If you like to settle down with a great thickbook fullof magic and adventure then this is theone for you. It is full of dragons and dragon riders, men and elves and dwarves. There are evil enemies and dark deeds, and the political situation is so complex that not even those on the side of goodcan alwaysreveal their intentions and purposes.
Not that Eragon knows anything much aboutthe wider worldwhen we first meet him. He is an orphan living with his uncle and cousin in a poor farming community. Times are difficult and he is out hunting:
The deer had led him deep into the Spine, a range of untamed mountains that extended up and down the land of Alagaesia. Strange tales and men often came from those mountains, usually boding ill. Despite that, Eragon did not fear the Spine - he was the only hunter near Carvahall who dared track game deep into its craggy recesses.
I suppose there is a clue for us there already. Eragon is a brave and subtle hunter, but he is not prepared for what happens next late on that winter afternoon:
The doe he wanted was at the edge of the herd, her left foreleg stretched out awkwardly. Eragon slowly crept closer, keeping the bow ready. All his work of the past three days had led to this moment. He took a last steadying breath and - an explosion shattered the night.
The herd bolted. Eragon lunged forward, racing through the grass as a fiery wind surged past his cheek. He slid to a stop and loosed an arrow at the bounding doe. It missed by a finger's breadth and hissed into darkness. He cursed and spun around, instinctively nocking another arrow.
Behind him, where the deer had been smoldered a large circle of grass and trees. Many of the pines stood bare of their needles. The grass outside the charring was flattened. A wisp of smoke curled in the air, carrying a burnt smell. In the center of the blast radius lay a polished blue stone. Mist snaked across the scorched area and swirled insubstantial tendrils over the stone.
He thinks it's a polished blue stone, but he won't think so for long. He is about to have his destiny thrust upon him, whether he's ready for it or not.
If you think that this story owes a lot to JRR Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, you are right. Christopher Paolini uses the whole construct of elves and dwarves that Tolkien created, but we're not just having a romp round Middle Earth here, we are off on a quite different adventure. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
What do you think about ‘Eragon’?
xanthe*, girl, age 15, from cambridge, United Kingdom, on 30th June 2008. Rating: 5/10
all right so i was really disappointed in this book. i suppose it's like a lot of those other books that call themselves fantasy and are kin of LOTR ripoffs, which is ok if you like having all that familiar style stuff, but i'm not into the medieval europe kind of dragons-and-sorcery bit. it's not good fantasy, i think; it doesn't have any thought provoking material. also, eragon is just not well written!!!! i'm sorry but you can really tell you're working with a young author here. he tries too hard to sound adult and the language comes off as ridiculous and unrealistic. nobody really talks like that! and i'm not going to be so harsh on this point because i don't expect a 15 yr old boy to write good romance, but the romance attempts just made me laugh. it was hilarious, reading about how she is the fairest maiden and her sculpted face and whatever. i mean i guess ive been a little bit cruel... but it kind of deserves this don't you think? you want a good book read the northern lights or the wind singer. honestly, this book is forgettable. and i should know because i read it one year and by the next year, when i got it for xmas, i couldn't remember what was so evil about the king. just goes to show, thats kind of a big thing to forget you know so....
Becca, girl, age 13, from Rice, United States, on 4th July 2007. Rating: 10/10
I absolutely LOVED this book! I can't wait to read the next one! I thought it was really intense! I really liked the characters Christopher put in the book! Especially Saphira! She was soooo cool!
Jess, girl, age 13, from Brussels, Belgium, on 8th June 2007. Rating: 9/10
My cousin told me to read this book. She prefers fantasy, and I don't necessarily always like the books she likes. So I bought Eragon, read it, and loved it. There were a couple of times where it got a bit flat and boring, but otherwise, I loved it. 9/10!!!
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This is Book One, and we are certainly left hanging in mid-air. I developed a hunch about Eragon's parentage and now I've got to sit and wait for Book Two, so let's hope it isn't too long in the writing.
Meanwhile, if you are a mature reader and are looking for something similar to read, well, obviously, this would be the moment to explore JRR Tolkien's world. I think you'll love it:
Orslightly younger readersmight enjoy the Dalemark Quartet by Diana Wynne-Jones:
Or have a look at the Wind On Fire trilogy by William Nicholson:
