Eragon

Rating:
Summary: Trying not to claw my eyes out
Review: How people could get through the first two paragraphs is beyond me. If I want to read badly written prose that badly, I'll go online and search for amateur writers' forums. To be frank, most of those are better than this.

"...and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords."

The point of CREATIVE writing is to do something that hasn't already been done by EVERY OTHER fantasy writer out there. At least, that's how it always struck me. Tolkien, Brooks, and McCaffrey have influenced a load of people, most likely each other as well, and that's exactly what makes this piece utterly uncreative. Even the NAMES are uncreative, for heaven's sake.

No, this is not worth $$$. Save your hard-earned money for something useful. Like coffee.

Rating:
Summary: Tolkien reborn!
Review: I loved this book, it was great to see so many new fresh fantasy ideas. I'm a homeschooler myself so it intrigued me when i read the review. Anyone who likes fantasy will enjoy the great 1st book of the Master Paolini "Eragon"

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration Strikes!
Review: I am trying to right my own book, even though I am only twelve years old, and Christopher Paolini's Eragon is the kind of thing that makes we want to leap to writing. He begins with the most wonderful prologue I have ever read, plunging you into the story before you've decided to buy the book or not. The elves, Shades, Urgals and dragons weave together into a tapstry worthy of Tolkien. The character Brom, tragic and powerful is the kind of person that we wish we had had as a grandfather, and every other character is just as deserving of place in our hearts, whether or not that place is people-you'd-like-to-slug-if-you-ever-saw-them-or-they-were-dumb-enough-to-see-you. If Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings or any other fantasy book is on your "I love theses books" list, then Eragon is just the thing.

Rating:
Summary: Move over Tolkein!
Review: There's a new fantasy writer in town. :) I've always enjoyed magic, dragons, and adventure, and this book encompasses all 3! It's clear that his influence comes from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with a little sprinkle of Piers Anthony's Xanth series and Harry Potter. Eragon is the main character in this book, and Saphira (his dragon) is a dragon with an attitude. I laughed, tensed up, cheered, and almost cried throughout this book. I'm SO happy to find another series of books to look forward to!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever!
Review: This book is truly amazing. I rank it up as one of my all time favorites with the Wheel of Time series, and the lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter. It's just awesome.

Rating:
Summary: This didn't even deserve one star
Review: I read an excerpt from this book, and I could barely get passed the first paragraph! The writing is choppy, it's full of terrible cliches and is probably one of the worst works of literature I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: well... maybe for kids...
Review: While kids might like this story, the writing is shabby at best and really lacks any kind of skill with the language. Don't expect any material that Anne McCaffery and a thousand others haven't already slaughtered into meaninglessness.

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous! Simply marvelous!!!
Review: This book was one of the greatest books i've ever read, and I've read a ton of books. This deserves to be made into a movie, put into the "hall of fame" where Harry Potter stands. This was descriptive, interesting, it had you hooked from the very beginning. It totally rocked! I can't wait until the next ones!

Rating:
Summary: That's when I reach for my revolver...
Review: ...

The prose is an unholy mish-mesh of melodramatic simple sentences. A perfect example:

"Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world. A tall Shade lifted his head and sniffed the air. He looked human except for his crimson hair and maroon eyes.

He blinked in surprise. The message had been correct: they were here. Or was it a trap? He weighed the odds, then said icily, "Spread out; hide behind trees and bushes. Stop whoever is coming . . . or die."

The story telling doesn't involve characterization, so much as the descriptive details you might expect to find on a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet. It seems that in some sectors "young adult" writing is simply synonymous with bad writing, but I must stress that this simply isn't so. Examples from my childhood - such as Madeleine L'Engle or Ursula K. Le Guin, or even contemporary writers - The Spiderwick Chronicles (with DiTerlizzi's excellent illustrations) and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events come to mind as contemporary examples of creative fantastical story telling.

The plot is hackneyed and clichéd. Readers are unlikely to come out of the experience with a single thing that couldn't be taken from the typical fantasy series of the past fifty years, be it McAffrey's works or the Dragonlance Chronicles.

Don't let the publicity fool you. This book is certifiably awful. Like Subway's Jared, it's an example that our society is leaning towards the celebration of individuals who try harder at selling themselves than at accomplishing something worthwhile. I've worked with young writers for a while as something of an instructor and mentor, aiding them in improving their work and reaching their target audience, and the vast majority of them have produced writing far better than this. I find it incomprehensible that people can welcome something that isn't even up to par with other works by those of the same age. This lacking falls well short of even Jordan and Goodkind, who I consider terrible enough.

Don't waste your time. ...

Rating:
Summary: Squee!
Review: It's a good book. but it kind of has a lotta cliches in it...what it needs is a sacred powerful breadloaf or something that the Shade's after. Not a blue rock...thing. Like the Sacred Muffin of Doom...Er...like I said, the book is good, but it could do with a little driving off the main road, if you know what I mean. Deal out some twists and turns...act like you're going one way and then suddenly veer off course and do something completely unexpected. That'll impress me!