Rating: Summary: Best book Review: This was the best book I;ve ever read! I'm a big fan of The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, and the Redwall series. Although this book just blew all the other books away. My parents gave me this book on Christmas and this book captured me in the story like behing held behind bars.
Rating: Summary: Close but no cigar... Review: FINE...I admit it. It's a decent book. I have some squirmishes with the editing, but all in all, the story itself isn't bad. That isn't to say, of course, that the book is downright amazing. In fact, far from it. Paolini is hopelessly derivative of older and far better fantasy novels (Lord of the Rings anyone?) That isn't the major problem because a lot of fantasy novelists have done that, but the best and most successful of them (J.K Rowling for example) have at least used these old ideas and made them new and interesting. Paolini does not. The bottom line is: if you've never read a fantasy novel, you'll love it. If you have, then don't bother. There's nothing new.
Rating: Summary: A Fine Fantasy Novel Review: Well, first thngs first. This is a great book with an intricate plot, well devoloped charecters, and a fair share of fighting with good triumphing over evil. Sure, it is modeled after Tolkein's Middle Earth quite a bit, but hey, hasn't Tolkein set the base-works for all modern fantasy?I think that part of what makes this book so attractive is the fact that it was written by an adolescent. Now, don't get the wrong impresion from that. I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon, I think this novel is appealing because, as the author is a teenager, the main charecter (Eragon, a poor tenager who discovers his hidden talents) is very easy to identify with as he learns the ropes of a difficult job at such an early age. Something that makes this novel stand out on the shelves (besides its size and bright blue color, I mean) of my ever growing fantasy and science-fiction colection is, all though there is a fair share of fighting and exitement involved, there is also much charecter devolopment, learning and everything that makes a book more than sheer violence. In short, this is a great little bundle of magic and suspense that will capture the imagination and leave you waiting for more. Congradulations, Paolini, and keep it up!
Rating: Summary: Two Thumbs Up , Eragon! Review: Eragon is a compelling book that draws you in from the beginning. Christopher Paolini started writing the book when he was just 15 and finished it when he was 18. It shows that he has quite a talent for writing fantasy and fiction. Eragon has obviously had quite an influence from Tolkien, hence a mythical world containing dragons, elves, dwarfs, men, urgals (almost orcs), shades and of course a dark lord named Galbatorix. While living with his uncle, Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a mysterious blue rock, or so he thinks. The rock, turning out to be an egg, hatches into a beautiful sapphire blue dragon. The raging Ra'zac, an odd race of creatures searching for the egg and working for Galbatorix, turn up in Carvahall, Eragorn's hometown. Searching for the egg, they tear apart Eragon's home and kill his uncle. In a thrilling search for revenge, Eragon and his dragon, Sapphira, learn magic, sword fighting, reading, loving and best yet, flying. Eragon's journey takes him through perils far greater then imaginable, pleasures worth a lifetime of memories, and the bitter feeling of pain. This is easily my favorite book, and that is a lot to say from a kid that reads two hours per day. The story is a blend of fighting and peace, love and hate, life and death along with good and evil. This may not be for adults, but this book is a wonderland for most kids everywhere.
Rating: Summary: A grave dissapointment... Review: I was very much looking forward to reading this book but found it a grave dissapointment. I agree with many points made by the other reviewers who were not pleased with Eragon. I might add to those comments that JK Rowling is a good example of an author who, although extremely derivative of all fantasy novels which came before her, weaved these old ideas in a new and fresh and fun way. The characters in Eragon are stock and do not exhibit realistic development. Rather they simply fit right into new and fantastic roles given to them with the greatest of ease (ie: Eragon changing from farm boy to magic-wielding dragon rider in what seems like no time at all). I believe that Mr. Paolino could one day be a very good writer, but he needs to look at the mistakes made, both creatively and dramatically, in this first endeavour.
