Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I had bought this book after hearing all the reviews that praised the young author for his work, and I sat down, eager to read what Mr. Paolini had written.
As soon as I got to the end of the first page, I inadvertantly cringed. There, the descriptions of the characters/species introduced seemed painfully familiar - I'd just re-read the splendid works of J.R.R. Tolkien in preparation for the release of Return of the King, and seeing characters that seemed almost exactly like Tolkien's characters in another story didn't impress upon me as a fantastic way to start the book. But I decided that I could just chalk it down to the fact that Mr. Paolini has simply been largely influenced by Tolkien. So I continued through the book, but by the time I'd made it to the tenth page, I still hadn't been as enthralled by the book as I have by other young authors (most notably by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, whose works have also been acclaimed, whose latest - Hawksong - I would recommend. If you read the rest of her books, you will see the progression her writing has made throughout the years.). I struggled with Mr. Paolini's writing (which is very rare, as I've been a voracious reader from a young age, and from the classics to more contemporary works, I can absorb anything, as long as it's well written and engaging), which for some reason struck me as stiff and artificial.Regardless, I will try to finish this book, and from several interviews I've read about Mr. Paolini, he seems to be a very intelligent young man who I just think needs to find the words and let it flow. I'm hoping his next story in this trilogy, Eldest, will display a growth in his writing style, as when he wrote Eragon, he was 15 and might've been too focused on being proper. I hope to see better works from him - he might be a promising writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay but immature writing
Review: The bottom line is that this book was written by a fifteen-year-old and has the immature style that is to be expected from someone so young. The book has potential, but there are all those niggling details to take care of. I see that it was published by his parent's publishing company, which explains a lot. I don't think a major publishing house would have touched it without major editing. It is way to early to be comparing this kid to Tolkien, Eddings, or Jordan, but I think Paolini has promise and I look forward to what he will be writing in the future as his style matures.
Rating: 
Summary: Eragon
Review: Yes, Eragon reads along the line of McCaffrey, Tolkien and is yet another in the JK Rowling line of magical reads. But keep in mind, two facts underlying this fete. Paolini is a teenager. He is being compared to the masters of this genre! I could devour 100 such books, with reader's gusto!. I found comfort in familiar characters manipulated with skill through this new land. The vocabulary is fabulous, and the kid appeal is amazing. I have a student who choose to come to his reading session, rather than go to a class party. I have had students comment that they wish that they could have this book at home, so they could read it at night. What more could a teacher ask for?
Rating: 
Summary: A great read!
Review: A great read! I truly enjoyed reading this It's a rarity these days to find an author capable of such good storytelling. The story is well written and very engaging, and despite the fact that it lost some momentum in the middle, I found myself eagerly turning pages to find out what would happen next. All in all, though this is not quite a perfect novel, it comes close.
Rating:
Summary: Just good, not great -- 3 and a half stars
Review: I picked this book up at a Barnes and Noble bookstore (... uhh, is it taboo to dare mention B&N on amazon??? ... probably but too late now! ). It was under their "staff picks" section with the recommendation "forget Harry Potter, read THIS!!!" Well, I have read Harry Potter, and let me assure you, this is no Harry Potter! However, neither is it a completely worthless read, either. It is certainly grounded in Tolkien middle earth type settings. Elves, dwarves, etc. The dragon part is a new twist. The story goes something like this: Boy finds dragon egg, dragon hatches, boy is thrust into a serious adventure not of his choosing. It is a fairly rudimentary plot, with obviously raw writing, but there are still compelling parts to the story, and I would recommend it. Is it on the same level as stories such as the LOTR trilogy, or Ender's Game, or the Foundation series??? No. Does it have a template feel to it? Sort of. But it is still unique enough to carry itself as some light, enjoyable reading.
