Eragon

Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: This is a very interesting story. YES YES it is not new. In fact I recognize all the elements that were taken from the classic works of Fantasy. Just like Eragon, Paolini is just a fledging, a teenager who is thrown into the perilous adventure of writing only to confront the evil critics into a long epic battle of good vs. evil. I admire him because he had the courage to give to the world this book at such a tender age. Also, like Eragon, he is not a master yet. There is a lot he needs to learn. He is still sloppy with his penmanship(sword) and his magic use of language. Give him time and he will prove to be a great writer and one to contend with.
All in all I thought the story was quite entertaining, since I read it for the purpose of having a good time and not to rip it apart into pieces. Great things should be expected from these two young heroes!

Rating:
Summary: Don't let the pretty cover fool you
Review: It is interesting how readers either seem to love or hate this book. I was drawn to the book by the attractive cover. I got it out of the library and spent a few days trying to be interested in it. It was very easy to put down. The only reason I finished it is that I continued to read it hoping it would get better. It did not. This was written by a teenager, and it shows. One hopes that his next book(s) will demonstrate his growth as a writer. I must say I have sympathy for anyone who tries to write a fantasy novel which includes elves, dwarves and magic, because the book will inevitably be compared to Tolkien, especially now that the LOTR movies are out.

However, in no way is this book "comparable to Tolkien," or even any of the other writers to whom Mr. Paolini has been compared, at least in terms of writing style and excellence. The plot and "devices" are not original; the story line is VERY like Star Wars, and the dragon/magic and relationships are similar to those in novels by Anne McCaffrey, Raymond Feist and Terry Brooks (no offense to these writers). The writing is disjointed, uneven and dull. There is much extraneous information which the reader tucks away in his memory, thinking it will be used later, but it is never mentioned again. Nearly every chapter ends with Eragon falling asleep or becoming unconscious. I had to laugh at some of the lines, such as "White mist rose up off the river, like blood steaming in winter." Surely that is something every reader can relate to (?)

One can hope as Mr. Paolini matures that his writing will also. But don't waste your money on this book with a nice cover - get it out of the library or borrow it from a friend if you want to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Eragon
Review: An excellent book! Great for fantasy lovers. Christopher Paolini did a great job on binding the book together with his words.

Rating:
Summary: Review of Eragon
Review: The book Eragon by Christopher Paolini is about a boy named Eragon. In the book, Eragon finds a stone in the forest. He then finds out that the stone is actually a dragon egg. When it hatches, he realizes that he cannot stay in his town. Servants of the empire, which is ruled by a very evil king, come looking for him. With the help of his dragon and the village storyteller named Brom, he goes on to face many evil foes.
I personally think that this is a fantastic book. I simply just love books with adventure, dragons, and all the other fantasy stuff. This book is very suspenseful and kept me reading for 3 hours at a time. I like that it has maps of the land were it takes place. This worked in The Lord of the Rings, and people have tried it since, but this is the most successful one I've ever seen since The Lord of the Rings.

Rating:
Summary: I don't usually read fantasy/science fiction -- but,
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: When my grandma gave Eragon to me two weeks ago , I thought it was going to be boring. Boy, was I ever wrong! I think Christopher Poalini did awesome for a fifteen-seventeen year old!
I finished it twelve days ago, but I still find myself thinking about it. I can't belive he was only seventeen! I'm trying to get my friends to read it, but they are too stuborn. Eragon was so good I coudn't put it down to do my homework. [That is NOT like me!!!] I never went outside to play or anything that I couldn't do with the book. If you pick up this book, you will not put it down until you have read all 509 pages. I like the way he put the glossery in the back. I also referred to the map several times as I read. It may be long, but I would not change a single word. I have not read any of the books the author supposedly copied, but I loved this book! I won't critisize Eragon or the author until I can write a better book. Forget all the bad reveiws, this is an awesome book!

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I recieved this book for Christmas after hearing a lot about it's 19 year old author. I originally thought wow, a nineteen yearold writing fantasy awesome, but then I started reading it. WOW this is a piece of crap. I'm going to assume that Chris has read a lot of fantasy, and because of this has been influenced by the books that he has read to the point that he is lacking any original thoughts at all. The only reason I'm giving this book two stars is because he is 19 and he needs props for getting a book published (even if his family oned the publishing company) when he is so young.

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy into the gimmick.
Review: Literature isn't chess, there are no young prodigies able to step in and change everything, because good writing only comes from life experience and years upon years of not only practice, but reading and understanding other peoples' work.

It's been said "Good authors borrow; great authors steal," but this is ridiculous. If Pupil A writes a paper for class, and Pupil B copies it verbatim but erases inane details and replaces them with his own names, what would the Professor do? Toss Pupil B out of class for cheating. While I've no doubt this young author has a passion and maybe even talent for writing, "Eragon" borders on plagarism and should not be rewarded for it. It is OK to learn from Tolkien, Jordan and Goodkind; it is NOT Ok to blatantly mirror them.

The drive of this book isn't the book itself, but the gimmick that it was written by a teenager. That's disturbingly sad, and I hope intelligent readers of fantasy won't be fooled by this ploy. Meanwhile dozens of GREAT writers, whose aren't lucky enough to have parents who are publishers, aren't getting any recognition or deserved respect.

This gimmick might get the kid a day on the Oprah show, but this book won't be remembered at all in 20 years. I don't mean him any ill will, but I hope he spends the coming years furthering his education, reading a wide variety of genres, and working on actual style and tone. If he lets his ego get too high from this cheap publicity stunt, when the dragon's wings are inevitably clipped he's going to have a long way to fall.

Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: It had a few errors, and the plot was not entirely origanal, but it flowed very smoothly. I have read better, but not an author's first. Plus, to write such a book at 15 years old is a great feat. Not to mention graduating from high school at 15. I hope that he gets better, but this is good enough as well. All in all, this book will be enjoyable except to the people who pay too much attention to the quality. This is more of a can't put it down book then a unique artsy book.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read
Review: Is it the same world that others made up? Yes, that's true. There's little originality in Eragon's universe.

Is the prose below the level of Tolkien? Obviously. It is on par with Robert Jordan, which I think is decent enough, as Eragon is merely another fantasy novel and not an epic work.

Is the plot completely and utterly predictable? It is so predictable that the complete plotline of the entire trilogy is spelled out in a fortune-telling early on.

But is it entertaining? Yes!

If you can settle for the penultimate.. if you can enjoy a book for its vividness and adventure, even if it wasn't written by an Oxford scholar... then you will love Eragon. It is not /Lord of the Rings/-- it is /Harry Potter/.