix. Eragon became a dragon rider because of the gedwey ignasia, also. The dragon riders had been extinct for years, because no eggs would hatch for Galbotorix. Dragons choose whom they hatch for, and since Galbotorix was evil, they wouldn't come out of their shells for him. Brom and Eragon went on a wild ride, and where soon joined by Murtagh, the son of Morzan, an evil man. Murtagh was not evil, though, he was kind. Their ride continued on, and they realized that they were being followed by Urgals, who were giant beasts that made up Galbotorix's army.

They fled to the Varden, where they could be safe. The Varden were people who lived underground and were very much against Galbotorix. Eragon had been practicing magic a lot, and he had become one of the strongest magicians. A war broke out between the Urgals and Varden, because Galbotorix wanted Saphira for himself. Eragon helped the Varden, but was mortally wounded. What will happen next? You'll have to read Eragon to find out.

I think that you should read this book because the author wrote it so that it appeals to everyone. Whether you like fantasy or not, this book has something for you. If you like to study languages, this book has many languages of its own. If you like history, the Christopher Paolini created a history for this book. There is also a sequal, so you can read on.

Rating:
Summary: Definately a Worthwhile Read.
Review: I picked this book up out of curiosity and a couple of friends' reccomendations. And while I have to say, yes, at the beginning one cannot help but think about Tolkien and compare the two (it's inevitable), but after the first couple chapters, I forgot all about the comparisons and got into the story for its own merits. There are many ways to depict a struggle between men, dragons, elves and dwarves without 'ripping off' Tolkien. And Christopher Paolini's mythology of the Dragon Riders is absorbing, as is the the wonderful relationship between Eragon and his dragon Saphira. I found myself racing to the end of the book, and I can't wait for the release of Book 2. So read it for its own sake, not because people say it's a take on Tolkien. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This book really was an exciting read for me. As much as I enjoy the Harry Potter books, this book was even better then those books. Christopher Paolini is an incredible author, and any lover of JRR Tolkien will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome..yet a bit boring
Review: This book was good but yet, started to drone on and on at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is one of my favorite books of all time. I flew through it is 2 days because I couldn't put it down. It takes place in a world similar to Tolkiens yet quite different. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Harry Potter, Tolkien, or any other Adventure/Fantasy books.