Rating:
Summary: High praise for Eragon and its author
Review: Christopher Paolini's Eragon novel is a stellar accomplishment that stands out as rollicking story with all the elements that makes a book a classic for the ages. In our extended family, we have read Eragon with enthusiasm and joy at the tale. We are anxiously awaiting the next book. The Bad News Bears reviewers are entitled to their opinion, but Tolkien, McCaffrey, Jordan, and Brooks are not Gods, nor are their books entirely unique. Authors have liberally borrowed themes from history and mythology from other cultures. Mr. Paolini has created a new world that is real and self-sustaining. Eragon has that special magic, hence the response that we hear everywhere at our childrens' schools, bookstores, socials, Wal-Mart. "You have to read this book. This is a great new book. I love Eragon." Della Farnsworth
Rating:
Summary: Sorry to see it end - Preferred it to LOTR
Review: (By the way, I'm a 50+ woman, not part of the 10-14 age group to which this book is supposedly targeted). First of all, we just aren't going to get that many "new" ideas these days, since there have been about a billion sci-fi/fantasy books written since Tolkein's time. Everyone please get over it. I think it's more important to judge a book on its own merits. I will say that before the 1st LOTR movie, I listened to the 1st novel on tape. It took me almost 6 months to get through it (LOVED the movie though...). This tape made me look for excuses to drive somewhere so I could keep listening. I found the story to be enchanting, and I can't wait for the next one. I love the theme of a mind link between rider and dragon, and a good job was done of that here. I didn't notice any problems with the English language, but that could have been because the reader of this tape did such a wonderful job that I might have missed it. All in all, I enjoyed this book almost as much as the early Pern novels (high praise indeed), and much more than the later ones. Mr. Paolini and Mr. Doyle, hats off to both of you. Hurry, HURRY with the next installment!
Rating:
Summary: A good listen
Review: I had the pleasure of listening to this book in mp3 format.
This book has all sorts of aspects of other stories. As Eragon enters the prison cell of the elf, I recount the prison scene from Star Wars... "I Luke Skywalker, I came with Ben Kenobi, I am here to rescue you..".
The author is clearly influenced by Tolkien... Nasgul, Lonely mountain, the rohan and a myriad other familiar references riddle this story. The names could be a bit more original.. gets confusing when he is writing about Barad-Dur, I mean "Farthen Dur"...
But this is a fun story. Read it!
And more importantly, watch for this author in the future.... I think we can expect some great things from this young man... For he has the mark of the dragon and a special blessing.... =)
Rating: 
Summary: unconvincing
Review: Well, I would have liked to give the author a better rating, just because he young and all. But I have to at least want to finish a book in order to feel like giving it three stars. While reading Eragon, I kept feeling as if I was wading through the untried fantasies of an adolescent boy. Sorry, but I'm not enough of a voyeur to want to do that. I've read some very convincing fantasies, but this one didn't ever allow me to forget that I was reading. Little details were off -- things like when Eragon's legs are bleeding through his pants from sitting on dragon scales, but yet the pants never tore. . .that's one example of many. Details make a book, and careful attention to detail was missing here. Also, the characters didn't seem real. I've never been drawn to female characters who seemed to exist solely for the convenience of the male characters. The chemistry was lacking between people. I think this may be because the author, being a kid, never had to test his abstractions against reality. I don't hold that against him, because most kids haven't had to do that, and that's part of what makes them wonderful. But it did make me a little queasy to read Paolini's 'wise old' characters, who did not seem eotjer wise or old.
I got this book because it was selected for a book discussion group I go to. Even so, I didn't actually finish it, and neither did a lot of the other members. Well, it's the holiday season and people are busy. We're all in our twenties, so maybe that's it, although we all enjoyed Harry. We concluded that Eragon is just one of those inexplicable fads that come over the masses now and then. I'm not even sure why I feel compelled to write this review--maybe just a bit of resentment for having shelled out the bucks to buy the book.
I think that in another ten years, Paolini may be able to write something I'd want to read. But right now he's still finding his footing when it comes to writing. In a word: unconvincing.
Rating:
Summary: Not impressed.
Review: Ok, first of all i love fantasy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is my favorite. However, i didnt really like that he used a lot of Tolkien's ideas. It's cool that he wrote and published a book at such a young age but i was not impressed with this book. I would recomend reading it but don't expect a great read.
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