Eragon (Inheritance #1)

Reader reviewed by chatterbox891

Eragon is a wonderful fantasy read.

Follow Eragon and his young dragon Saphira, as they fight an evil king's army, save a beautiful elf, and kill a shade. Christopher Paolini has really written a great book. The second book isn't out yet, but this one should keep you occupied for at least a few hours.

Reader reviewed by Piper

Upon finding a polished blue stone in the forest, Eragon hopes he can trade it for food. He has no idea that the moment the stone hatches, his life will be forever changed. When his uncle is killed and home destroyed, Eragon and his fledgling dragon, Saphira, are forced to flee from chilling, evil beasts sent by Galbatorix to capture them. Accompanied by Brom the storyteller, Eragon discovers that he is the last of the Riders, who once kept the peace and were wiped out by Galbatorix.

On his journey to avenge his uncle, Eragon learns to communicate telepathically with Saphira, and Brom begins teaching him the skills of fighting and magic. It soon becomes apparent to Eragon, however, that his appearance has reawakened ancient rivalries and he becomes the center of a vast power struggle. He and Saphira can change the evil tides of the empire -- if only they can find out whom to trust.

Reader reviewed by Rosie

"Eldest" is a much-anticipated sequel to "Eragon", and it was worth the wait! With just as much nail-bitibg adventure, romance, and comedy as the first, I know that you'll love it just as much as I did. Join Eragon in the second stage of his grand adventure.

In this books there are many suprises (which I can't give away, but I'll hint at them). Eragon finds an enemy in a friend, fights a great dragon rider, and finds the secrets of his past (as well as some long-lost relatives). But I can't tell you anything else, you have to read it for yourself and find out the rest!

Reader reviewed by Ad

I will first start out with telling you why I called this "A Truth". I called this a truth, because there are a lot of truth's about this book, but I chose one or two of them to focus on in this review.

To begin. To begin this review I will talk about other people and what they say about Eragon. Other people say that Eragon is a complete copy of Funke, Dragonriders of Pern, LOTR, Star Wars, and more. Let me ask you something first. Have you read every book ever published? I think the answer is no. No as in N-O. Are you wondering why I asked you this? Well, I hope you are, because I am going to tell why in the next paragraph.

Have you ever thought that George Lucas (Star Wars author) and J.R.R Tolkien (Lord of the Rings writer) ever stole something? Well, let me be the first to break it to you. Yes, they stole from other people, most likely. The theft might have been a little one, but for one person or another they freak out at one copied word or one copied idea. Let me tell you something, all authors, except for those at the very beginning of time or the first ever published in the world, stole from something/someone else. Now to begin with the real review.

Another thing I would like to say really fast before the review. Poalini did not steal names, because if he did it would have said Orc instead of Urgal. Also, Eragon and Aragorn do not sound anything alike, well sort of, but the orn is different then on. Also, Poalini chose the name Eragon, because E is right after D in the alphabet so: ERAGON=DRAGON with the D=E. If you don't understand math the D and E are switched. Ragon Ragon Dragon Eragon. Get it good, now let me begin, please.

Eragon is a masterfully spun book that can intice the reader to want more and more. I hope Mr. Poalini keeps writing, for he will keep getting better. I rated this book a 4/5 because it has some flaws and other things, but most of it is okay. Thank you for reading my review, good day or good night, what ever.

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Reader reviewed by Latangi

Eragon is the amazing story of a young man, Eragon, and his dragon, Saphira. In this book they go on a quest for vengeance. Eragons uncle has been killed by the Razac, King Galbatorix evil minions. As Eragon and Saphira hunt for the evil Razac they meet new friends along the way and learn many important lessons. I recomend this book to those who like mythical creatures, Magic, and a good story.

Reader reviewed by Banana Split

Eragon is a teenager when he comes across the dragon egg. He just thinks it might look good in his bedroom, but he gets a surprise that changes his life. The egg hatches into a dragon, and Eragon calls her Saphira. Once she is born Eragons life starts going downhill. Creatures come from everywhere to steal the egg and in the process Eragons uncle is killed. Fueled by the desire to get revenge and protect his village, he sets off with Brom, a used-to-be dragon rider. They go through many lands, while Eragon gets stronger. Then during his journey, while trying to save an Elf, Brom dies trying to save Eragon. They later meet up with Murtagh, who leads them to the hideout of the Varden. The Varden is against the evil rule of the monarchy. While there the Shade finds Eragon again, and they fight. The Shade dies but Eragon gets a large scar on his back as a reminder forever. Ayra then tells Eragon that he must complete his training in the land of the elves. Eragon agrees, for it was the only way to get his revenge. This book was full of suspense and I couldnt put it down! If you love fantasy, you will love this book.

Reader reviewed by eesha

When a boy, destined to own a dragon, and an elderly man set off on a journey to protect their land, they are lead by nothing but they're will power. Eragon along with Brom set off on a mission to destroy an evil empire. Eragon is a young man just discovering himself, while Brom is a wise man full of secrets. Together they battle Urgals, save lives and solve mysteries all under cover. Read this remarkable story about a Eragon, a legend in the making.

The Inheritance Cycle certainly has a lot of pros and cons. But I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons. This is High Fantasy al la "The Wheel of Time" and of course, LOTR (in some cases quite literally so.) BUT, it is also a four book YOUNG ADULT series, each of a reasonable length. Inheritance does not require the huge time commitment as other similar fantasy series. It is an Epic tale for a YA audience and therefore it is a great segue for a young reader to emerge themselves into this amazing genre. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Eragon and his dragon, Saphira.
Bottom line: this first book was written by a very young author who was obviously deeply inspired by other works of the genre. But Paolini's version is meant for a young adult audience and shouldn't be compared to full epic masterpieces. Eragon is epic fantasy for a smaller appetite.

Reader reviewed by Ray

This book is a great fantasy. The first book in a trilogy(?). Honestly it has a slow begininning but then it builds up into a tremendous, fast, action-filled ending! A must read for fantasy lovers. If you've read this book, keep an eye out for the second one!

The story of Eragon is that of a so-named impoverished farm boy from an insignificant village somewhere in a vast, tyrannical empire. When a dragon egg appears in front of him one day while he's out hunting, he doesn't initially know what he's come across. But when it hatches and the young dragon bonds with him, it begins a chain of events that turn Eragon's world dangerously upside down. The only dragon rider still in existence is the evil King, who wiped out the rest generations before. With the help of a sagely bard, the boy and his dragon are forced to grow up fast and on the run.

I'm a little conflicted as to how I should rate or review this one. It's been on my to-read list since it came out and I heard the inspiring tale of the 16-year-old writing prodigy who conceived of it. The fact is, considering the age of the author at the time, the work is quite impressive. The medieval fantasy element is mid-range, well formed and mapped out. And the tone of it feels wedged somewhere right between Middle Grande and Young Adult. Plenty of action, adventure, war-time and fantasy violence--but nothing particularly graphic. There's plenty of self-exploration and coming-of-age introspection to be had as well--making it a potentially valuable piece for young males, especially.

On the flip side, the story doesn't feel particularly original. Elves, Dwarves, sorcerers/magicians, orc-like creatures, telepathic dragons and true-name magic all echo many long-existing high fantasy concepts. And if I hadn't known the age of the author, I'm afraid this reader would be more tempted to find the pacing dragging in places, and the emotional depth a bit lacking. The dialogue also comes off cheesy at times--particularly in action sequences.

Overall, worth a read. And certainly deserving of its popularity in the YA community. I do wonder, though, how this might have been written if the author had honed his craft for another decade or so. The curiosity is enough to make me think I ought to check out his later works.