Rating: 
Summary: intensely boring
Review: As a girl, I could not relate to any of the characters in this book. I like to be able to relate to at least one person. The female characters WERE all for him, him, him. Girls today know better, and stories that do this are intensely BORING to us. Mothers, if you give your daughters this book, you might as well tell them to forget about being a person in their own right. If they're beautiful and enjoy falling in love with adolescent boys for no particular reason, and then . . . BORING!! Oh poor me, I'm such a beautiful elf languishing in prison. Help me, help me. Bad enough that this book is unoriginal. It's also dull.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't understand why people dead-pan this book!?!
Review: I have never been a huge fan of fantasy books, but I bought this for my teen-age son...and I ended up reading it for myself. Yes, there are alot of places where you could say '...hey that sounds like a scene from...' but as a huge fan of great story telling, I was captivated by the characters and how they developed...despite similarities between Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and many others. Remember this book is written for young teens and has well-written, short chapters. The book is long, but because of the short chapters, I found it hard to put down. I disagree with the person who wrote a review stating they are a professional editor and spouted off a litney of "errors". WHO CARES!!! Nobody (average Joe/Jane reader)thinks about those things when they are reading unless the story is so poorly written. I just think you can't argue with the New York Times Bestseller list. (They say this is the Number 1 children's book as of Sunday 2/8/04)
I think this book shows tremendous talent for a 15 year old (at the time he began to write ERAGON) and I will look forward to the second installment to this trilogy. My advise...stop being so critical and just enjoy reading this book...just ENJOY reading...PERIOD!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: Before I bought the book I read many of the mixed reviews on Amazon.com. Although you can see signs of Tolkiens influence, it still holds it's own. The book has a faster pace than any of the Lord Of the Rings books. If you like fantasy books and dragons, you will love this book. It keeps you turning the pages and asking for more. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Eragon: Annoying to Read
Review: I know this book has already recieved its fair share of reviews, but I felt I should put my two cents in.
I have to start out by declaring my age: 13. About and around the age many say I should not be able to tell whether a book is bad or not, correct? Well, dead wrong. When I borrowed (thank God) Eragon from a classmate, I liked the cover and was surprised to find the author was very young. My expectations were heightened at this discovery but once I started reading the book, I was disappointed. From the beginning to end, Eragon is just a pain to read. I was first distracted by how the book read like bad FANFICTION - it was painfully obvious how hard he tried to make his boring and predictable plot exciting by using "big words" and fancy made-up language and drawing out scenes forever. Needless to say, it didn't work. Secondly, I couldn't get past the fact it sounded so similar to Lord of the Rings and the Pern series. I'm sure there are other similarities to many other books, in fact, I'd say Eragon sounds like a English writing assignment gone insane. It seemed like it took really broad aspects of the standard fantasy writings and mashed it all together. Nothing stood out as making these broad themes specific and original. Plus, I felt rather sick as I read the big hints of love between Eragon and that elf woman. Hollywood syndrome. *shiver* It was just a very messy, boring book. I didn't enjoy it and probably will only read Eldest just to see if his writing has improved. If not, I expect I'll just roll my eyes.
Rating:
Summary: intensely boring
Review: It's true that there isn't much of anything in this book for a girl to relate to. Aside from it being repetition of other fantasys by better authorw
As a girl I like for there to be at least one character I can relate to at least a little bit. This book did nothing for me and most of the time it was intensely boring. I kept expecting it to get better but it never did.
Rating:
Summary: Eragon
Review: Eragon was a really good book. It was the kind of book I couldn't put down. Anyway, Eragon is out hunting and the clearing starts to glow and sudenly theres this stone. Only the stone isn't a stone... I guarentee this is a good book.
Rating: 
Summary: A promising start
Review: Christopher Paolini may be a newcomer to publishing, but in "Eragon," the first of what he promises will be a trilogy, he does a fine job of holding high the rich fantasy tapestry woven by masters such as Tokien and others. Paolini borrows a significant amount from an already-strong fantasy tradition, but he still manages to bring his own unique offerings to the table. His characters are well-developed, his imagery strong, and his wit keen but subtle enough to avoid seeming forced. At times, he gets bogged down in descriptive detail, but the book and its engaging storyline easily overcome such minor flaws, and it ends up developing into a true page-turner. And unlike much of today's mass-produced fantasy fiction, Eragon has literary merits. It it well-written, has satisfying depth and offers tantalizing hints about what is to come in the next two books. (Who is Eragon's mother? What's the deal between Eragon and Arya? Is Murtagh a good guy or not?) Fantasy lovers will also enjoy the appendices, which include a glossary, a pronunciation guide, a series of language guides, and a map that readers will find themselves referring to constantly. Paolini is a young author with promise, and "Eragon" is a must-read book that is bound to lure new fans to the genre while satisfying old ones.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as some portray...
Review: As a long time reader of fantasy and science fiction, I'm not sure I understand the complete disgust some of the reviewers are feeling concerning this book. For me, Eragon is a good fill in as my post-LOTR:RotK-high wanes, and I anxiously await the next installment in Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I've read Tolkien, McCaffery, Lackey, Tad Williams, and many others. The fact that many elements are obviously taken from these greater works didn't take any enjoyment away from my reading. Not an epic, I agree, but not a waste of time. For those people who have found books of a Tolkien-esque scale intimidating in their size and vocabulary, I think this is a good start to get into the genre. If you are well aquainted with fantasy novels, this is a nice Saturday afternoon read when you just want to read something for the fun of it.
Rating:
Summary: Not enjoyable
Review: They say that I should like this book. I love J.K Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien - the perfect gift you'd expect. However, as I read the first chapters, I found myself being needled with the feeling that I had read something similiar before, and it was better then. As I read more, I became bored with the whole thing. The whole thing was so predictable and unoriginal. I thought it sounded like a English class fantasy assignment gone crazy. I have read books that definitely took ideas from other "original" fantasy authors and managed to like them a little. But in Eragon, it was so OBVIOUS. Overall, I thought it was something you'd praise on the fanfiction level, but it shouldn't of been published. Glad I borrowed it instead of buying it.
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of a classic trilogy
Review: Eragon was a breathtaking novel that kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole 500 some pages! The characters are vivid and imaginative and draw you into the epic of a boy who struggles to raise a dragon outside the clutches of the Empire. Saphira, the dragon, takes my breath away, and I could feel the deep empathy she has with her rider. Brom, the mysterious story-teller who forces his way into Eragon's life while still hiding his own tragic past, is also a character who will leave a lasting impression.
All in all, this is sure to be a memorable book which will live on into the ages.
|