Rating: Summary: The ups and downs of Eragon Review: All right now,...all I can tell you about Eragon, is it is posibly the best book I have ever read. Yes it is true that I am only 11, but all the same I have read a lot of books,none as good as this one. I suppose that the reason for me liking it is in the quality of the book, and...well, the fact that it has dragons in it. I have read many dragon books, and think that they are facinating in a cool sort of way. I like how "Eragon" describes flying. It made me feel like I was up in the air as well. I have always wanted to be able to just take off with wings... I know that my title says "The ups and downs of Eragon", but I can't find any downs,so lets just leave it at that. :)
Rating: Summary: "Is it good?" Eragon is very good indeed Review: Is Eragon Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Jordan, McCaffrey redone? Everything written by anybody is a rip-off of something else. All writers are the synthesis of everything they've ever read in their lives and those things affect their imaginations. The only question a reader needs to ask is "Is it good?" Eragon is very good indeed. Robert A. Heinlein wrote that there are no original ideas in fiction, just writers who are better than others at "filing off the serial numbers." It always irks me when someone uses the phrase "ripped off Tolkien". I hate to break the news, but Tolkien didn't invent the fantasy genre. He didn't invent dragons, hobbits, Gandalf, The One Ring, and odd strangers coming into the village to take the brave heroes off to grand battles against evil. Those stories have been around for thousands of years, and he used them just as everyone else has. This is a good thing. It continues to improve the stories in use. Tolkien's greatness as an author is not in question, but don't suggest that he owns the seed of creativity, or slam what the young Paolini has boldy accomplished. George Lucas has often cited The Lord of the Rings as a major influence on Star Wars. Throw in some Flash Gordon, Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo, add a sprinkling of Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces, shake and bake, and you have Star Wars. Tolkien based much of LOTR on Beowulf, Norse mythology, and Richard Wagner's, Der Ring des Nibelungen, also called The Ring Cycle. Most of the similarities between Wagner and Tolkien exist because they generally drew on the same sources from Norse mythology: The Poetic Edda,The Prose Edda, The Volsunga Saga, Das Nibelungenlied, and Thidreks Saga. Christopher Paolini is in good company. Eragon has soundly struck home with fans.
Rating: Summary: Paolipini Rocks! Review: Christopher Pailioni is amazingly gifted writer, reading Paolumini story takes you away to world full of magical magic things and twinkly glitery stuff. It's incredible. Its really cool to see such a young guy like Paompelini make such a wonderful book, Plumpuli should get an award. As for those claims that Paelimei copied Lord of the Rings, fooey! Those movies came out after Poalinis wrote his storybook. Id give Palolina 5 stars but he forgot one thing, the mostest important thing for a childrens book, pictures!
Rating: Summary: Logan sees all Review: Eragon is an awsome book that will spark the interest of "The Lord of the Rings" fans. Eragon gave me the patients to start a "Harry Potter" book without falling away from interest. No book could ever match its excellence, I know because that book has kept me occupied longer than any book I've read. At the back of the book the foreign language is translated for you. The author provides action,suspense,and vivid details for mind-eye picture. This story is about a struggling farm boy who finds what he thinks is an ordinary polished blue stone, So he takes it to a merchant to find out how much it is worth, and that night the egg hatches and choses him as its rider. Now he must go on a journey to defeat an evil king who is also a Dragon Rider who rides Shurekun! A legion of men and elves fight agianst him, which side will eragon choose?
Rating: Summary: plagiarism...you say tomato... Review: Okay, so Christopher Paolini turned his thesaurus upside down and shook out a few different words, but, for all of his rearranging, he couldn't cover the fact that this book is completely unoriginal. Intellectual property by any other name... Those searching for a cliche can find solace in "This book is a cure for insomnia". It's been said that when a new book is published, read an old one. If you have read only the major works of fantasy, read or seen "Lord Of The Rings", or have even a vague remembrance of the plotline of the "Star Wars" movies, then take heart, for you can say with all honesty that you have read "Eragon". It's no excuse that the author is just 19. He can be tried as an adult, you know.
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