Eragon (book) Review

Title: Eragon (Book 1 of the Inheritance series)

Author: Christopher Paolini

Genre: Fantasy, action, adventure, magic

Length: 500 pages
3.5 out of 5 stars

Notes: Eragon is the first book of four in the Inheritance series. It is also the first book that I read over 150 pages. It introduced me to the world of reading: a journey I have never looked back on. Eragon is the first book that showed me all that books can be. Because of this, I recommend that everyone read Eragon. Like thousands of readers, this book shows us that reading is an adventure.

General Setup: While hunting, Eragon finds a strange polished stone. It is soon revealed that the stone is actually a dragon egg. He is faced with two choices: join the empire he hates, or become like the dragon riders of old, risking his life. Eragon is thrust into a world with new rules he doesn’t understand.

Characters: Although I feel like I say this a lot, characters are very often what makes or breaks a book. The evolution of Eragon throughout the book is drastic at times and non-existent at others. At first, he appears to be nothing more than the stereotypical fantasy character. As the book Eragon progresses, he slowly changes, his emotions, beliefs, and convictions change as matures. Eragon is a coming of age story, and we quickly see Eragon go from a naive country boy to a battle-hardened warrior.  

The other character of consequence is Brom. Admittedly, I was rather disappointed when he was introduced. Of course the young protagonist has a wise, old mentor! But much like Eragon himself, Brom’s character evolved in the story. He began as a simply story-teller, but was really so much more. On the surface, Brom appears to be an Obi-Wan-like character, Eragon being very similar to Luke Skywalker. But as the story progresses, each character has their own presence that stands apart from the works they were based on.

Plot: What can I say about the plot? From the get-go it seems obvious that Paolini takes his cues from books in the same genre. Orcs--I mean Urgals (how could I ever mix those up?) are introduced in the first pages. Many of the different races bear uncanny similarities to much of Tolkien's work. Not that imitating Lord of the Rings is bad, but Eragon lacked originality in the beginning. But much like the character development, the further you read in Eragon, the more original the story becomes. And considering that Eragon is not only Paolini’s first work, but also how young he was when it was written, I can hardly find this a fault. I know of authors far more experienced that are far less original than Eragon! While ignoring the similarities to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, the plot itself is sound.

The writing style itself is something that takes some getting used to. At times the writing is very flowery, and rather pretentious. This can make it difficult to understand for younger (and even older) readers. One of the most unique characteristics to Paolini’s writing is the many tangents that the books explore. Some see this as a flaw, but I see it as a strength. It retains a life-like quality. Many conversations with people are random, much like Paolini’s writing tangents. It gives the book a feel of a conversation, something I greatly enjoyed. But be warned, just because something comes up in conversation doesn’t mean that it will be talked about later on in the book.   

Ending: As I mentioned before, Eragon is the first book of four. The actual ending for Eragon is not a cliffhanger. It brings to an end most of the conflicts built within the book, but not anything like the end for the series. Many things are left undone, and the King still sits on his his throne.

Other media: Eragon was adapted into a movie, but we all try to forget that it happened. Think worse than the adaption of Dragon Ball Z and the Hollywood version of Ghost in the Shell combined. Or even worse. Seriously, that is two hours of my life that I will never get back.  

Things to watch out for: There is some brief language in the book, and some of the battles are gory.
The other topic I wish to address is the magic within the book. Some Christians believe that if any book has magic it is "witchcraft" and should not be read. (Although that logic breaks down when you realize the most read Christian fiction books are The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings, both of which have magic.) I believe there is a difference in a book having magic as a plot device and a book promoting the use of witchcraft. Eragon falls into the previous category, as magic is used as a tool within the series. I believe that Paolini is not encouraging anyone to try and curse anyone else. Magic is simply part of the world of Alagaesia, not evil nor good. Magic is an amoral force.